Influential Factors of Educational Engagement in Kech, Balochistan, Pakistan: A Quantitative Study with Gender Comparison

Abstract

Although the world has acknowledged the role of education in influencing socioeconomic growth, it has been observed that there are huge gender gaps in the enrollment and completion rates of education in the remote parts of Pakistan. This is a quantitative research that examines variables that affect educational participation in Kech district, Balochistan, and specifically the gender gap. A stratified random sample of 300 students (150 female and 150 male) of the University of Turbat was surveyed on the five determinants of social and political environment, self-independence, family dynamics, ambitious aspirations and financial considerations using a questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis, testing of measurement invariance, t-tests, and multiple regression were used in the analysis of data. The tool proved to be very reliable (Cronbach 4 alpha =.892). These five factors were very important in both genders in terms of engagement. Regression showed that the strongest predictors were family dynamics ( =.356, p =.001) and self-independence ( =.298, p =.001) where 54.7% of the variance was explained. Significant gender differences emerged: female students rated self-independence (t(285) = 4.23, p < .001, d = 0.49) and family dynamics (t(285) = 3.87, p < .001, d = 0.45) higher, while male students rated financial considerations higher (t(285) = 2.94, p = .004, d = 0.34). To sum up, the sociocultural and economic factors influence the educational engagement in Kech, where the family relationships and self-independence are the key motivators. The existing gender differences require gender sensitive policies that take into consideration the family support systems and individual empowerment by realizing that male and female students are motivated differently.