Drug And Substance Abuse And Academic Performance In Kaimosi And Sigala Gala Institutes Of Technology

ABSTRACT

Drugs are chemical substances that act on the brain affecting a persons mind and

behaviour in extreme cases. Drugs are classified as legal and illegal drugs. Legal

drugs are chemicals designed to treat. They contain stimulants such as caffeine and

depressants. They are obtained either by prescription or over the counter. Such drugs

are safe only when instructions on labels are followed. Illegal drugs are those whose

sale and use is forbidden by law. This is because their harmful effects out weigh any

useful purpose. These drugs are especially dangerous for there is no control over their manufacture or sale. Illegal drugs have become serious public health problem especially tertiary institutions oflearning in Kenya thus need for survey on their relationship with academic performance in institutes of technology in western province.

The research aimed at studying the relationship between drug and substance abuse and academic performance in kaimosi and sigalagala institutes of technology. The study also aimed at evaluating results and fmding out major causes of poor

performance in national examination apart from drug and substance abuse.

The study was confmed in kaimosi and sigalagala institutes of technology. The institutes where the research was conducted have a population of one thousand and two thousand respectively. The population comprised both male and female students all above eighteen years of age. The researcher selected twenty students from twelve departments in both institutions therefore a total of two hundred and fourty students were randomly selected and sixteen administrative staff purposely selected

The research design was cross sectional survey and research instruments were questionnaires, interviews and observation. The questionaires were pre-tested on a number of respondents not included in the sample. The instruments were refmed and corrected to improve on validity and reliability of the items.