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The Relationship Between Parental Academic Background And Primary School Pupils’ Academic Performance
[A CASE STUDY OF SAKI-WEST.]
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Parents attended parent/teacher interview sessions and found out at first hand just how productive and engaged their children were in the process of school (Weiss et al.,1998). Report cards were valued and trusted in the home as an accurate reflection of academic achievement (Guskey, 2002). Parents were able to keep in touch with the school and the life of their children in the institution, and to monitor success or lack thereof. When children came home from school, homework was completed, assignments finished, tests studied for and snacks eaten, more often than not at the kitchen table under the watchful eye of a parent (Deslandes & Bertrand, 2005).
Just as this traditional family may have existed, it may also have been a figment of society’s collective imagination. Whether it existed or not, however, there is no denying that the school-to-home connection, at least for middle class America, was in Place and effective at keeping parents involved in the education process. Many parents worked closely with their children, in cooperation with the school, and marked academic success occurred (Epstein, 2001). With the changes in family life and indeed in societal makeup, schools are now finding it increasingly difficult to keep parents informed of and actively engaged in the day-to-day progress of their
Children (Deslandes & Bertrand, 2005). Teachers and administrators are discovering that the support they once received in getting students to do their homework is not there, because the parents are not at home to insist that students complete their assignments. Even if parents are present, homework turns out to be a major issue within the home environment (Allen, 2000). A 1997 report by Public Agenda Online states, “Homework is the vortex where teacher complaints and parental pressures seem to converge. In many households, it is tinder that ignites continuous family battles and a spawning ground for mixed signals and even some resentment between teachers and parents†For parents, staying connected to the day-to-day school life of their children has become difficult. Perhaps they will find it easier to stay connected through the use of technology. Many web-enabled software management programs are available, such as Students Achieve Desire to Learn, and Edline. In a study of computer use in the home in 2003, Statistics Canada (2004) found that 64% of Canadian households had at least one member who used the Internet regularly. This was a 5% increase from 2002, an increase that built on gains of 19% and 24% respectively observed in 2000 and 2001. The trend certainly indicates an increase in these numbers in future years, and a potential avenue of communication that schools can explore.
However, even if the possibility exists for increased parent involvement, a basic question arises whether there is a relationship between the type of parent involvement and high school student performance factors such as engagement, academic achievement, attendance and attitude toward school. Researchers such as Epstein (2001) and Allen (2000) claim that increased parent involvement will result in greater student engagement, productivity and academic success. Epstein’s research, for the most part, relates to the influence of parent involvement in the lives of elementary aged students.
Research findings show that parental involvement in children’s learning activities positively influences their levels of achievement and motivation to learn (Epstein, 1992). Many studies indicate that the influences of parental involvement upon students’ in primary school education make a difference. Similarly, parental influence on a student’s academic success in high school may be a factor that cannot be ignored.
Data from the public use files of the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88) are enhancing the study of parental involvement in secondary education. Research Using these data reveals that in the middle grades, parents are mostly involved in the daily supervision of children’s lives (Type 1, above) and educational activities (Type 4, above). These activities include establishing family rules for the supervision of students’ homework, TV viewing, and curfews, and discussing career aspirations and plans about high school programs. Most parents are trying to supervise and guide their children during the 3 middle grades, but with limited assistance from schools. They are more likely to supervise and set rules about activities that families traditionally control (such as doing family chores), than about activities for which they lack information (such as improving report card grades).
In high school, parental involvement of drops as parents loosen their daily supervision of their teenagers, but parents become more concerned about the learning opportunities that high schools provide. Parental involvement during high school increases parent-school communications about school programs and student progress and parent participation as volunteers at school (Catsambis & Garland, 1997). As children move from the middle grades to the last years of high school, parents also crystallize their educational expectations for their children. As students near high school graduation, parents become increasingly concerned about their teen’s further education and about the effects of high school programs on post secondary opportunities (Catsambis & Garland, 1997).
Investigations show that the effects of family practices on students’ academic success tend to vary by age and are strongest for elementary school children (Singh et al.,1995). By far the most important effect that is consistent across studies is that of parents ‘educational aspirations for their children. High parental aspirations tend to positively influence students’ levels of achievement in primary and secondary education (Astone & McLanahan, 1991) A number of studies reported that the academic achievement of secondary school students is positively affected by other indicators of parental involvement, including parent/student discussions regarding scool experiences and academic matters (Keith et al., 1993).Lee, 1994; Sui-Chu & Willms, 1996; Muller, 1993), argued that the general parental supervision and monitoring of student progress and to a lesser extent, parent participation in school-related activities, (volunteering and parent-teacher organizations) (Stevenson & Baker, 1987).Most of the above studies examine the effects of parental involvement in middle school rather than in high school.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]ABSTRACT IS COMING SOON ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER ONE - [ Total Page(s): 2 ]CHAPTER ONEINTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study So many reasons have been advanced for the poor performance of pupils in schools prominent, among them is the role of the teachers and Parents seem to depend only on teachers with the belief to change or transform their children to academic experts overnight and anything that falls below this expectation makes the teachers conduct unacceptable. Few people care to think of other factors resp ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER THREE - [ Total Page(s): 2 ]CHAPTER THREE3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY3.0 IntroductionThis chapter deals with all the activities involved in the collection of all necessary data and information required for the research project. The chapter is set out to describe in full the following:The research designThe source of dataThe characteristics of the population of studyThe sample and sampling techniquesThe method of data collection3.1 Research Design Research design is a detailed plan outlin ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER FOUR - [ Total Page(s): 12 ]Key: SA- Strongly Agree, A- Agree, D- Disagree, SD- Strongly Disagree Pupils Response on Parent’s Attitude to Education SA A D SD ... Continue reading---
CHAPTER FIVE - [ Total Page(s): 1 ] CHAPTER FIVE5.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION5.1 IntroductionThis chapter discusses summary of the findings, conclusions, recommendations, and suggestions for further research following research objectives.5.2 Summary of the findingsThe purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of parental academic background on pupil’s academic performance in primary schools in SWLG, Saki. Data were collected using the questionnaires as the main res ... Continue reading---
REFRENCES - [ Total Page(s): 4 ]REFERENCESAdewale, A. M. (2002). Implication of parasitic infections on school performance among school-age children. Ilorin Journal of science education. Vol.2 Pp.78-81.Alberta Education & Patricia Makenzie . (2003) .Alberta’s commission on learning.Alldred, P., & Edwards, R.. (2000). A Tlogy of parental involvement in education Centering on children and young people: Negotiating familiarization, Institutionalization and individualization. British Journal of Sociology of ... Continue reading---
