Impact of Parental involvement on the academic achievement of Senior

Secondary Student in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State.

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Students’ academic achievement has been receiving the attention of stakeholders in
education as many students continue to perform poorly in their studies. This could
be as a result of many factors, one of which is parental involvement in the
education of their children. Parent’s involvement is significant in the social,
psychological and educational development of the students. Contribution of
parents have manifested not only in making provision school needs but also in
making financial and psychological support for students both at home and in the
school. It is pertinent to note that the importance of parental involvement in
child’s education cannot be over emphasized. This could have positive or negative
impact in the academic well-being of a child.
When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning,
children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more.
Parental involvement over the past decade, indicates that regardless of family
income or background, "students with involved parents are more likely to earn
higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, be promoted, pass
their classes, earn credits, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show
improved behavior, adapt well to school and graduate to postsecondary education"
(Fisher, 2011). Parents involvement in a child’s education is consistently found to
be positively associated with the child's academic achievement (Topor 2010),
specifically children whose parent are more involved in their education have higher
level of academic achievement than children whose parents are involved to a lesser
degree. The influence of parent involvement on academic achievement has not
only been noted among researchers, but also policy makers who have integrated
efforts aimed at increasing parent involvement into broader educational policy
initiatives.
Prior to the beginning of the 20th century, formalized schooling was a
collaboration between families and schools in the late 1800s, the family dynamic
was clearly defined by the father's role of being the financial supporter of the
family, while the mother's was to manage and control the home within the context
of the societal norm of the time, children were collectively taken care of by a
cooperative of mothers who provided a nurturing environment for children in the
community. In 1897 the Parent Teacher Association (P.T.A) was founded to
support a healthy growing relationship between parents and teachers. This
movement was very active in political affairs and worked toward passing laws in
support of children's rights (e.g. child labour laws, food and drug acts, and housing
legislation).
Currently in the 21st century, there has been another major shift in the structure of
families. These days, it is not uncommon to find the breadwinner of a single parent
home working numerous jobs to support a basic lifestyle for their children. By
comparison, two-parent homes usually find both father and mother working full-
time in order to financially support the family. With the shift in financial
responsibility, many families are unable to support their children when it comes to
parental involvement in schools, in the traditional sense. According to Krishna Y.
Smith (2011), schools have been forced to take much of the responsibility in
educating students, both academically and socially this is as the result of the
disconnection between parents' engagement, as well as support in school activities.
Consequently, the school system has switched roles with the parent and is now
granted the integral responsibility of being the primary caregiver of a child, instead
of being mere supporter. With a high correlation between academic success and
parental involvement alternative methods must be established that will assist
parents in supporting their children with the current family structures in place.
Schools are now challenged to find creative methods to inform and involve parents
on strategies and techniques to support their children in addition to building it
successful partnership between school and the home. The parent is the first
powerful agent of socialization or the first teacher a child comes into contact with,
however as a child develops the next and most powerful agent of socialization.
Baumrind (2012) said that parenting styles helps a lot to shape a child’s social
competence. He described three categories of parents; these are Authoritarian,
Permissive and Authoritative parents. He explained that authoritarian parents are
autocratic, strict, rigid and children brought up under this type of parenting style
tend to be unsocial, rebellious, dependent and withdrawn as well have poor
academic achievement. The permissive parents exhibit the laissez-faire parenting
styles, there is so much laxity on the part of parents such that it involves
inconsistent use of principles, and children tend to have a low academic
achievement. The authoritative style, is however, democratic, it involves rearing
children under moderate parent control, love, warm acceptance and respect for
child’s feeling. Such children tend to be friendly, independent and of high esteems
and they perform better academically than children from autocratic or permissive
parents.
Loeb, Horst and Horton (2010), are of the view that higher levels of overall
parental involvement in the child’s life have been found to be positively related to
children’s self-esteem, peer popularity and effective classroom functioning, school
achievement and teacher’s ratings of competent behaviour. Specifically, children
who perceived their parents as providing (support) encouragement tended to prefer
challenges to easy tasks, were curious and interested in learning and solve
problems on their own.
Baumrind (2012) further said that parental involvement is meant to capture normal
variations in parents attempt to socialize children. Parental involvement can be
both supportive and unsupportive in their tone, both of which affect developmental
outcomes and consequences to personality development. Baumrind described how
parental involvement affects measures of competence, achievement, and social
development. Although, students are primarily the ones for whom curricula are
designed, textbooks are written, and schools built, parents are primarily the ones
held responsible for preparing students for learning – preparation physically,
psychologically, behaviourally, attitudinally, emotionally, and motivationally.
Parental involvement is one factor that has been consistently related to a child's
increased academic achievement (Topor, 2010; Kgosidialwa, 2010). However, a
more comprehensive view of parental involvement envisaged in this study goes
beyond just parent activities in school settings but in subject-oriented
participations. This comprehensive view of parental involvement is grounded in
the understanding that children’s success in school is influenced by multiple
contexts (e.g., home, school, and community) in a dynamic and bidirectional
manner. This study is aimed to identify the influence of parental involvement in
the academic achievement of Secondary School students.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Parents of secondary school children are often faced with unique challenges that
hinder them from meeting the learners' needs. They include, insufficient time,
career or job type, level of education, order of priority, set home environment,
opinion to voluntary work at school, time taken to respond to school activities for
example buying instruction materials, attending parents meetings, conferences,
sports, academic clinic day, disciplinary cases and also discussing the academic
progress of the child if the above needs are not attended to, there is a likelihood of
child not performing well because he or she is not adequately supported.
Insufficient parental involvement may lead to poor performance of the child
academically.
Parental involvement gives opportunities that may be more effective for children,
includes: building partnerships between schools, families and the communities in
which they reside, in essence, making the school a community center; creating
opportunities for school-parent contacts outside of the school; providing
transportation to and childcare for Parent Teacher Association (P.T.A) meetings, in
addition to scheduling meetings and workshops/classes with the working parents’
schedule in mind.
The correlation between parental involvements and children academic achievement
in schools, are usually noticed in the children’s early education but this
involvement tends to decrease when children proceed to higher school. This study
therefore sought to establish the influence of parental involvement in the academic
achievement of senior secondary students.

1.3 Purpose of the study

The general aim of this study is to examine the relationship between parental
influence in academic activities of their children and the academic achievement of
secondary students in the junior and senior classes. The research intends to:
1. Find out whether home environment has an influence on academic
achievement of secondary school students.
2. Establish whether the parent-school communication has an influence on
academic achievement of senior secondary students.
3. Investigate whether parents’ involvement in educational activities at home
has an influence on academic achievement of senior secondary students.
4. Find out whether parents’ involvement in educational activities at school
has an influence on academic achievement of senior secondary students.
1.4 Significance of the Study
In the light of the stated objectives, this study is significant in ways that the
information would be beneficial to parents, students, and educators. If parents are
aware of how their involvement and learning activities with their children affects
their child’s learning ability and future, they may be more in their child’s
education.
It offers a reference for future research that might investigate the same variable.
The findings will be helpful to the parents in developing programs to upgrade their
skills, knowledge, positive altitude and competencies of handling children
education.
This study will be particularly useful to the four major stakeholders in education:
It will highlight ways in which parents can better support their child and the
school, considering all the barriers and build a healthy and productive relationship
with the school and their child’s teacher. It will also help parents realize that the
more attention and praise their children get, will helps them recognize that their
education is worthy of adult interest. As children tend to model adult behaviours,
when parents are actively involved with their schooling, children will learn the
importance of education and try to emulate those behaviors from their parents.
After reading this study, teachers will gain better practices that encourage
partnership and includes healthy two-way communication practices with parents,
in addition to effective support strategies. Administrators at the school level will
identify persistent barriers of parental involvement at their school and create a new
model of parental involvement opportunities to overcome those barriers.
The research will be beneficial to students by making them realize that their
schooling isn't just about them. It's a collaborative approach between pupils,
teachers and their parents. This team approach can further motivate them to work
hard and produce positive results. Students who have help from their parents are
also more likely to feel competent, and school attendance becomes more important
to them. It will also help to boost their mental health by encouraging
communication between children and parents, which can foster higher self-esteem
and confidence. It can also help children interact better with their peers and
advance their social skills. Students will benefit overall from the collaborative
efforts of both the schools and the home.

1.5 Research Questions

The following research questions were raised.
1. How does the home environment influence academic achievement of
students in secondary school?
2. What is the extent to which parent-school communication influence
academic achievement of students’ secondary schools?
3. How does parents’ involvement in educational activities at home influence
academic achievement of student’s secondary schools?
4. What is the extent to which parents’ involvement in educational activities at
school influence academic achievement of student’s secondary schools?
5. Does parents encourage their children to listen to news at home as a way to
influence academic achievement of students secondary schools?

1.6 Hypothesis
HO1: The home environment has no significant influence on academic
achievement of students’ in secondary schools.
HO2: The parent-school communication has no significant influence on academic
achievement of students’ in secondary schools.
HO3: Parents’ involvement in educational activities at home has no significant
influence on academic achievement of student’s in secondary schools.
HO4: Parents’ involvement in educational activities at school has significant
influence on academic achievement of students’ in secondary schools.

1.7 Scope/Delimitation of the Study

This study is aimed at finding out the influence of parental involvement on the
academic achievement of Secondary School Students.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

During the course of the study, problems like inadequate funds, time constraint,
and unaccommodating nature of some school owners in allowing access to their
students as sample was encountered.

1.9 Operational Definition of Terms

Parent: refers to the biological father, mother, aunty, uncle brother, sister and
other members of the family who takes care of the child.
Parental involvement: refers to motivated parental attitudes and behaviours
intended to influence children’s educational well-being. That is, knowing the
teacher, knowing what assignments are due, knowing what the teacher expects and
giving support. Providing materials and time to do projects, expecting quality work
from your child, checking up with questionable grades, and ensuring there are no
unnecessary absences. Expecting homework to be done or reviewed daily even
when the child says there is no homework while checking backpacks regularly
(Fan, Williams & Wolters. (2011).
Parenting Style: The overall emotional climate of the parent-child relationship -
an affective context of sorts that sets the tone for the parents’ interactions with the
child.
Student academic achievement: This term refers to the pupil’s overall average in
school subject, expressed as a percent grade.
Parental participation: Refers to the level of involvement that a parent has in
their child’s education and school.
Home environment: The space and the surrounding where the child lives with the
parent.
Academic Achievement: Defined as excellence in all academic disciplines, in
class as well as extracurricular activities. It includes excellence in sporting,
behavior, confidence, communication skills, punctuality, assertiveness, Arts,
Culture, and the like. The act of achieving or performing something that has been
done or achieved through effort, as result of hard work (Fan, Williams & Wolters.
(2011).
Barriers: Something not material that keeps apart or makes progress difficult. This
is a general term relating to social pressures that prevent people born into a lower
class from moving over the course of their lives, or even generations, into a more
affluent class. These barriers could mean racial prejudice to socially
acceptable/unacceptable gender roles, intersecting, overlapping, and dividing the
population based upon what is socially acceptable at the time (Vera et al. 2012).
Diversity: The condition of having or being composed of differing elements:
variety; especially; the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different
races or cultures) in a group or organization. It means understanding that each
individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences.
Homework: Is referred to as work that is done at home especially school exercises
set by the teacher. Homework is a formative assessment and is used for practicing
and studying. A reinforcement of skills learned with daily practice (Marzano &
Pickering 2007).
Interventions: To become involved in something (such as a conflict) in order to
have an influence on what happens. Intervention that can promote positive
outcomes where development is not following the expected pattern.
Decision Making: A process wherein an awareness of a problem, influenced by
information, values and beliefs, is reduced to competing alternatives. From these
alternatives, a choice is made.
Cultural Capital: Forms of knowledge; skill; education; any advantages a person
has which give them a higher status in society, including high expectations.
Culturally Responsive Teaching: A pedagogy that empowers students
intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to
impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
Economic Capital: Command over economic resources (cash, assets).
Shared Decision Making: A process that includes the input of parents, teachers,
administrators, community members, and possibly students in the decisions that
affect how a school or school district operates.
Social Capital: Resources based on group membership, relationships, networks of
influence and support.
Socio-Cultural Theory: The relationship between the social structures, the values
of a society, how they change with time, and why.
Socio-Economic Status (SES): An individual’s or group’s position within a
hierarchical social structure. SES status depends on a combination of variables,
including occupation, education, income, wealth, and place of residence.
Sociologists often use socioeconomic status as a means of predicting behavior.
Social Reproduction: The process of transferring aspects of society from
generation to generation.