When Demographics Matter: How Parental Attributes Shape Responses to Zero-Tolerance Discipline in Urban Informal Schools in Nairobi, Kenya
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| Title: | When Demographics Matter: How Parental Attributes Shape Responses to Zero-Tolerance Discipline in Urban Informal Schools in Nairobi, Kenya |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Apopo David Kennedy (ORCID |
| Source: | Education and Urban Society. 2026 58(7):817-834. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Discipline, Parent Attitudes, Zero Tolerance Policy, School Role, Parent School Relationship, Family Characteristics, Socioeconomic Status, Family Structure, Sex, Parent Responsibility, Parent Conferences, Parent Background, Parent Participation |
| Geographic Terms: | Kenya (Nairobi) |
| DOI: | 10.1177/00131245261446918 |
| ISSN: | 0013-1245 1552-3535 |
| Abstract: | Zero-tolerance policies in school discipline have been widely criticized for their disproportionate effects on marginalized students, yet little attention has been paid to how such policies shape the lives of parents. This article draws on a phenomenological study of 20 parents living in Kibera, Nairobi's largest informal settlement, to explore how demographic attributes moderate parental experiences of zero-tolerance discipline. Findings show that gender, marital status, income, education, household size, and access to support systems significantly shaped parents' responses and coping strategies. Single mothers and widows reported intensified caregiving and economic burdens; casual laborers and self-employed parents faced immediate income losses when summoned to schools; and less-educated parents often complied silently, while better-educated parents demanded fairness and accountability. Large households experienced compounded stress, while smaller households concentrated it on a single parent-child dyad. Coping strategies included prayer, community mediation, and reliance on school networks, but stigma often silenced families. The study demonstrates that zero-tolerance discipline functions as an amplifier of inequality in contexts of urban poverty, transforming school misconduct into family-level crises. It concludes by calling for equity-oriented, restorative approaches that engage parents as partners and acknowledge the socio-economic realities of families in informal settlements. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1513443 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Zero-tolerance policies in school discipline have been widely criticized for their disproportionate effects on marginalized students, yet little attention has been paid to how such policies shape the lives of parents. This article draws on a phenomenological study of 20 parents living in Kibera, Nairobi's largest informal settlement, to explore how demographic attributes moderate parental experiences of zero-tolerance discipline. Findings show that gender, marital status, income, education, household size, and access to support systems significantly shaped parents' responses and coping strategies. Single mothers and widows reported intensified caregiving and economic burdens; casual laborers and self-employed parents faced immediate income losses when summoned to schools; and less-educated parents often complied silently, while better-educated parents demanded fairness and accountability. Large households experienced compounded stress, while smaller households concentrated it on a single parent-child dyad. Coping strategies included prayer, community mediation, and reliance on school networks, but stigma often silenced families. The study demonstrates that zero-tolerance discipline functions as an amplifier of inequality in contexts of urban poverty, transforming school misconduct into family-level crises. It concludes by calling for equity-oriented, restorative approaches that engage parents as partners and acknowledge the socio-economic realities of families in informal settlements. |
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| ISSN: | 0013-1245 1552-3535 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/00131245261446918 |
