An Assessment of Self-Awareness on the Relationship Formation among Students in Public Secondary Schools of Murang’a County, Kenya

Self-awareness is the first step to personality development and in overcoming personality defects. One key developmental task that helps in the formation of self-awareness during adolescence is the relationship formation with significant others. However, daily forms of human relationships are becoming negatively impacted by changes in culture, parenting styles, globalization, new technologies and institutional changes with consequences in changing family structures, socialization and relations. This study, therefore, endeavours to assess self-awareness on relationship formation among students in public secondary schools in Murang’a County, Kenya.  Descriptive surveys and phenomenological designs were triangulated to provide a cohesive perspective. A mixed methodology paradigm in which qualitative and quantitative data were simultaneously collected was adopted. The target population was 101926 students, 2236 peer counsellors and 292 guidance and counselling teachers. Both random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the research sample. The sample size was 431 participants consisting of 400 students, 21 peer counsellors and 10 guidance and counselling teachers. The data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and focused group discussion guides. Quantitative data was computed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 and results were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically and presented in narrative forms. Results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between self-awareness and relationship formation among secondary school students in Murang’a County. The study recommended that the Kenyan government through the Ministry of Education should revise the curriculum to offer compulsory life skills and competencies like self-awareness and interpersonal skills at all levels of education. In addition, parents and teachers encourage students to speak openly about their challenges