Impact of Parental Status on Student Educational Achievement in Secondary Schools

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 Background Study

A nation’s ability to provide its citizens with a high-quality education is one of the most important factors that determines how far that country and its people will go. It is generally agreed upon that the development of human resources must come first in order to provide the foundation for any form of growth that can be considered to be authentic (Akanle, 2017). In light of this, formal education will always serve as the primary vehicle for socioeconomic development and social mobilization in all civilizations. The quantity of knowledge and information that the population possesses is the primary factor that differentiates industrialized countries from developing ones. This difference is not based on factors such as color, race, or any other characteristic; rather, it is based on this factor alone. Even within members of the same society, people are segregated into several groups based on the amount of education they have obtained (Mumthas, 2016). As a consequence of this, education is one of the most important factors that determines the development of human civilisation. Education is the major channel via which fresh information and knowledge are taken in and distributed all across the world. To phrase it another way, “man is as though in a restricted chamber without education, and with knowledge he finds himself in a room with all its windows open onto the outside world.” This proverb was written by Aristotle (Khan, 2018). The choices that parents make as parents have a significant influence on the amount of academic achievement that their children enjoy while they are enrolled in school. If parents were more educated, there would be a greater emphasis put on their children’s academic performance. Because of the knowledge that they themselves have received, educated parents are in a position to appreciate the importance of the link that exists between the parent, the student, the school, and the community in promoting the educational attainment and academic success of their children. As a consequence of this, well-educated parents put a high importance on developing this relationship so that they may get the most out of their children’s abilities (Okantey, 2018).

The roles that parents are expected to perform in their children’s lives carry a great deal of weight and significance. The degree to which a parent is involved in their kid’s life is the single most essential element in deciding the path that life will take for that child. The term “parental engagement” is a catchall term that can be used to refer to a wide variety of activities. These activities can range from those that take place “at home,” such as providing excellent parenting, assisting with schoolwork, interacting with instructors, attending school events, and even participating in school governance. When schools and families work together to offer educational aid for children, the children have a greater chance of succeeding not just in school but also in life. This is true whether or not the assistance is provided by the school or the family. To state the obvious, the factor that provides the most reliable indicator of a student’s academic performance is not the student’s family’s level of wealth or social standing; rather, it is the degree to which the student’s parents are able to cultivate an atmosphere in the home that is conducive to learning and to communicate to their children that they have high expectations for their children’s academic performance and future professional endeavors. This is the factor that provides the most reliable indicator of a student’s academic performance.

Students’ levels of personal growth and the expansion of their knowledge base in the context of an educational setting that facilitates the teaching and learning process are closely tied to the students’ levels of academic success. This is because such an educational setting is essential to the teaching and learning process. The level of a student’s success in the subjects taught at the school in which they are enrolled is referred to as their “academic achievement,” and it is measured in terms of grade point average (Pandey, 2018). The academic performance of the student is the criterion that is used to determine the student’s position in the class. Young people may take advantage of this opportunity to enhance their skills and grades, as well as to get a head start on the academic challenges they will encounter in the future. It has been demonstrated that one of the most significant elements that impacts students’ overall academic accomplishment in school is the degree to which their parents are interested in their academic pursuits. This is one of the most important things that determines students’ overall academic achievement. In particular, a variety of dimensions of parental engagement; nevertheless, parents who come from different occupational groups usually have distinct methods of child parenting, different ways of punishing their children, and different ways of responding to their children. Specifically, These distinctions are observable in each and every one of these domains. These discrepancies do not present themselves in a uniform fashion inside each family, as one would predict; rather, they have an effect on the normal attitudes that families have toward different occupational groups. (Rothestein, 2019).

The family is the basic unit of society, and it is there that the teaching of a kid must begin from the time the child is born and must still be in the cradle. This is because the family is the primary unit in which society is organized. According to V. Hugo, a person’s guiding principles, which have been in place since the person was an infant, are comparable to letters engraved in the bark of a young tree; as the tree ages, these letters continue to spread and become a vital component of the tree. Because of this, laying a strong foundation upon which to develop is the single most important step in the process of bringing up children and receiving an education. Nobody has ever said that raising children would be easy, so don’t believe anybody who says that. They do not come with any advice or instructions, and I can tell you for certain that they do not come with a stop button since I looked for it. They do not come with a stop button because I checked for it. They do, however, come with a very essential set of conditions that need to be addressed on both a physical and an emotional level. If the parents are unable to meet these specific needs, there may be consequences that are both far-reaching and long-lasting in their nature (Christheisen, 2019). This is as a result of the fact that, while their children are at home, parents serve as their children’s first instructors. The acquisition of language abilities, such as speaking, listening, writing, and reading, occurs concurrently with a child’s growth from the stage of an infant to that of a toddler to that of a pre-schooler. This is true for children of all ages. These abilities provide the groundwork for the child’s potential to achieve academic achievement in the future. Numerous studies have presented solid evidence that parents have a substantial effect on their children’s academic performance in school. These research have shown that parents are the most important factor in academic achievement. According to Gadsden (2017), more parental involvement in the early phases of a child’s education has a positive influence on the child’s progress in school, including better levels of academic attainment. This is particularly true for children from low-income families. According to the results of Harderves (2018), there are specific qualities that are shared by families that have children who do well in school. These attributes include the following: • Creating a consistent schedule for the whole family to follow each day by allotting study time and a calm space for the kids, as well as delegating responsibilities for household duties.

• Be on the lookout for extracurricular activities, including reducing the amount of time spent playing and watching television, as well as keeping an eye on the buddy groups that kids walk with and reducing the amount of time they spend doing both of those things.

• Encourage the development and progress of children at school by ensuring that they have a secure and encouraging environment at home, taking an interest in children’s performance in the classroom, assisting children with their homework, and having conversations with children about the significance of getting a good education and making plans for their future careers. This will help children become more successful in school. Given this context, the purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of parental status on student educational achievement in secondary schools in Osun.

   Statement of the problem

It is hard to put enough significance on the role that a parent plays in their child’s life at any given time. This is especially true for the role that a parent plays in the lives of their child. When thinking about a child’s future health and development, the home environment is an extremely pertinent and significant component to take into consideration. Izzo et al. (2019) carried out a study that tracked the same group of 1205 US pupils from kindergarten all the way through third grade over the period of three years. The students were observed by the researchers from start to finish. The teachers determined whether or not the students were actively engaged in the learning process by analyzing the students’ participation in four different types of activities: the frequency of parent-teacher contact; the quality of interaction between the parent and the teacher; participation in educational activities at home; and participation in activities at school. The grades of the pupils were used as a measurement of academic performance. These aspects, in addition to data on family history, were explored to see whether or not there is any link between them and academic success. Izzo et al. (2019) revealed, in accordance with the results of previous study, that all forms of parental engagement declined with the child’s age and that involvement in the home ‘predicted the largest range of performance variance.’ According to the findings of another longitudinal study conducted by Dubois (2015), family support and the quality of parent–child relationships were significant predictors of school adjustment in a sample of 159 young American adolescents (aged 10–12) who were followed in a longitudinal study for two years. The participants in this study were from the United States, and the study lasted for a total of two years. The United States of America served as the location for the research project. Research has shown, unequivocally and unequivocally, that parental engagement in the classroom as well as at home has significant positive impacts on student achievement and adjustment that far outweigh the effects of other forms of involvement. When schools and families work together to offer educational aid for children, the children have a greater chance of succeeding not just in school but also in life. This is true whether or not the assistance is provided by the school or the family. The challenges of single parenthood, family crisis, and the ever-increasing involvement of women in various areas of community and national development make one wonder whether parents are still able to be committed to their wards or whether they are putting enough effort towards the effective learning and performance of their children in light of these challenges. This raises the question of whether or not parents are putting enough effort toward the effective learning and performance of their children in light of these challenges (Dubois, 2015). The prior discussion had established that a child’s socioeconomic status as well as a host of other factors relating to the home environment of the student, such as educational background of parents, health status of students, parental occupation, and family size, could have an effect on the academic achievement of the child. This discussion also established that a child’s socioeconomic status as well as a host of other factors relating to the home environment of the student could have an effect on the academic achievement of the child. Why, given the importance of education to the expansion of the economy, is it not given the level of importance it warrants, as seen by the relatively low pass rates? In the specific case of children who are enrolled in secondary school in the state of Osun, which elements have the greatest impact on the children’s academic performance? When we consider the reasons behind why some children do better than others, many different possibilities come to mind. It is possible that these youngsters devote a greater proportion of their time to learning at home compared to their classmates. Have they shown a stronger capacity for learning than others? Is there a connection between the performance of the student and elements such as his or her personal history, way of life, and environment?. Therefore this study will look into the impact of parental status on student educational achievement in secondary schools.

 Objectives of the study

The general objective of this study is to investigate impact of parental status on student educational achievement in secondary schools. Specifically, it seeks to find out the following:

i.          To examine if parental financial status on students’ educational achievement.

ii.        To find out if educational status of the parent on educational achievement.

iii.      To investigate if parents educational qualification on students’ educational achievement.

iv.      To assess if there is a difference in the parental involvement and non-involvement in the educational achievement of students.

 Research Questions

In addressing this problem, the following research questions will be raised:

i.          Does  parental financial status on students’ educational achievement?

ii.        Does  educational status of the parent on educational achievement?

iii.      Does  parents educational qualification on students’ educational achievement?

iv.      Is  there a difference in the parental involvement and non-involvement in the educational achievement of students?

Significance of this Study

It is envisaged that the findings of this study may expose some factors that might be responsible for poor performance of students in school. The identified areas where government at different levels could come in will be brought into focus in other to bridge the gap of educational attainment of children of low and high income earners in the society.

The study will be beneficial to the academic community as it will contribute to the existing literature.

  Scope of the Study

This study will examine if parental financial status on students’ educational achievement. The study will also find out the impact of educational status of the parent on educational achievement. The study will further investigate if parents educational qualification on students’ educational achievement. Lastly, the study will assess if there is a difference in the parental involvement and non-involvement in the educational achievement of students. Hence this study will be delimited to Osun State.

  Limitation of the study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire, and interview), which is why the researcher resorted to a moderate choice of sample size. More so, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

   Definition of Operational Terms

Parent status:  whether or not a person has a child or children.

Educational achievement: performance outcomes that indicate the extent to which a person has accomplished specific goals that were the focus of activities in instructional environments, specifically in school, college, and university