influence of parental involvement on students’ academic

www.theinternationaljournal.org > RJSSM: Volume: 06, Number: 03, July 2016 Page 24

Influence of Parental Involvement on Students’ Academic Achievement in Public

Secondary Schools, Kenya

Humprey Mugambi Kararwa, Email: [email protected] Graduate School, Chuka University, Kenya

& Dr Laaria Mingaine, Email: [email protected]

Mukiria Technical Training Institute, Kenya

Abstract The role of parents in children’s education globally is a central issue in education policy and research. This study sought to ascertain the influence of parental involvement in school related activities on students’ academic achievement in public day secondary schools in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A sample size of 180 respondents consisting of 175 form 3 students and 5 head teachers from 5 schools was used in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews. Before the main study, a pilot study was conducted to establish the reliability of the instruments by use of test-retest technique. A correlation coefficient of 0.88 for students and 0.85 for head teachers was achieved respectively. Descriptive statistics involving frequencies and percentages were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data. Data collected was presented in form of tables, graphs and charts. It was established that parents were lowly involved in the academic achievement of their children. It was also established that parental involvement in school related activities influenced students’ academic achievement. It was suggested that schools should establish regular open days to provide parents with opportunities to consult with teachers over their children’s academic work. It is expected that the findings of the study will assist education planners, teachers and other stake holders to understand and utilize the potential of parental involvement in school related activities in enhancing students’ academic achievement. Keywords: Parental, involvement, Students, Schools, Academic, achievement, Kenya 1.1 Introduction Academic achievement is a measurement of how much learning has taken place. It is the manifestation of learning. It can be observed and measured using various instruments such as written tests, quizzes and assessments. The learners’ achievement is indicated through the use of marks and grades. MOEST (1996) observe that internationally, students’ scores in examination are accepted as proxy of achievement in education. Kyalo (1992) states that the certificate awarded to candidates must not only certify that they have fulfilled the requirement of the examination board but also compares them favorably with similar cohort elsewhere. In Kenya education is a highly result oriented discipline in that the prospective candidates are judged by grades on their certificates (Okumbe, 1998). This means that good performance is necessary for selection and placement of students in institutions of higher learning and jobs in various firms. Consequently low achievement undermines students’ chances of joining institutions of higher learning and jeopardizes their opportunities for jobs placement and in most cases reduces their active participation in national development. According to Wamai (1991) public examinations are highly regarded as an instrument for categorizing students in groups of achievers and non-achievers. Academic achievement is attained through a joint commitment of teachers, students and parents. The Government educational policy recognizes the significant role played by parents by involving their integration at various levels of educational organizations. The Basic Education Act of 2013 provides for the establishment of County Education Boards (C.E.Bs), Boards of Management (B.O.Ms) and Parents Teachers Association (P.T.As) in schools with an aim of creating good working relations between parents and teachers for the interest of the students. It is recognized that if students are to maximize their academic potential from schooling, full

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support from their parents is needed (Desforges & Aboucher, 2013). Any attempt to attract the attention of parents to participate in the improvement of children performance requires a joint effort in which the ministry of education, school administration, educators and parents should be involved. P.T.As provides the best opportunity for both the teacher and parent to communicate about classroom activities, students’ academic performance and develop solutions for any educational problems that can affect the performance of students individually (UNESCO, 2005).This has prompted individuals and groups of people to be keener about parental involvement and students’ academic achievement. The type of parental support required is a combination of commitment and active participation in academic matters. It is the duty of parents and guardians to take their children to school and encourage them to perform well. It is expected that parents will not only have positive attitude towards education and participate in decisions affecting their children’s education, but also monitor their children’s progress, support teachers in their work, build and maintain learning facilities as well as assisting their children with homework (M.O.E, 2012). This will be in line with the government policy on education which emphasizes parental involvement in school activities in order to positively improve students’ academic achievement at all levels of education. Day secondary school students interact with their parents more often than their counterparts in boarding schools. This interactive nature is therefore expected to have an impact on their academic achievement in examinations. Several factors contribute to students’ academic achievement in schools. Among the most frequently put forward are; availability of learning resources, teaching methods used by the teacher, teacher qualification, discipline and students’ academic ability (Adekola, 2007; Micheni, 2010). Most of these factors are school based. Academic achievement is however conceptualized as composed of multiple dimensions and therefore it is necessary to look beyond the school to understand the factors that impact on it. For this reason parental involvement in academic achievement cannot be ignored. The performance of most public day secondary schools in Imenti North has been far below the required mean grade of C+ which is necessary for students to be admitted in most institutions of higher learning in Kenya (D.E.Os office Imenti North, 2014). Most of these public day secondary schools have been posting a low mean score in both district and national examinations (D.E.Os Office Imenti North Sub County, 2015). 1.2 Statement of the Problem Education is crucial in equipping the youth with skills that can enable foster a country’s economic development. The Government of Kenya has placed much emphasis on parental involvement in school activities in an attempt to attract their participation in enhancing their children’s academic performance. Though students in day secondary schools in the Sub County interact with their parents more often than their counterparts in boarding schools, they have consistently under-achieved in both Sub County and national examinations. This means that many of them miss opportunities in tertiary institutions and probably this negatively affects their future careers and livelihoods. Several concerns had been raised by educationists and other stake holders on the level of parental involvement in school related activities in the Sub County. This scenario therefore prompted the researcher’s interest in finding out whether the level of parental involvement in school related activities in the Sub County influenced students’ academic achievement. 1.3 Objectives of the Study i) To find out the influence of parental involvement in homework supervision on students’ academic achievement in public day secondary schools in Imenti North Sub County. ii) To find out the influence of parental involvement in school academic meetings on students’ academic achievement in public day secondary schools in Imenti North Sub County. iii) To establish the influence of parental involvement in provision of academic materials on students’ academic achievement in public day secondary schools in Imenti North Sub County. 1.4 Significance of the Study The findings and recommendations of this study are expected to add information to the current


knowledge about the influence of parental involvement in school related activities on students’ academic achievement in public day secondary schools. The findings of the study could provide the Ministry of Education with data on how secondary schools involve parents in school related activities and the effect of this involvement in academic achievement. In turn, the Ministry may be in a position to analyze these strategies in order to take effective measures regarding parental involvement at secondary school level. The information provided by the study will also provide an objective assessment of the influence of parental involvement on students’ academic achievement that would inevitably form an evaluation to enable the government and communities to encourage parental access ibi l i ty and involvement in school related activities to promote students’ academic achievement. The conclusions reached under this study may institute a basis for further research in the area of problems facing parental involvement in school related activities in public day secondary schools in Imenti North Sub County and in other parts of the country. Finally, the findings would serve as useful feedback to educational policy makers, administrators, teachers as well as curriculum developers on how to improve student’s academic achievement through parental involvement in school related activities. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Parental Involvement in Education A variety of techniques exists for involving parents in their children’s education. They range from parent-school contact to parent training and involvement in policy making (Barth 1979, Becker & Epstein 1982, Moles 1982). In a survey of 3,700 first, third and fifth grade teachers, Becker & Epstein (2012) found that teachers techniques for involving parents in their children’s schooling fall into five broad categories which include reading activities, learning through discussion ,suggestion for home activities, supervision and review of homework and contact between parent and teachers. Parents can be involved in their children’s education in many ways and at many levels of school hierarchy. They can become P.T.A. members attend meetings and facilitate learning at home. Becker & Epstein (2012) developed a 6-part model parental roles/involvement which included parenting communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making and collaborating the community. The most important role of parents in child’s schooling is provision of basic needs. Parents provide school academic materials supervise homework activities and ensure home environments that are friendly. The other type of parental role is to ensure that school’s respond to their communication. The school and parents should establish a two-way channel of communication about the child they share. When parents are comfortable with the schools expectations they are willing to communicate with their child’s teacher (Fuller & Oslen, 1998). Generally when students report feeling support from both home and school they tend to do better in school. They gain more self confidence, are less disruptive and earn better grades (Gutman & Midgley, 2000). In figuring out parental educational roles that have powerful correlation with students achievement in secondary education students, researchers found that home-based roles are more positively related than school based Constambis & Garland (1997). When parents guide their children they are more likely to enroll in higher level programs, earn credit and score higher on tests. Kathuri (1984) in his study of Nairobi secondary schools showed that children whose parents paid visits to find out their children’s progress did better academically than students whose parents never appeared in school for follow-up. This study sought to find out whether similar parental involvement in school activities had any influence on students academic achievement in Imenti North Sub County, Meru County, Kenya. 2.2Studies on Parental Involvement in Education Considerable research evidence suggests that parents’ behavior with their children stimulation, consistency, moderation and responsiveness influence the child’s cognitive and social development (Clarke-Stewart, 1983). At middle levels parents are mostly involved in daily supervision of students’ educational activities. These activities include establishing family rules for the supervision of student’s homework, TV viewing and discussing career aspirations and plans about high school programs. In high school parents roles are in form of preparing positive environment and are more concerned about the learning opportunities that the school provides.


Researchers have concluded that parental involvement in education remains important for children’s success throughout secondary education (Astone & Mclanaha, 1991). They also added that the most important effect that is consistent across studies is that of parent educational aspirations for their children. The academic performance of secondary education is also positively affected by other indicators of parental involvement including parent/student discussion regarding school experiences and academic matters ( Schneider & Coleman, 1993), general parental supervision and monitoring of students progress (Sui-chu & Willms, 1996), and to a lesser extent parent participation in school related activities (Mingaine, 2013). Almost all studies on parental involvement in secondary school are concerned with effects on achievement. 2.3 Rationale for Parental Involvement Young children are integrally connected to their families. Schools therefore cannot adequately meet the needs of children unless they also recognize the importance of the child’s family and develop strategies to work efficiently with families (Gestwick, 1996). Mingaine, (2013) agrees with this, observing that parents are, and should be the principal influence in children’s lives and when parents become involved in their children’s programs; there is correlation with later school success. In emphasizing the need for parental involvement, Bruce (1998) noted that ignoring the child’s home, and the people in it, means that the child is denied the opportunity for continuity between home and school Martin & Bennet (1980) noted that a teacher’s contacts with parents are of great importance. 2.3.1 Parent and Homework Supervision According to studies carried out by Shiefelbein & Simmons (1981) on determinants of achievement, it has been shown that there was a close relationship between the out of class academic assignment and achievement. In his study about factors that influence performance of schools in Western Province, Eshiwani (2008) concurs with this view that homework influences academic performance of learners. He established that over 60% of the schools studied had no formal homework assignment given to students and that where it was administered there was no follow up by either the teacher or parents. Consequently the students ended up under-achieving in national examinations. He strongly attributed poor performance by western province schools partly due to the neglect of homework supervision. Parents are expected to supervise home work in day schools where teachers are not available after school hours. 2.3.2 Provision of Academic Materials The availability of the teaching and learning materials make a difference in the academic achievement of students. Court & Ghai, (1986) found that the distribution of resources such as books and equipments account for scholastic difference among schools. Among the most important instructional materials that have shown to have significance in the teaching- learning process are textbooks and other reading materials. The availability and use of such materials have a positive effect on school effectiveness (Mingaine, 2013). Eshiwani (2008) indicates that most schools which perform poorly spend less money in purchase of the teaching resources. Availability of adequate and relevant textbooks makes the task easy. Mwangi (2013) while investigating factors which influence achievement in mathematics in secondary schools in Kenya found that availability of materials like log papers significantly correlated with achievement in mathematics. 2.3.3 Academic Meetings One of the traditional ways of trying to reach parents in the school system has been to hold occasional meetings. Generally, the meetings are designed to give information to large group of parents about school progress. Frequently, parents attend these meetings in order to discover the progress of their children academically. Parents need more information and ideas to support their children academic achievement in school. In academic meetings, parents are educated on how to function more effectively on their parental roles by introducing new educational experiences that give parents added knowledge and understanding and help them to develop new methods of dealing with their children on matters pertaining academic achievement (Mwangi, 2013). Academic meetings therefore provide an opportunity for parents to examine the overall progress of students in a detailed and organized manner.


2.4 Parents-School Contacts Berk (1996) proposes that secondary schools need to do a better job of increasing parental involvement during adolescence; that they can do so by fostering personal relationships between parents and teachers by showing parents how to support their adolescents’ education at home and by developing assignments that give parents a meaningful role to play. Mingaine, (2013) contends that a good or experienced teacher will always take account of what a parent has to say about his or her child, and will work in partnership to bring out the best in the individual child. Eshiwani (1988) considers that judgments about the effectiveness of schools to work with parents should be considered very good if; (i) The school works very effectively with parents to support pupils learning. (ii) Parents feel a strong sense of partnership based on a mutual trust and confidence in the school. (iii) There is comprehensive sharing of information about pupils learning and behavior and how they can be supported at home. (iv) Parents are actively involved and their work bears fruits. Where the above has been realized, and parents have employed concrete mechanisms to support achievements at school, Mwangi (2013). points out that the involved students have been “over-achievers”. 2.4.1 Role of the Teacher in Parent-Involvement Parent role appears to blossom when teachers are intensely committed to the idea. While most teachers and school administrators are in favor of greater parent participation in children’s schooling, some teachers report that while they engage in traditional means of parent teacher communication many parents do not go beyond such attempts (Becker & Epstein, 1982). They admit to not knowing the best ways to get parents involved in their children’s education. Many teachers worry that parent particularly low income parents may not have enough time, training or educating to help their children with school work (Becker & Epstein, 1982). Researchers have documented that some parents care about their children academic progress but do not know how to help them (Mwangi (2013). Gutman & Midgley, (2000) argues that parent acknowledgment might be facilitated if the relationship between parent and teachers become a true partnership based on natural sharing helping and accountability. Accumulated evidence thus supports the importance of parents in children’s education. Research shows that when teachers and educational administrators are strongly committed to drawing parents into their children’s education, the academic outcomes for the children can be very positive. Sifuna, (2008) states that lack of communication, poor relationship between head teachers, and students’ inefficient instruction policies and practices and leaving parents out of school activities are significant factors in contributing to poor performance in schools. 2.4.2 Benefits of Teacher-Parent Partnership Teacher-parent partnership has great benefits to the child, parent as well as the teacher. Sifuna (2008) observes that the strong mutual, parent-child bond that forms during the first two years of life is correlated with every aspect of development. A young child’s anxiety in a new school experience may be lessened if there is not an abrupt division between home and school (Gestwicki, 1996). Children in this respect thrive when they feel continuity between home and school that can only be present only when the parents and teachers have reached in an effort to understand and respect each other. Mwangi (2013) notes that teachers have specific education in the principles of child development and are trained in effective guidance techniques. When parents converse with teachers, and watch and listen to teachers working with children, they expand their knowledge and ideas and become more effective as parents. A positive feeling of parental self-esteem is nurtured when pa ren t s feel they are vital parts of their child’s school world, (Maryland, 1979). Similarly, according to Haigh (1977) teachers who help parents feel included in the education process contribute to feelings of competency in parents. 2.5 Benefits of Parental Involvement in Learning


Parents and students benefit when there is partnership between school and home. Parents become empowered to guide their child’s learning and become lifelong learners. Students show both emotional and academic benefits when their parents are involved in their learning both at school and at home (Castambis & Garland, 1997). They show a variety of social emotional benefits when parent take an active role in their school career. The benefits to student with parent who are involved include higher self esteem, empathy, trust, responsiveness to other people and skills for pursuing pro social living (Mwangi, 2013). In addition students who know their parent are active in their lives exhibit fewer risk-taking behaviors attain higher academic achievement, face fewer problems at school and have higher graduation rates (Fuller & Oslen, 1998). High school student name their parents being very influential in their academic lives (Carter 2001). Parent and student can both benefit academically when their collaboration between home and school. A shared program in New Zealand showed improved reading skills of children and parent in the program where parent had access to library and activities to complete with their children. With the parent and children reading together for a few months, reading scores in both parents and students showed gains. This program provides strong indicators of the benefits of the parental/child academic partnership at home (Mwangi (2013). 2.6 Challenges to Parental Involvement A major obstacle to parent-teacher partnership is the fear of criticism. This affects both teachers and parents. Parents are particularly vulnerable to criticism. As Bruce (1988) puts it, professionals often undermine the parent’s confidence in their ability to be good parents. This is particularly difficult for parents in a modern society that places the burden for children’s success squarely on parent’s shoulders. Differences in social- economic status are also an important obstacle to parent-teacher partnerships, often there are real differences in social-economic situations between teachers and parents. Roberts (1983) noted that parents may avoid contact with teachers whose manner, communication style, and expectations are uncomfortably different from their own. In a world that has become very competitive and with many social economic challenges, another potential barrier to parental involvement in school activities is time. Both parents and teachers are undoubtedly under time constraints. Pappas (1976) observes that if school philosophies and administrative actions do not support working with parents, teachers may not receive either the staffing arrangements or the compensatory time that is needed to respond with flexibility to parents’ lifestyles and working patterns. Roberts (1983) observes that there are very few parents who are not positively concerned about their children’s progress and almost everyone will willingly cooperate in any scheme which involves his child. The key to removing many of the barriers to parental teacher relationship therefore, is the teachers’ mindsets. When teachers believe that there is value in working with parents, they will find time and energy to commit themselves to identifying and dealing with potential barriers (Gestwicki, 1996). In this respect it is the responsibility of the school to initiate and sustain parental programs. As Mingaine, (2013) further explains, the school should make itself comprehensible and accessible to parents. Teachers and parents do not bring the same qualities to the partnership. Their roles are complimentary and should not be seen as threatening to each other (Mwangi (2013). 2.7 Conceptual Framework Based on the literature review the c u r r e n t study was based on conceptual framework developed in Figure 1. The framework shows that academic achievement is linked to many factors. These factors include students’ academic ability, the school environment, school policy guidelines, students’ attitude and parental involvement. The achievement is measured by the grades attained in examinations, a national examination taken by the end of secondary school cycle. The interrelationship is conceptualized by arrows connecting the two sets of factors. As students go through the learning and teaching process, the two sets of factors come into play and influence or affect output. Recently researchers have recognized the multidimensional character of parental involvement and have tried to capture the multitude of parental activities regarding the children’s education. This study therefore conceptualized parental involvement from a perspective that


considers parent, school and community as overlapping spheres of influence. The significance of this conceptual perspective of overlapping spheres of influence lies not only in the identification of different ways of parental involvement but also in the recognition that parental involvement in the children education and parental school connection are significant in academic achievement. Extraneous variables Dependent variables Independent variables Figure 1: Influence of Parental Involvement in School Related Activities on Students’ Academic Achievement. This framework gives a detailed summary of the interaction of the study variables. It shows how parental involvement (independent variable) is likely to affect students’ academic achievement (Dependent variable). The indicators of parental involvement include: homework supervision, attending school academic meetings and provision of extra academic materials. However as much as such variables can affect students’ performance, Students attitude, school environment, and policy guidelines and students academic ability (extraneous variables) may moderate the influence. It is therefore conceptualized as indicated that parental involvement in school related activities may influence students’ academic achievement in national examinations. 3. Methodology of study This study adopted a descriptive survey research design. According to Gay (1992) descriptive survey determines and reports the way things are in their natural environment. Kathuri and Pals (1993) assert that survey studies are conditions to come out with detailed descriptions of the existing phenomena with the intent of employing data to justify the current conditions and practices to make more intelligent plans for improving them. This study was conducted in public day secondary schools in Imenti North Sub County Meru County, Kenya. The target population for this study was 3,328 students and 21 head teachers in all public day secondary schools in Imenti North Sub County. The accessible population consisted of 735 form 3 students and 21 head teachers from all the public day secondary schools in the district. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 180 respondents consisting of 175 Form 3 students and 5 head teachers from the 21 public day secondary schools. This formed 23.8% of the accessible population which is in line with Gay’s (1992) recommendation and was also adequate to take care of attrition. Gay (1992) recommends that when the population is small (less than 1000 members), a minimum sample of 20% is adequate for educational research. The researchers used two types of instruments for data collection namely; the questionnaire and the interview schedule. They were designed to meet the objectives of the study. A pilot study was conducted in two public day secondary schools purposively selected from the neighboring Imenti South Sub County in order to test the reliability of the instruments as well as to understand the logistical issues of the study. The test-retest technique was used to establish the reliability of the research instruments. It involved administering the instruments to the pilot subjects twice with a break of two weeks maintaining the same initial conditions. Subject scores from the two tests were correlated using Pearson’s Product Moment formulae. A correlation coefficient of at least 0.7 and above is

Parental Involvement • Homework

supervision • Attending school

academic meetings

• Provision of academic material e.g. books

• Student attitude • School policy

guidelines • Student

academic ability

Student’s academic achievements:

• Grades


considered sufficient for research purposes (Gay, 1992). A correlation coefficient of 0.88 for students’ questionnaire and 0.85 for head teacher’s interview schedule were obtained respectively. The research instruments were therefore considered to be reliable and adopted for the study. To ensure face, content and construct validity of the instruments the researchers presented the research instruments to the experts who examined the relevance of the content used in the instruments and gave feedback to the researcher. Based on the information gathered from the pilot study and recommendations from the experts, the final format of the questionnaires was developed. The researchers obtained permission from the Sub County Education Officer Imenti North to carry out research in the sampled schools. The researchers then visited the respective schools to d istribute questionnaires to the respondents. Respondents were given guidelines on how to respond and were assured of confidential treatment of the information given. The respondents were given three days to respond to the items in the questionnaire. The researcher interviewed the selected head teachers and made an accurate record of the respondent’s answers. The researcher took two months in data collection procedure. The quantitative data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequencies facilitated by the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 for windows. Qualitative data generated from the questionnaires was then organized into themes and categories pertinent to the study. Analyzed data was presented in form of tables, graphs and charts from which conclusions were made based on the variables of the study. 4. Results and Discussions This section entails data analysis, interpretation, and the presentation of findings. 4.1Gender Distribution of Respondents The study sought to establish how the respondents were distributed by gender. Results indicated that there was some slight gender difference in student enrolment in the sampled schools, 55.3% of the students were males while the other 44.7% were females. The findings implied that in the sampled schools there were a slightly higher number of boy students than girl. 4.2 Parent’s Level of Education The study further sought to find out the highest level of education attained by respondents. It was established that, 45.3% of the fathers were educated up to primary level, 29.41% were educated up to secondary school while 14.71% were educated up to college level. Similarly, majority (67.65%) of the mothers were educated up to primary level. In both fathers and mothers, a small percentage of 10.59% and 10.00% respectively had no formal education. These results indicate that parents were educated, therefore, were in a position to understand the importance of involving themselves in school related activities for the benefit of their children 4.3 Influence of Parental Homework Supervision on Students’ Academic Achievement The first objective was to find out the influence of parental involvement in homework supervision on students’ academic achievement. In order to achieve this objective this study first sought to establish whether students completed their homework while at home as a way of enhancing their academic achievement. Respondents were required to give their ratings in frequencies ranging from often to rarely. Table 1 presents a cross-tabulation of students’ responses, according to their examination grades. Table1. Respondents Ratings of Homework Completion as a way of Enhancing Academic Responds A & A- B+, B & B- C+, C & C- D+, D & D- F % F % F % F % Often 6 66.7 31 72.1 36 58.1 24 43.2 Sometimes 2 22.2 7 16.3 25 35.5 25 43.8 Undecided 0 0 1 2.3 4 6.5 4 7.0 Really 1 11.1 4 9.3 0 0 2 3.5 Never 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 9 100 43 100 62 100 57 100 The study established that the majority (66.7%) of the students who scored A and A-, did complete


their homework while at home. 72.1% of the students who scored B+, B, and B- grades also did their homework while at home. The study established that majority 43% of the students who scored grades D+, D and D- did not do their homework while at home. The study further established that a majority of the students, who scored below average grades, never bothered about school work while at home. The researchers further sought to establish the influence of parental homework supervision on academic achievement. The responses were cross tabulated against the grades scored by the students in the end of term examinations. Table 2 presents the findings. Table2. Student’s Opinions on Influence of Parental Homework Supervision on Academic Achievement Responds A &A- B+, B & B- C+, C & C- D+, D &D- F % F % F % F % Highly 1 66.7 32 74.4 53 85.5 42 73.7 Moderately 2 22.2 10 23.5 3 4.8 11 19.3 Undecided 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lowly 6 11.0 1 2.3 6 9.7 4 7.0 No influence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 9 100 43 100 62 100 57 100 According to information in Table 2, the majority (66.7%) of the students who scored grades A and A- noted that parental homework supervision highly influenced their academic a c h i e v e m e n t while 22.2% noted that it moderately influenced their achievement. The study also revealed that the majority (85.5%) of the respondents who scored grade C and C- also agreed that parental homework supervision influenced their academic achievement while majority (73.7%) of those who scored D+ and D- were also in agreement that homework supervision by parents did influence their academic achievement. These findings reveal that majority of the students were in agreement that parental involvement in homework supervision positively influenced their academic achievement. According to the head teachers’ interview, the head teachers agreed that homework supervision highly influenced students’ academic achievement. 50% of the head teachers indicated that most parents did not show any concern over students’ homework at all with only 25% indicating that parents did show concern over students’ homework. This study further revealed that majority of the students who attained good grades had their parents involved in homework supervision. Head teachers further revealed that students whose parents were not seriously involved in monitoring their homework ended up scoring poor grades a factor that led to low achievement in both Sub County and National examinations in day secondary. The study further sought to find out whether parental assignment of household chores affected students homework, students gave varied opinions. The ratings are cross tabulated against the student’s grades, and presented on Table 3. Table3 Students opinion concerning effects of household chores while doing homework Responds A &A- B+, B & B- C+, C & C- D+, D & D- F % F % F % F % Highly 6 66.7 31 72.1 34 54.8 28 49.1 Moderately 3 33.3 7 16.3 26 41.9 21 36.8 Undecided 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lowly 0 0 5 11.6 12 19.3 8 14.0 None 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 9 100 43 100 62 100 57 100 According to information in Table 3, majority (66.7%) of the students who scored A &A- grade, indicated that household chores assigned by their parents highly affected their homework. Majority


(72.1%) of the students, who scored grade B had their homework highly affected by household chores. The study further established that the majority (54.8%) of the students who scored the grade C were also affected by household chores while majority (49.1%) of the students who scored between grade D and D- also indicated that they were also highly affected by household chores while doing homework. The study established that parental assignment of household chores to students during homework time denied them adequate time and opportunity to complete their homework. Respondents felt that this negatively affected their academic achievement. The study further sought to determine whether parental time allocation for homework influenced students’ academic achievement. Responses were cross-tabulated against the student’s grades and presented in Table 4. Table 4 Students Responses on Influence of Parental Time Allocation for Homework on Students’ Academic Achievement Responds A &A- B+, B & B- C+, C & C- D+, D & D- F % F % F % F % Highly influential 7 77.8 16 37.2 28 45.2 25 43.8 Moderately influential 2 22.2 12 27.9 18 29.0 14 24.6 Undecided 0 0 10 23.2 10 16.1 12 21.1 Lowly influential 0 0 5 11.6 6 9.7 6 10.5 Not influential 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 9 100 43 100 62 100 57 100 The findings in Table 4 reveal that the majority (77.8%) of the students, who scored grade A, indicated that parental time allocation to complete homework highly influenced their academic achievement while 22.2% noted that it was moderately influential. 45.2% of the students who scored grades C indicated that it highly influenced their academic achievement while 29.0% noted that it was moderately influential. The study also established that 43.8% of those who scored grade D-, D and D+ also indicated that parental time allocation highly influenced their achievement while 10.5% indicated that it was lowly influential. An interview with head teachers revealed that parents’ allocation of time to do homework highly influenced students’ academic achievement in day secondary schools in the Sub County. 4.4Influence of Parental Homework Follow-up on Students’ Academic Achievement The students were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed with the statement that parental homework follow up influenced their academic achievement. The level of their agreement was cross tabulated against their grades and presented in Table 5. Table5. Influence of parental homework follow-up on students’ academic achievement Responds A &A- B+, B & B- C+, C & C- D+, D & D- F % F % F % F % Strongly agree 3 33.3 22 51.2 32 51.6 29 50.9 Agree 2 22.2 13 30.2 19 30.6 15 26.3 No opinion 0 0 10 23.2 10 16.1 12 21.1 Disagree 0 0 5 11.6 6 9.7 6 10.5 Strongly disagree 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 9 100 43 100 62 100 57 100 According to information in Table 10, 33.3% of the students who scored grade A strongly agreed with the statement that parental homework follow up influenced their academic achievement while 22.2% also agreed with the statement that parental homework follow up influenced their achievement. The study further reveals that the majority (51.6%) of the students who scored grade C also strongly agreed with the statement that parental homework follow up influenced their academic achievement while 30.6% also agreed with the statement. The study established that 50.9% of those who scored grade D strongly agreed with the statement that parental homework follow up influenced their academic achievement while 26.3% agreed with the statement. 11.1% of


grade A students disagreed with the statement while 7.0% of those who scored grade D disagreed with the statement. 4.5 Influence of parental involvement in academic meetings on students’ academic achievement The second objective was to establish the influence of Parental involvement in school academic meetings on students’ academic achievement. The study specifically sought to determine students’ opinion on various aspects of academic meetings affecting their academic achievement. Respondents were required to give their responses ranging from highly influential to not influential. Table 7 shows a summary of responses obtained. Table7. Influence of parental involvement in academic meetings on students’ academic achievement Statement HI MI UN LI NI WA F % F % F % F % F % Parents-Teacher communication 51 30.0 81 47.6 13 7.6 25 14.7 0 0.0 2.83 Issues discussed in meetings 93 54.7 38 22.4 26 15.3 13 7.6 0 0.0 3.72 Involvements in meetings 38 22.4 106 62.4 0 0.0 13 7.6 13 7.6 2.16 Parents’ attitudes 106 62.4 25 14.7 26 15.3 13 7.6 0 0.0 4.32 Frequency of meetings 93 54.7 26 15.3 0 0.0 38 22.4 0 0.0 3.79 Key: HI = Highly Influential, MI = Moderately Influential, UN = Undecided, LI = lowly Influential, NI = Not Influential, WA = ∑ (WC * FC)

∑FC Where WC is the allocated weight value for each element for example, 5 for highly influential, 4 for moderately influential, 3 for undecided, 2 for lowly influential and 1 for not influential. FC is the frequency for each element. According to information in Table 7, the performance of students was highly (WA=4.32) influenced by their parents’ attitude concerning academic meetings and by the frequency of academic meetings (WA=3.79). In addition, the performance was highly influenced (WA=3.72) by the issues discussed during academic meetings. Students were undecided (WA=2.83) on whether their performance was influenced by their parents’ constant communication with their teachers regarding their academic achievement. Students further noted that their performance was lowly (WA=2.16) influenced by their parents’ participation in planning school academic programs. Students noted though academic meetings were highly influential on their academic achievement parents didn’t follow up most of the issues discussed placing great responsibility on the teachers as professionals by not attending. The study further sought to establish if parents attended school academic meetings as a way of enhancing students’ academic achievement. The results obtained were cross tabulated against the students’ grades and presented in Table 8. Table8. Parents’ attendance of school meeting as a way of enhancing students academic achievements Responds A & A- B+, B & B- C+, C & C- D+, D & D- F % F % F % F % Often 4 44.5 17 39.5 6 9.6 6 10.5 Sometimes 3 33.3 13 30.5 15 24.2 5 8.7 Undecided 0 0 0 0 2 3.2 4 7.0 Really 1 11.1 9 20.9 27 43.5 18 31.5 Never 1 11.1 4 9.3 12 19.4 24 42.1 Total 9 100 43 100 62 100 57 100 The findings presented in Table 8 reveal that 44.5% of the students who scored grade A indicated that their parents often attended academic meetings and 33.3% attended sometimes.


The study further revealed that 39.5% of the students who scored grade B indicated that their parents’ often attended academic meetings while 43.5 % of the students who scored grade C noted that their parents rarely attended academic meetings. The study also established that 42.1% of the parents whose students scored grade D never attended academic meetings while 31.5% rarely attended school academic meetings. 4.6 Influence of Parental Involvement in Provision of Academic Materials on Students Academic Achievement The third research question sought to find out the influence of parental involvement in provision of academic materials on students academic achievement in public day secondary s c h o o l s i n Imenti North S u b County, Meru County, Kenya. The respondents were required to indicate the level of influence and their responses cross- tabulated against their grades. The results obtained are revealed on Table 9 Table9. Influence of parental involvement in provision of academic materials on students academic achievement Responds A &A- B+, B & B- C+, C & C- D+, D & D- F % F % F % F % Highly influential 5 55.6 14 32.5 29 46.8 31 54.4 Moderately influential 2 22.2 12 27.9 21 33.9 12 21.1 Undecided 0 0 0 0 4 6.4 7 12.3 Lowly influential 1 11.1 10 23.2 2 3.2 7 12.3 Not influential 1 11.1 8 18.6 6 9.6 1 1.7 Total 9 100 43 100 62 100 57 100 The information shown in Table 9 reveals that the majority (55.6%) of the students who scored grade A indicated that parental provision of extra academic materials highly i n f l u e n c e d t h e i r academic achievement while 22.2% indicated that it moderately influenced academic achievement. Majority (32.5%) of those who scored grade B and 46.8% of those who scored grade C indicated that provision of academic materials by parents’ as highly influential. The study further established that the majority (54.4%) of the students who scored grade D also indicated that parental provision of materials highly influenced their academic achievement while 3.2% of those who scored grade C and 12.3% of those who scored grade D rated parental provision of academic materials as of little influence to students’ academic achievement. 5. Conclusions and Recommendations Based on the findings the researcher concluded that low levels of parental involvement in school related activities in day secondary schools in the Sub County may have led to poor performance in examinations. The researcher further concluded that parental failure to supervise children’s homework and lack of time allocation for homework may also have contributed to students’ low academic achievement in examinations in the Sub County. Parental assignment of household chores to students in day secondary schools in the Sub County denied them adequate time and opportunity to study leading to poor performance in examinations. Parents in day secondary schools in the district played a passive role in provision of academic materials to their children and never contacted the school about the required materials a factor that may have led to low academic achievement. Parents in day secondary schools in the Sub County rarely attended academic meetings placing great responsibility to the teachers in most matters regarding their children’s education a factor that may have led to low academic achievement. There was no clear guideline in schools on how to involve parents in school related activities which may have affected their participation. The following recommendations were made in light of the responses from respondents and in view of the research findings. i).Schools should hold workshops that focus on affirmative homework supervision. These can sensitize the parents how to monitor their children work and direct them on how to schedule time-tables for both homework and house chores.


ii).Parents also need to create a calm environment for their children conducive to studying and one that is free from household chores. This can help to close the gap between school and home environments and can encourage students to continue with school work while at home. It will also give parents an opportunity to get involved in their children’s schooling. iii).The researchers recommends a broad pre-service or in-service parental involvement course for all teachers that will provide them with the required knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes with the aim of involving all parents successfully. iv).Teachers should schedule regular interactive homework forums that require students to discuss what they are learning at school with their parents. This can help them to view their parents as real teachers and their homes as learning areas just like the school. Consequently, an awareness of their obligation in sharing schoolwork at home with their parents should be fostered v).Schools should establish regular open days to provide parents with opportunities to consult with teachers over their children’s academic work. There is need to enhance community school linkages to promote rapport between teachers and parents to enhance greater cooperation in learning and consequently uplift academic achievement in the district. 6. References Adekola, A. (2007) Language, Literacy and Learning in Primary Schools: Implication for Teacher development programs in Nigeria. Washington: World Bank Bruce, T. (1998) Early Childhood Education, 2nd edition, Bristol: J.W. Arrowsmith Ltd Catsambis, S. & Garland, J. (1997) Parental Involvement during Middle School and high School (Report no.18).(Online).Available: http://www.csos.jhu.edu/crespar/reports.html Carter, G. (2001) Let’s Hear it from Student Parent and Teachers, New York: Macmillan Clark, M. (1979) Reading Difficulties in Schools 2nd edition London: Heinemann Educational Books Limited Clarke-Stewart, A. (1977). Child care in Family; a Review of Research and some Propositions for Policy, New York: Academic Press Court, D. & Ghaid (1986) Education, Society and Development; New Perspective from Kenya, Nairobi: Oxford University Press. Davis, J. (2004) The Impact of Parental Involvement: A study on the relationship between Homework and Kindergarten; Unpublished doctoral dissertation, A & M University Desforges, C. H. & Abouchaar, A. (2003). The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment: Literature review. London: (Research repor t no. 433) Department for Education and Skills Eshiwani, G. (2008) Factors Influencing Performance among primary and Secondary School Pupils in Western province of Kenya, Bureau of Education Research, Nairobi: Kenyatta University Fuller, M. L. & Oslen, G. (1998) Home-school Relations: Working Successfully with Parents and Families. Boston: Allyn and Bacon

Gay, L. R. (1992) Educational Research. Competencies for Analysis and Application 4th edition New York: Macmillan Gestwicki, C. (1996) Home, School and Community Relations; New York: Delmar Publishers Okumbe, J. (1988) Education Management Theory and Practices; Nairobi: University of Nairobi press Sifuna D. N. (2008) A study of School Dropouts in Girls High Schools, A case study of Bungoma District in Kenya; Kenya Journal of Education Research, 14(b) 132-142

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