10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

The study examined the relationship between sports participation and learner retention among Primary School children in Karamoja region, Uganda. One specific objective was stated to guide this study. One Null Hypothesis was formulated which is, “there is no significant effect of sports participation on learner retention among Primary school children in Karamoja region, Uganda.” The relationships focused on: willingness to stay in school, reduced dropout, reduced absenteeism, school belonging and continued enrollment across classes. Across-sectional descriptive survey design with a mixed-methods approach was employed where both quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analysed. The study was conducted in 44 Primary schools. A total target population of 7938 was involved in the study with a sample size of 594. The researcher used purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Quantitative data was collected from 539 respondents (352 pupils, 88 class teachers, 88 sports teachers, and 11 District Sports Officers) using structured questionnaires, achieving a 96.4% response rate. Qualitative data was gathered through 7 key informant interviews with District Inspectors of Schools and 5 Focus Group Discussions with 44 head teachers. Quantitative data was analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics (version 27) to get frequencies, means, medians, standard deviations, and inferential statistics (Spearman's correlation, linear regression with bootstrapping. Qualitative data was transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis in NVivo (version 15). The findings revealed that sports participation significantly enhances learner retention through increased willingness to stay in school (Mean=4.50, SD=0.832), reduced prolonged absenteeism (Mean=4.46, SD=0.841), and strengthened sense of school belonging (Mean=4.33, SD=0.820). A strong, positive, and statistically significant correlation was found between sports participation and learner retention (ρ = 0.725, p < .001). Critically, regression analysis established that sports participation explains 50.5% of the variance in learner retention (R² = 0.505). Relationships among variables were established using Pearson correlation coefficients while null hypothesis was tested using simultaneous linear regression coefficients at a confidence interval of 99%. The major recommendations were that ;(1) Ministry of Education and Sports should mandate structured sports as a formal learner retention strategy in all Karamoja schools, (2) Establish school-based leagues by District Education Officers (3) Schools should maintain at least two trained coaches per school and prioritize recruiting female coaches to address gender-specific learner retention barriers. Ministry of Education and Sports should link sports participation to scholarships, certificates, and progression incentives, as these emerged as powerful motivational tools.