Identifying Factors that Influence Female Students’ Dropout Rate in Senior Secondary Schools in Montserrado County, Liberia

This study aims to determine the Factors that Influence the Dropout Rate of Female Students in Senior Secondary Schools in Montserrado County, Liberia. Four research questions are formulated to guide the study: to identify the extent to which poverty influence the dropout rates of girls in Senior Secondary schools, to examine how domestic labor affected female students’ dropout rate in Senior Secondary Schools, to examine the extent to which parents’ attitude influence female students’ dropout rate in Senior Secondary Schools, and lastly to investigate how the community’s perception of female education affect dropout rates in Senior Secondary schools. A descriptive research design was used to carry out the study. The sample consisted of 4 education officers, 40 students, 20 head teachers, 10 teachers, and 15 parents. The findings revealed that there were several factors that influenced the dropout rate of female students in secondary schools in Montserrado County, ranging from early marriages, initiation rites, the attitudes of parents, and domestic labor. These factors were found to be overwhelming for the girl child.