Lauren Fenenbock

RWS 1302, M
Kinley
March 6, 2015
Literature Review Research Report
Critical research questions for a girls access to education in sub-Saharan
Africa:

How does a girls education affect her health and the health of her
children? Getting an education means more than just learning about
subjects such as math, science, history, or language arts. Although all of
these subjects are important, by receiving an education, a girl may also
learn about reproduction, nutrition, and health. Through my research, I
hope to find some concrete examples of how a girls education impacts the
risk of her dying during childbirth, the number of children she will have,

and her overall health.

How does a girls education affect her community? I hope to find out if a
girls education has a positive or negative impact on her community. If a
girl receives an education, how does it change her community? I hope to
learn how a girls education might help her local economy or how she

might use her income to help support her extended family.

How does a girls education affect the age at which she marries? For this
question, I will need to look at what age a girl would traditionally get
married in sub-Saharan Africa. Do uneducated girls get married at a
different age then educated girls? If so, why?

What are the main reasons a girl drops out or never attends school? It is
not only important to find out how education impacts a girls life. It is also
important to find out why she drops out of school or why she never attends
school. Who makes this decision? Is it because of the cost, familial
obligations, lack of sanitary facilities, or cultural norms? I hope to find out
how all of these issues play a role in a girls education (or lack thereof).

I plan to address all of these questions by also taking into account how the
amount of time a girl attends school might affect the answers to all of these
questions. Just because a girl receives some schooling, does not mean that her
education will impact her in the same way as a girl who receives a higher level of
education. This research will help me to develop my argument for the importance
of a girls access to education in sub-Saharan Africa. A girls education affects her
life, her childrens lives, her community, and the world at large.