Parental Educational Status And Academic Performance In Economics Among Secondary School Students

ABSTRACT: This study examined Parental Educational Status and Academic Performance in Economics among Secondary School Students in Uyo local government area. Three research questions were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study comprising of (6318) economics students in the fourteen (14) public schools; Two hundred (200) students offering Economics in SSII was selected to form a sample size through random sampling technique. Survey design was used for the study. Questionnaire was the major instrument used for the study.  Simple percentage was used as the method of the data analysis used to calculate the information collected from the students. From the analysis, it was indicated that parental educational status really influences academic performance of students in Economics. Finally, it was recommended that; educated parents should pay more time, interest and attention to the academic affairs of their children.

Parental Educational Status And Academic Performance In Economics Among Secondary School Students

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background of the Study

Many researchers have in recent times conducted that parental educational background has strong relationship with the children’s educational outcomes (Cummings and Davis, 2004; Dodge and Pettit, 2003). A lot of resources have so far been given for the poor performance of students in schools and the most important among the reasons are the negligence of duty of teachers and parents. Parents tend to rely only on teachers with the believe to change or transform their children to academic experts over night, and anything that falls below this expectation makes the teacher conduct unacceptable. 

Few people care to think of other factors responsible for poor performances of students at school (Whitson and Keler, 2004; Sirin, 2005). Unfortunately, these factors are so weighty that it renders the important efforts made by the teachers towards the realization of students’ academic useless. Many researchers have come to agreement that child’s academic achievement does not only restrict to the school he tends but also the education and educational preparation that particular child has received outside the school (Nagin and Tremblay, 2001). It could be from the family, in the community and from the peer group.

It has been noticed that the foundational background of any child should be properly lay down; else such particular child will face a lot of difficulties in future (Arnett and Emerging, 2000). Some students who are very brilliant were negatively affected by the attitude of their parents by not providing them the necessary materials needed in the school and at home. Students whose parents encourages and provides their educational needs always partake excellently, However, the present study identifies the effect if academic background of  parents on the academic performance of students. 

Parental Educational Status And Academic Performance In Economics Among Secondary School Students

1.2    Statement of the Problem

The failure rate of students both in the internal and external examinations has been so alarming. The recent examination result have portrayed the emptiness of our students right from the primary stages of education, River State Ministry of Education, 2008; Waecdirect,2012. The research findings over the recent years have only considered the students as well as the teachers’ variables, to the causes of students; poor performances at school. However, the researcher has further discovered that the family, through the educational achievements of the parents is quite few on the research. The current study aims at finding out the contributions of parental educational backgrounds to the academic performances of students in Uyo Local Government Area.