Parent-related influence on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Kangundo sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

This study investigated parent-related influence on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Kangundo Sub-county, Kenya. It was guided by the following research objectives to: establish the influence of parental level of education; determine the influence of parents’ income level; establish the influence of parents’ role in monitoring learning activities; and determine the influence of single family type on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Kangundo Sub-county. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. It targeted all (27) public secondary schools in Kangundo Sub-county, all (27) school heads, all (27) parents’ association chairpersons, all (339) teachers and all (2,663) form three students. The study employed a census technique to include all schools; 24 in the main study and 3 in the pilot study. All the 24 school heads as well as all the 24 parents’ association chairpersons of the participating schools were included in the study. The study sampled 30.0% of teachers that gave 102 teachers. Stratified random sampling technique was employed to select participating teachers where a proportionate weighted sample was identified per school using proportional allocation method. Then, simple random sampling technique was adopted to select the participating teachers in each school. Yamene (1967) formula was used to give a sample of 348 students. Stratified random sampling technique was employed to identify and select weighted random samples per school. In total, 498 respondents participated in the study. Data collection instruments included questionnaires for school heads, teachers, students and an interview guide for parents’ association chairpersons. Validity of the research instruments was ascertained through expert judgment and piloting. Reliability was achieved through test re-test method where the instruments were piloted in schools at a time interval of two weeks and the two results were correlated using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation method. Data were entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 26.0) for analysis. Frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were used to analyze data descriptively. Further, inferential analysis was employed that involved correlational analysis at a 0.05 level of significance. Hypothesis one was accepted or rejected at a 0.01 level of significance. Hypotheses two, three and four were accepted or rejected at a 0.05 level of significance. All quantitative data was presented in frequency distribution tables and correlation tables. Conversely, qualitative data were analyzed thematically through content analysis and presented in narratives. Results establishes: a moderate positive correlation between parents' level of education and students’ academic performance which was statistically significant (R=.602; p=0.003<0.01); a moderate positive correlation between parents' level of income and students’ academic performance that was statistically significant (R=.534; p=0.011<0.05); a weak positive correlation between parents' role in monitoring learning activities and students’ academic performance which was statistically significant (R=.451; p=0.035<0.05); and a weak correlation between single parent family type and students’ academic performance which was not statistically significant (R=.149; p=0.508). Recommendations are put forth such as: the Ministry of Education to establish more adult education centres, the government to make secondary school education completely free; parents to be more involved in their children education and create a supportive home learning environment; and government to initiate educative and enlightenment programs on how to improve and sustain intact parenthood.