View in EDS

When Demographics Matter: How Parental Attributes Shape Responses to Zero-Tolerance Discipline in Urban Informal Schools in Nairobi, Kenya

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: When Demographics Matter: How Parental Attributes Shape Responses to Zero-Tolerance Discipline in Urban Informal Schools in Nairobi, Kenya
Language: English
Authors: Apopo David Kennedy (ORCID 0009-0006-9016-6355)
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
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1513443
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: When Demographics Matter: How Parental Attributes Shape Responses to Zero-Tolerance Discipline in Urban Informal Schools in Nairobi, Kenya
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Apopo+David+Kennedy%22">Apopo David Kennedy</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9016-6355">0009-0006-9016-6355</externalLink>)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Education+and+Urban+Society%22"><i>Education and Urban Society</i></searchLink>. 2026 58(7):817-834.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: 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
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 18
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Discipline%22">Discipline</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Attitudes%22">Parent Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Zero+Tolerance+Policy%22">Zero Tolerance Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Role%22">School Role</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+School+Relationship%22">Parent School Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Characteristics%22">Family Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Socioeconomic+Status%22">Socioeconomic Status</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Structure%22">Family Structure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex%22">Sex</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Responsibility%22">Parent Responsibility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Conferences%22">Parent Conferences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Background%22">Parent Background</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Participation%22">Parent Participation</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kenya+%28Nairobi%29%22">Kenya (Nairobi)</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1177/00131245261446918
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 0013-1245<br />1552-3535
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: 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.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1513443
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1513443
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1177/00131245261446918
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 817
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Discipline
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Zero Tolerance Policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: School Role
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent School Relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family Characteristics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Socioeconomic Status
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family Structure
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent Responsibility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent Conferences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent Background
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent Participation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Kenya (Nairobi)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: When Demographics Matter: How Parental Attributes Shape Responses to Zero-Tolerance Discipline in Urban Informal Schools in Nairobi, Kenya
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Apopo David Kennedy
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 09
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0013-1245
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1552-3535
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 58
            – Type: issue
              Value: 7
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Education and Urban Society
              Type: main
ResultId 1