Identifying the Factors Influencing Parents' Decisions to Choose English-Medium Schools Over Bilingual Schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya

This study aimed to identify the factors influencing parents' decisions to choose English-medium schools over bilingual schools. This study applied Katz's function-of-attitude theory to understand parental attitudes and Cummins' threshold theory to highlight the significance of learning a second language. A correlational research design was employed to examine the relationship between parents' attitudes towards BLP and children's literacy performance. The study was conducted in both BLP and EIP pre-primary schools in Embakasi East constituency, Nairobi County, focusing on parents and pre-primary children. Schools were grouped into BLP and EIP using stratified sampling, and a stratified random sample was then drawn from each group. Random sampling was then used to select pre-primary children from each school, whose parents were also included in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules, and document analysis. The qualitative data were analyzed thematically, while the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results were presented in tables and charts. The findings revealed that the majority of parents perceived Kiswahili as less beneficial for academic achievement and integration into the education system. In contrast, English was viewed as vital for professional growth and integration in both urban and global settings. Many parents expressed apprehension that bilingual programmes might confuse their children or hinder English learning. The study concluded that there is a tension between parents’ appreciation of Kiswahili as a cultural identity and their view of English as a tool for academic and professional success, coupled with limited trust in public schools' capacity to deliver effective bilingual education. The study recommended that educational stakeholders, including school administrators, teachers, and policymakers, design sensitization programmes and workshops to address misconceptions about bilingual education, thereby helping reduce parents’ fear and resistance to it. Article visualizations: