SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF PARENTS AND ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

IN MANDERA WEST DISTRICT, NORTH

EASTERN PROVINCE, KENYA.

A Thesis

Presented to the School of

Postgraduate Studies and Research

Kampala International University

Kampala, Uganda

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

Masters in Educational Management and Administration

By:

Abdow Abdigey Hussein

M ED/20023/82/DF

April, 2011

DECLARATION A

“This dissertation is my original work and has not been presented

for a Degree or any other academic award in any University or Institution

of Learning”.

i~~J ?~

Name and Signature of Candidate

Date

DECLA~TION B

“I/We confirm that the work reported in this dissertation was

carried out by the candidate under my/our supervision”.

Name and Signature of Supervisor Name and Signature of Supervisor

c 0~L2~7

Date Date

DEDICAflON

I dedicate this work to my family for their love and care. My wifeand children, I owe this work to youi

V

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My gratitude first goes to Allah who has given me the strength and

courage to undertake this research. I want to thank my brothers and

sisters for their contributions in my life. All your contributions are saluted.

I also owe a lot of appreciation to all those who assisted me in

carrying out this research. I am grateful to my supervisor Mr. Edabu Paul

who tirelessly went to through my work and inspired me to dig deeper

onto the core matter. His kind criticism, patience and understanding

assisted me a great deal. I’m also indebted to Mr. Tindi Seje Who read

through this work and gave his expert opinion. All my lecturers in the post

graduate school are dully saluted. I am indebted to my friends who gave

me encouragement in times of difficulties.

I wish to thank my family for their love, financial support and

inspiration during my stay in Kampala International University (KIU).

Finally, I would like to thank all my respondents and those who responded

within a short notice without which this work would not have been

possible.

May Allah bless you all.

vi

ABSTRACTThe study sought to answer the questions about the education levels of

parents and its effect on academic performance of pupils, the relationship

exhibited between economic status of parents and pupil academic

performance and the type of parents’ occupation and its effect on pupils’

academic performance all in Takaba zone in Mandera West district. A

sample size of 26 teachers and 207 parents were selected by simple

random sampling and purposive technique. The study employed a

descriptive research design which was used in order to obtain information

concerning the current status of socio economic status of parents and

pupils educational attainment. The distinctive nature of selected primary

schools of study, prompted the researcher to employ a case study type of

descriptive research involving correlation studies concerned with

determining the extent to which variations in parents level of education,

income and occupation were associated with variations in pupils

educational attainment. The findings reveal that the higher the level of

Education, and economic status of the parent, the higher is the academic

performance of pupils in schools the study also found out that prestigious

parents’ occupation has a positive effect on pupils’ academic performance.

Less educated Parents may have inadequate skills for such activities as

reading to and with their children, and having inadequate resources and

limited access to available resources can negatively affect families’

decisions regarding their young childrenTs development and learning. The

researcher recommends that Parents should improve on their education

levels through adult education programs since it may positively impact on

the academic endeavors of their children. Pupils from low socioeconomic

vu

backgrounds should try to persevere through financial hardships and

remain in school because schooling eventually has a redeeming effect on

their poor plight. Teachers should help pupils who obtain low grades to

develop academic curiosity in fields which are more relevant to them.

VIII

TABLE OF CONTENTS

IAPTER Page

ONE THEPROBLEMANDITSSCOpE 1

Back ground of the Study~ 1

Statement of the Problem 3

Purpose of the study~ 4

Research Objectives 5

Research Questions 5

Hypothesis 5

Scope 6

Significance of the Study 6

Operational Definition of Terms 8

TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9

Introduction

Concepts, Opinions, Ideas from Authors! Experts 9

Theoretical Perspectives 14

Related Studies 18

THREE METHODOLOGY 28

Research Design 28

ix

Research population~ 28

Sampling procedure 29

Research instruments 29

Validity and reliability of instrument 30

Data gathering procedures 31

Data Analysis 31

Ethical Consideration 32

Limitations of the study 32

FOUR DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRATATION 33

FIVE FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 50

FINDINGS 50

Conclusions 61

Recommendations 62

REFERENCES 63

APPENDICES 67

Appendix I: Transmittal Letter 67

Appendix II: Clearance From Ethics Committee 68

Appendix III: Informed Consent 69

Appendix IV: Research Instruments 70

1. Research Questionnaires For Teachers 70

2. Research Questionnaires For Parents 74

Appendix V: Researcher’s Curriculum Vitae 78

x

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Showing the characteristics of respondents in tersm fo age,

marital status, qualification, gender and experience ~33

Table 2: Socio-Economjcs Status and Education Performance ~ 36

Table 3: Frequency of parents’ education level and pupils’ academic

performance

Table 4: Frequency of parents’ income level and pupils academic

performance 40

Table 5: frequency of parents occupations and pupils academic

performance 42

Table 6: Correlation between pupil academic performance and parents’

level of education, and their occupation 45

Table 7: Correlation between parents’ education, occupation; income and

pupils retantion rate 47

Table 8: Correlation between parents’ income and pupils’ academic

performance 48

Table 9: Population sample size 80

xi

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: column graph showing parents education level 38

Figure 2: column graph showing parents education level and pupils

performance 39

Figure 3: Column Graph showing Pupils performance in mock by parents’

level of income 41

Figure 4: Pie chart showing proportion of pupils academic performance

by parents’ occupation 42

Figure 5: Column graph showing pupils academic performances rate by

parents’ occupation 44

xl

CHAPTER ONE

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Back ground of the Study

Over the last century to today, the greatest desire for every parent

and government is to provide equal opportunities through education to all

children. Formerly education was tailored to help the child fit into the

economic and social slots quite similar to those of their parents, Later in

the 1gth century when schools were opened to all kinds of children from

all social classes, it was discovered that education correlates with the

economic success of the society (Smith, 2006). How education is assessed

by the child biases the outcome though.

For those children who have sound economic bases, education has

been affordable and thus accessible. The children from poor background

therefore lack the means to access education that would later give him or

her status, occupation and a sound economic base. Through poverty, this

becomes a vicious cycle of poverty.

Frequent poverty invasion can have a negative impact on a

children’s academic routine and potential success (Alexander, et al, 1996;

Family Housing Fund, 2003; Kariuki & Nash, 1999; Popp, et al., 2003).

Mobility and absenteeism are often associated with poor school

performance (Alexander, et al., 1996). When children were administered a

measure of stressful life events, researchers found that children reported

changing schools being as stressful as the hospitalization or incarceration

1

of a parent (Alexander, et al., 1996), In addition to being unprepared for

school due to lack of supplies, and no time or place to do homework,

there also may be changes in the methodical understanding of poverty

related cases (Noll & Watkins, 2003). Based on the national study of

poverty and performance over the last decade of over 10,000 Kenyan

school childrens, Rumberger & Larson (1998) concluded that the risk of

dropping out of primary school is greater for children who are highly

vulnerable to poverty related cases during their first four years of school

than that of their less stressed peers. Further analysis of a six-year study

led Rumberger, Larson, Ream, & Polardy (1999) to report a tendency for

highly starved children to suffer psychologically, socially, and

academically. Poverty is also shown to negatively impact the classrooms

and schools that have high rates of children associated with poverty,

impacting non-poverty as well as starved children. A study of children

(Mao, Whitsett, & Mellor, 1998) found that children who were stable

scored better on state standard achievement tests than their more

unstable peers. While findings support a relationship between increased

starvation and decreased academic performance, this relationship cannot

be considered to be causal due to limitations inherent to the research

design. The pupils’ performance in Takaba Zone is highly dependent on

the economic status of their parents. This is highly controlled by the

parental financial as well as social positions and their academic

performance are highly depending on these factors. A look at the

performance of primary schools in Takaba Zone indicates that just one out

of three pupils pass in first grade out of hundreds of KCPE candidates

every year. And for a long time, Mandera West district where Takaba

Zone is found has never reached 3% pass in highest grade (Kirewa Youth

Development Initiative, 2004). Not all children in Kenyan schools manage

2

to complete primary school cycle and mostly those who complete it attain

poor Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) grades. The worry is

that pupils obtain poor results, dropout before becoming literate in English

or can not join world class schools that set high fees and high cut off

points, yet education is the key element for any one wanting to improve

on their poor plight, move towards a better future and get a better job.

Poor performance and illiteracy is generally associated with

unemployment, low earning, poor health and persistent poverty. More so,

poor performance and illiteracy is a formidable obstacle to development.

Providing education for all through attempts such as FPE, paying

salary of teachers and expansion of classrooms has not ended poor

performance and school drop outs. Many children are excluded from an

education because of poverty, conflict, their special needs, their gender

etc (www.Icc/ org. Uk.,).Other challenges to making sure all children receive

a quality education are: high numbers of pupils in the classroom and

insufficient furniture, which makes it very difficult for the teacher to cater

for all students’ abilities. Costs associated with education, e.g. school fees

and school uniforms, personal text books; costs for teaching materials etc.

inadequate water and sanitation supply at the school, need to work or

help out at home, e.g. looking after ill family members, and helping out on

market days.

Statement of the ProMem

In the recent past, evidence elicited by researchers has shown that

accessibility to education by children is to a great extend determined by

their socio-economic background (Bowles and Gintis 1976:31). Illiteracy

and low academic performance at school is closely linked to the family

3

socio economic background. In Kenya today, a poor person is found to be

more permissive in raising their children and least interested in formal

education. Today, there is very little attention to education in Kenya

among the vulnerable children and this has been caused by persistent

financial constraints in most areas and notably in North Eastern Province

(Bowles and Gintis 1976:31). The major implications of these problems

are that children cannot access education and hence making them to be

more vulnerable to several pupil related academic challenges such as

failure to perform well and in extreme cases children are unable to attend

school.

Poverty has denied most children the equal opportunity to

education such that some failed to start schooling while those who start

dropped out for lack of financial ability to sustain a sound education. This

vicious problem has propagated the social problems of illiteracy, drop

outs, child labour and a much poorer society in Takaba zone in Mandera

West District. The question therefore is; what is the relationship between

socio economic status of parents and academic performance of pupils in

primary schools in Madera West district North Eastern province Kenya.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of parents’

education level, occupation, and economic status on the academic

performance of pupils in primary education in selected schools in Mandera

West district, North Eastern Province, Kenya.

4

Research ObjectivesThe specific objectives of the study were:

(I) To determine the profile of respondents in relation to age,

gender and class.

(ii) Investigate the parent’s level of education and its relevance

on pupil’s academic performance.

(iii) To assess the economic status of parents of Takaba zone

and how this contribute to pupil academic performance

(iv) To investigate if the type of parent occupation influences on

pupils academic performance in Takaba zone, Mandera West

district.

Research QuestionsThe study was guided by the following research questions:

i. What are the education levels of parents of Takaba zone in

Mandera West district in Kenya?

ii. What relationship was exhibited between economic status of

parents and pupil academic performance in Takaba zone in

Mandera West district in Kenya?

iii. How was the type of parent occupation impact on pupil

academic performance in Takaba zone in Mandera West

district.

HypothesisThe hypothesis for the study is that, there is a direct relationship betweenparents’ education level, occupation, and economic status on theacademic performance of pupils in primary education in selected schoolsin Mandera West district, North Eastern Province, Kenya

5

Scope

The study was conducted in Takaba zone in Mandera West district

in Kenya between May 2010 and March 2011. The research sites included

Takaba zone in Mandera West district primary schools in Kenya. These

schools were purposely included in the study because of their proximity

and convenience to the researcher’s location and accessibility. These

schools were located in the poverty stricken Takaba zone in Mandera

West district and most likely reflected the aspects of poverty under study.

Takaba zone in Mandera West district was the source of the main study

population. The site of Takaba Zone amounted to 236~4 Km2. It was

aimed at covering an extensive study on poverty and education among

the children and various issues contributing to their dropout

The researcher aimed at finding out the role Takaba Schools played

in understanding the relative impacts of poverty on eventual academic

performance of children, causes and effects of poverty on pupils’

academic performance

According to the topic, the relative understanding of poverty and its

effects pupil academic performance in schools was carried out in a rural

setting of Takaba Zone of Mandera, in North Eastern Province of Kenya.

The study was conducted in 4 schools. The sample consisted of sizeable

teachers, pupils and parents of the named institutions.

Significance of the Study

The study would be useful to the people of Takaba Zone as a

community, also useful to NGO’s such as basic needs and basic human

rights, women’s and children’s to understand and acknowledge the cause

6

and impact of poverty in pupils academic performance in Schools in

Takaba Zone.

More so the study would be useful to other researchers, in that

would make them to understand on the existing and current problems of

poverty and its detrimental effects. In addition, to policy makers

(politicians) especially, the ministry of gender and social development. At

the same time, the study would enable them to come up with more

appropriate solution for supporting the children especially to overcome the

impacts of poverty on pupil academic performance.

The study would make the researcher get the possible solutions for

the particular increase in the cases of school dropouts among the affected

children, and by designing appropriate methodologies necessary to

support them. It would be useful in a way that it would open the minds of

the children on what to follow; this is whereby individuals would be able

to share out ideas on how to curb the issue of poverty.

It would incorporate a substantial further research in areas of

children management and the eventual understanding of the behavioral

characteristics of the children would form a basis for further ways of

managing the children. The study would act as a derivative for a

qualitative research and it would be a consultative component for the

scholars who wish to enhance their careers in the areas of children and

the young people.

7

Operational Definition of Terms

Pupils Scholars at the level of primary schools education

Primary school — a school that provides the first eight basic education

Parents- those persons who are responsible for meeting the pupils’

basic need including Education.

Socio Economic Status- parents’ level of Education, Economic status

and Type of occupation.

Pupils’ academic performance- Enrolment, attendance, drop out,

repetition and pupil’s performance at school.

ACRONYMS

K~C. P~ E- Kenya Certificate of Primary Education

K~ C~ S~ E- Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education

EFA- Education For All

NGO- Non Governmental Organization

UNICEF- United Nation International Children Educational Fund

GCE- Global Campaign on Education

8

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Introduction

This chapter is composed of the theoretical review, conceptual

framework and reviews of some of the works of different authors. In

conducting this review, the following study variables were of utmost

importance: parent’s education, income and occupation; and the

education activities such Enrolment, attendance, drop out, repetition and

pupil’s performance

Concepts, Opinions, Ideas from Authors/ Experts

The need for better attainment of education was realized far back

in 1990, at the World Conference on Education for All in Jomtien, Thailand

when some 150 organizations agreed to Huniversalize primary education

and massively reduce illiteracy by the end of the decade”(LJNESCQ 2009).

In 2000, ten years later, the international community met again in Dakar,

Senegal, and took stock of many countries being far from having reached

this goal. They affirmed their commitment to achieving Education for All

by the year 2015, and identified six key measurable education goals. The

six goals are: to expand early childhood care and education; provide free

and compulsory primary education for all; Promote learning and life skills

for young people and adults; Increase adult literacy by 50 per cent;

achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015; and improve the

quality of education.

According to Jean-Claude Guillemard 2010, the principal actors in

Education for All (EFA) are governments and civil society (Le. NGOs) at

9

the national level. The International strategy for Education for All (EFA)

education includes:

Planning for Education for All (EFA) at national/regional level (National

educational plans)

Communication and advocacy through provision of messages on

social justice and equitable opportunity combined with stories of the

impact of education on the Jives of individuals and communities.

Financing education where by the Dakar forum proclaimed “no

National Education for All plan should be delayed for lack of financial

resources”.

The International and regional mechanisms include:

The Education for All (EFA) High level Group and the EFA Working

Group informed by the annual Education for All Monitoring Report

produced by an independent group of experts on a thematic basis.

The Collective consultation of NGOs on Education for All; this

mechanism aims to facilitate civil society participation in the Dakar Follow

up. The CCNGO/EFA organizes regional civil society forums.

The Global Campaign for education (GCE) initiated by 3 important

NGOs: Oxfam, education International and Action Aid. GCE lobbies for the

right to education and participates in the international co-ordination

mechanisms of the High Level Group and EFA Working Group.

The NGO Liaison Committee is the communication and liaison

channel on EFA matters to the NGOs in official relationship with UNESCO.

10

The flagship programmes under the leadership of an international

Agency (i.e. UNESCO; UNICEF, UNHCR...) assist countries to achieve their

EFA goals and they provide special focus for one aspect of EFA such as

persons with disability in terms of advocacy, advice and monitoring of

progress.

Education is one of Government’s key sectors and has continued to

receive priority in resource allocation. Over the last five years the budget

allocation to the education sector has been increasing steadily from

Shs633.43b in 1005/2006 to 1.1 trillion. Part of this money is meant for

construction of class rooms because other schools do not have enough

class rooms and pupils are taught under trees (Wamakuyu F. & Baguma

A. 2010)

Education policy in Kenya also resulted in several documents, one

of which is the White Paper of 2008 on Education Policy. The document

covers all levels of education from pre-primary to higher education, and all

types of formal education such as general, technical, vocational, teacher

training as well as non-formal education.

Current national priorities, as stipulated in policy documents issued

by the Ministry of Education and Sports, include provision of Free Primary

Education (FPE); sensitization of the population about FPE in order that

communities fully participate in its implementation, and implementation of

strategies that will redress the existing imbalances i.e. gender,

geographical, social, or otherwise as well as the disparities in education

standards and performance throughout the education system in general

and primary and secondary education in particular.

The policy objectives of providing FPE were to:

11

Establish, provide and maintain quality education to promote

national human resource development; and to make basic education

equitable, accessible and relevant to the nation; and ensuring that

education is affordable to the majority of Kenyans.

Free Primary Education (FPE) was formally launched in Kenya in

2003. Under the FPE program initially the government’s responsibilities

were to pay statutory fees for four children per family and all orphans;

provide instructional materials and teachers’ salaries in government grant-

aided schools. District authorities are expected to provide furniture, safe

water, land or premises where teaching and learning can take place;

assistance in the construction of school buildings; and supervision and

inspection of schools. Parents are responsible for the provision of exercise

books, pencils, meals; clothing for their children; and assistance in the

construction of the school buildings (for instance through provision of

labor).

The program enjoys significant support from the donors and also

from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, under which

Government is channeling proceeds from debt relief to the program.

There is also need to understand socioeconomic factors inherent in

our societies. According to the Commission on Social Determinants of

Health in Australia (2007), one major variable used to understand

socioeconomic position in studies of social inequities is social stratification.

The term stratification is used in sociology to refer to social hierarchies in

which individuals or groups can be arranged along a ranked order of some

attribute. Income or years of education provide familiar examations.

12

Krieger, Williams and Moss as quoted in the draft report of the

Australian commission on health (2007); refer to socioeconomic position

as an aggregate concept that includes both resource-based and prestige-

based measures, as linked to both childhood and adult social class

position. Resource-based measures refer to material and social resources

and assets, including income, wealth, and educational credentials. Terms

they used to describe inadequate resources include “poverty” and

“deprivation”. Prestige-based measures refer to individuals’ rank or status

in a social hierarchy, typically evaluated with reference to people’s access

to and consumption of goods, services, and knowledge. Prestige-based

measure is linked to occupational prestige, income, and educational level.

Educational level creates differences between people in terms of access to

information and the level of proficiency in benefiting from new knowledge,

whereas income creates differences in access to scarce material goods. In

conducting this study, parents’ education level, income and occupation

were taken as the independent variables.

Max Weber developed a similar view of status, He considered

Status to be prestige or honor in the community. Weber also considers

status to imply “access to life chances” based on social and cultural

factors such as family background, lifestyle and social networks. In this

study, the term “socioeconomic status” is used to acknowledge the

separate but linked dimensions of social class reflected in the Weberian

conceptualization.

Kunst and Mackenbach as quoted in the draft report of the

Australian commission on health (2007) have argued that there are

13

several indicators for socioeconomic position, and that the most important

are occupational status, level of education and income level, Each

indicator covers a different aspect of social stratification, and it is

therefore preferable to use all three instead of only one. They add that

the measurement of these three indicators is far from straightforward, and

due attention should be paid to the application of appropriate

classifications, for examination, children, women and economically inactive

people, for whom one or more of these indicators may not be directly

available. Information on education, occupation and income may be

unavailable, and it may then be necessary to use proxy measures of

socioeconomic status such as indicators of living standards (for

examination, car ownership or housing tenure),

The researcher also drew from the model by Silicon Valley Blogger

(2007) which showed that if you’re a college graduate in the field of

science or mathematics, you’ll likely earn a decent income, In contrast,

the statistics for the legal profession support the fairly common

assumptions that judges and lawyers make a good living and that relative

to other professions; they’re a highly educated bunch.

Theoretica~ Perspectives

Educationalattainment in social theory

Social theory seeks to explain change in society: how it develops,

what factors facilitate and inhibit it, and what results from it. Looking at

foundational texts within the discipline, the researcher will consider the

principal ideas offered by some leading theorists and how those ideas

relate to the social and intellectual contexts in which they were produced.

14

More important, he will consider their relevance for ongoing issues people

face today. Below is a careful consideration of what each theorist has

written with a critical analysis to our interpretation.

Pierre Bourdieu and Cultural capital

Bourdieu stated that education leads to social reproduction and

creation of a stratified society through honoring the cultural capital of the

elite class.

The term cultural capital refers to non-financial social assets, for

examination educational or intellectual, which might promote social

mobility beyond economic means. It is a sociological concept that was first

articulated by Pierre Bourdieu when he attempted to explain differences in

educational outcomes in France during the 1960s.

According to the Educated girl (http//hubpages.com/profile),

Bourdieu’s concern in relation to cultural capital was with its continual

transmission and accumulation in ways that perpetuate social inequalities.

Bourdieu sees the concept of cultural capital as breaking with the received

wisdom that attributes academic success or failure to natural aptitudes,

such as intelligence and giftedness. Bourdieu explains school success by

the amount and type of cultural capital inherited from the family milieu

rather than by measures of individual talent or achievement. For him,

ability is socially constructed and is the result of individuals having access

to large amounts of cultural capital. Ability is itself the product of an

investment of time and cultural capital.

Generally Parents provide their children with cultural capital by

transmitting the attitudes and knowledge needed to succeed in the

current educational system. As such children from higher socio economic

15

status have an advantage over other children that give them better

educational success and consequently higher status in society.

Anneite Lareau and Concerted Cultivation

Annette Lareau 2003 stated that lower income families have

children who do not succeed to the level of the middle income children,

who feel entitled, are argumentative, and better prepared for life.

According to Jeremy Suizo(2010) analysis of Lareau’s book,

‘Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life’, there is a clear

distinction between the parenting styles of the working class families and

the middle class families. The middle class, practices a method she dubs

“concerted cultivation” while the working class use a style called the

accomplishment of natural growth.

Lareau observed that, middle class parents had a greater presence

in the lives of their children; primarily through organizing the child’s daily

life. For middle class families, there was a heavy emphasis on scheduling

and participating in various extracurricular activities and sports. Middle

class parents also encouraged their children to ask questions and to be

self-reliant.

Children under the concerted cultivation method tended to

participate in sibling rivalry and because of the heavy scheduling, middle

class children rarely visited extended family and had little free time.

The mantra of concerted cultivation is to prepare the children for

the future, a sort of ‘work hard, play later’ mentality where the children

can have their fun once they have grown up, gotten a job, and have the

money to indulge. The mantra of the natural growth style of parenting is

16

to let the children play and have fun in youth because adulthood will be

hard. Working class parents favored letting their children play freely

compared to the middle class children who had lives scheduled around

extracurricular activities.

As a result of the financial and material issues surrounding working

class families, parents were most concerned with providing basic survival

needs like food and shelter. Extended family was more present in

working class families so as to help raise the children together. At home,

children are spoken to with directives rather than discussions or requests

and sometimes, the youngsters are forced to learn to fend for themselves.

This finding is similar to the concept of cultural capital as presented

by French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu, which is concerned with the social

skills and knowledge passed onto children and give them advantages over

others into navigating through society successfully.

Randal Co/fins and Credential/sm

Randall Collins contributed the idea of credentials to the study of

class based differences in educational attainment. Collins maintains that

public schools are socializing institutions that teach and reward middle

class values of competition and achievement. He explained that Anglo

protestant elites are selectively separated from other students and placed

in prestigious schools and colleges, where they are trained to hold

positions of power. By teaching middle-class culture through the public

education system, the elite class ensures a monopoly over positions of

power, while others acquire the credentials to compete in a subordinate

17

job market and economy. In this way, schools of medicine, law and elite

institutions have remained closed to members of lower classes.

Likewise in Kenya we have unlimited opportunity schools where the

children there are destined to hold positions of power in future by learning

middle class values while children in other schools acquire the credentials

to compete in subordinate job markets.

Related Studies

In this section, the researcher sought to know what other

researchers have found out about parents level of education, their income

level and occupational prestige in relation to children’s educational

attainment.

Parents’ level of education and pupil’s educational attainment

Parental educaticnal level is known as a factor positively related to

childrents academic achievement (Grissmer, Kirby, Berends & Williamson,

1994). The family is the main factor influencing the lives and outcomes of

students (Okantey, 2008). The educational level of parent is a powerful

factor influencing children~s academic success. It has been established

that generally, the educational level of parents is greatly connected to the

educational Attainment of their children (Sarigiani, 1990).

Parents play an immense and significant role in the academic

performance of their children. Educated parents would have increased

emphasis on educational excellence. Educated parents are equipped by

virtue of their education to take cognizance of the fact that parent

student- school- community relationship is important in order to promote

educational attainment and academic achievement of their children and so

they make the partnership a priority (Okantey, 2008).

18

Douglas (1964) concluded in his research that the attitudes of

children given encouragement via their parents, particularly the educated

ones are better. Similarly, Musgrave (1983) established that parents who

visit the school often and wish their children to enjoy diversity and

protected education in general, give an enhancement to their children’s

educational programme and it is particularly the educated parents who

could confidently visit their children’s schools without feeling intimidated

or timid. It is worthy of note, however, that there is an exception to

everything, so to all the point raised previously, there is bound to be an

exception in terms of individual learner. Ezewu (1987) found that one of

the reasons for poor performance in 1985 by secondary school pupils in

Nigeria was “poor learner characteristics” which he identified in terms of

attitudes, enthusiasm, self concept as well as study habit.

Parents who have a high level of education tend to have higher

aspirations and higher education plans for their children than lower or non

educated parents (Sarigiani, 1990), Family environments are very

significant in controlling the aspirations of children (Wilson, 1992). Swift

(1973) asserted that parental stance towards children’s education was

found to account for 26% of the variation in education performance. Okoli

sighting Taiwo (1981) said clearly that the function of the home in

education is clear, it is to lay the foundation, moral, spiritual and

intellectual on which the children are to build upon latter in life which

implies that unless the foundation laid by the home is sound and solid, the

school would have nothing to build upon and the child could later become

a problem not only to his parents but also to the community

The children of the educated group are liable than the children of the

lower or non educated groups to have higher aspirations and higher

19

education plans (Wilson, 1992). Parents accounted that their obligation to

educational value is having a direct impact on their children’s educational

aspirations (Okantey, 2008). Research has shown that academic

aspiration of schoolchildren is positively related to the standing of their

parents. This is so because children tend to imitate their parents and so

aspire to be as highly educated as their parents. There is an indication

that children of parents with high level of education are likely to follow the

modern ideas while the children from parents with low level of education

are likely to follow old tradition i.e. not to appreciate the value of

education (Matanmi, 1989).

The study of Ezewu et al (1981) showed that more pupils from high

socio-economic status groups which usually fall into the well educated

groups aspire for highly rated professions such as medical profession, etc

in Nigeria more than the lower socioeconomic status groups which mostly

fall into the low or non educated groups. Children are on the other way

round at a disadvantage when their parents have a lower education as

well as this could possibly form a cycle of uneducated family members

making every generation of the family not to go much higher than the

previous parent owing to the aspirations shown to them by their parents.

Children of more highly educated families are more ambitious and attain

higher levels of education.

According to Nannyonjo H. 2007 pupils with parents who did not

finish primary or just finished primary, pupils with parents who finished

senior four or senior 6 or university performed considerably better. The

highest increase in test scores was for pupils whose fathers had a

university degree. Compared to earlier research, for examination by

Hanushek, found mother’s education has a significant effect on pupils test

20

scores. Fathers’ education had a stronger influence than mothers. Those

results possibly reflect the ability of parents to support the pupils’ school

work, and likely interactions of literate parents with their children in school

related or literacy nurturing activities as well as their ability to support

their children with home work or help with difficult home work questions.

Similarly Okumu et al (2008) in a study of Socioeconomic Determinants of

Primary School Dropout found that High academic attainment of a mother

and father significantly reduces chances of primary school drop out for

both boys and girls in rural and urban areas. For a mother, this

phenomenon could be attributed to the fact that educated mothers reduce

the time spend doing household chores while increasing the time spend

with their children than their uneducated counterparts. Also educated

mothers are more effective in helping their children in academic work. In

doing so, they are also able to monitor and supervise their children’s

academic progress. While for fathers it’s attributed to the fact that

educated fathers are also interested in their children thus they would be

willing to spend more time in helping their children in academic problems.

Educated fathers are as well aware of the possible returns to their children

and they are more likely to have access to information and social

networks necessary for their children to engage into relatively human

capital intensive activities yielding high returns to education

The educational levels as well as income of parents are interconnected;

this is because educated parents by virtue of their educational background

possess the potential for increased income. Thus, educated parents have

the capacity to build bridges out of poverty and benefit from better quality

of life (Okantey, 2008), Parental education which leads to good income

empowers parents to give their children a solid foundation for school and

21

life success and enables them to build up strong partnerships between

parents and schools in order to sustain achievement standards. It also

heightens parents’ feelings of competence and confidence in guiding their

children’s education (Okantey, 2008).

Wilson, Smeeding and Haveman (2007) said that parental

education andoccupational class are more strongly associated with

student’s educational attainment. It has been put forward that parents of

high socio-economic status have more positive attitudes towards their

children’s schooling and have high expectations for the children since they

have the economic empowerment to buy the advantages that money can

buy. Money may encourage or discourage going to school. The children

from comfortable homes eats balanced diet and thus have a good health,

Again, the values he/she is exposed to at home are similar to the ones he

finds in school and therefore he is able to adjust easily to school life, A

feeling of belonging to a comfortable social school environment further

helps him/her to show his best, Payne, (1998) believes that students from

poverty lack cognitive strategies needed to be successful in the

educational system. Conger and Elder (1994) asserts that families at a

variety of income levels who suffer economic stress of any kind are more

likely than families that are not economically stressed to experience

depression, marital clashes and to be harsh with their children which

points to the fact that, poverty and economic stress are associated with

parent- child conflict which leads to poorer grades and weakens emotional

and social growth. The disparity in home learning environment of higher

and lowerincome children is a reason for nearly half of the effect income

on the achievement scores of preschool children (Klebanor, 2002).

22

Ezewu and Okoye (1981) found that educated parents who most

often fall into high or middle- socio- economic class families tend to show

more concern over their children’s poor performance at school either by

teaching them in those subjects in which they performed poorly or they

appoint lesson teachers to further coach them. Even if non educated

parents who most likely fall into the low- socio- economic status families

were worried over their children’s poor performances at school, they are

not always able to coach their children as they themselves had little or no

education and they may not have the financial capacity to hire lesson

teachers for their children.

Ezewu (1990) said that on the average, children from high socioeconomic

status homes which most likely are the homes with educated parents are

more likely to achieve better outcomes at schools. Children from high

socio-economic status families are likely to improve on their academic

achievement even if they have been performing poorly before because

they can be provided with the incentive to do better

Parents’ ~ncome and pupH’s educat~ona~ atta~nment

One of the most dramatic changes in education over the last

decade has been the “massification” of primary education. However there

is still poor performance among the poor. According to Kakuru 2001,

Kasente D, 2003, FPE decisions still get taken that deny some boys and

girls of school going age from getting access to primary school education.

At higher levels most girls that access secondary education tend to come

from middle and above wealth quintile families. The children themselves

hardly make these decisions but rather it is their parents, guardians and

relatives. For the children who are not enrolled in school, there are

explanations for what drives the decision taken by their parents and

23

guardians. For examination some studies found investment in children to

be related to household income. Bjorkman M (2005 Pg 18), depicted the

correlation between district income and girls and boys enrolment as

follows: For low levels of income very few girls attended education and

there is a large gap between boys and girls enrolment. The differential

treatment of children’s education was explained by the returns to

education, and the share of the children’s income transferred to his or her

parents. On the other hand, the differential treatment of girls’ verses boys

is related to the fact that parents’ values of child labor where girls bear

the bulk of the additional work required at home.

Income shocks do not only affect investment in children’s education

but also children’s performance. When families are constrained by fewer

resources and there are differences in boys and girls access to resources,

children’s learning is consequently affected. According to Bjorkman M

(2005), a negative income shock has two effects on the female student’s

performance: marginal girls will be withdrawn from school than boys and

the resources (food) provided will fall more for girls than for boys. As such

only brighter girls reach grade seven. On the other hand as girls are

provided with less resources within the household, or alternatively, have

to spend more time on domestic work as compared to boys and this

effect causes girls to perform worse on the test as compared to boys.

According to Alissa 2010, Children’s test scores are lowest when poverty

persist across the generations, and highest when material advantage is

long-lasting On the other hand, while good social skills also appeared to

be linked across generations, these do not make a significant direct

contribution to the current gap in cognitive test scores between rich and

poor children. Alisa found that the gap in attainment between children

24

from the poorest and richest backgrounds grew particularly fast during the

primary school years. By age eleven, only around three-quarters of

children from the poorest fifth of families reached the expected level at

Key Stage 2, compared with 97 per cent of children from the richest fifth.

according to Alisa, Poorer children who performed well in Key Stage tests

at age seven were more likely than better-off children to fall behind by

age eleven, and poorer children who performed badly at seven were less

likely to improve their ranking compared with children from better-off

backgrounds — an important factor behind the widening gap. Akanle,

2007) identified Parental income in this work to be a cogent factor upon

which the academic/vocational successes of secondary school students lie.

He found Parental income not to be sufficient to sustain the academic and

personal social life of the student in sub rural school areas. This to a large

extent affects the psychological balance or homeostatic balance in the

class room, which causes low concentration, low perception, frustration,

sickness and emotional disability in academic performance of the

students. Therefore when a child is deprived of the essential needs he

may be found to perform poorly in his school work. This is consistent with

Bugembe et al 2005 finding that child welfare at school is a determinant

of child academic performance and also incorporates the rights of children

to adequate living standards (shelter, nutrition and healthcare, water, and

sanitation services) that are vital for child growth and development.

Bugembe explained that In urban areas, most poor families can hardly

afford the cost of water, resulting in children from poor families being sent

on long treks in search of water, often having to stand in long queues and

consequently being late or absent from school.

25

Parents’ occupation and educationall attainment

Checchi D, & salvi A. (2010 pg 16) found that in Ghana some

negative correlation emerged with the probability of enrolment and low

income jobs. In Mauritania they found that, there is also positive

association with household head working as public employee, which is

typically associated with less volatile higher earnings, for Kenya, the

coefficients of both father and mother education exhibited a nicely

increasing trend, suggesting an increasing pressure on educating the

offspring, especially when the main source of income comes from

‘transfer’, which helps to raise school attendance, However one third of

Kenyans classified as unemployed were actually taking up unpaid family

jobs, thus agreeing with Okumu et all 2008, finding that a large

percentage of the economically active persons are economically

unproductive; thereby vindicating the household’s dependence burden

implying that educated workers accept only high quality jobs and possibly

experience long spells of unemployment and or migration. This squeezes

out the household’s resources, resulting into pupils in the family dropping

out of school. Another problem is that Dr Dunne and her colleagues, who

presented their findings to the British Educational Research Association’s

annual conference, examined pupil-placement decisions in English and

Math in 44 secondary schools and 124 primaries. Their analysis included

information on pupils’ prior attainment, gender, ethnicity and home

neighborhood and found that working-class pupils are more likely to be

placed in lower sets than middle-class pupils who have the same test

results, and that, pupils from middle-class backgrounds more likely to be

assigned to higher sets, irrespective of their prior attainment. The schools

said that prior attainment and perceived ability were the main criteria on

26

which setting decisions were based. However, over half the pupils with

low prior attainment in English ended up in middle or high sets. Setting

decisions were therefore clearly not made on this basis alone. Teacher

judgments and pupil behavior influenced setting decisions but social class

was more important. This phenomenon is present in Kenya where pupils

who wish to transfer from a rural school to urban schools are often placed

in lower classes due to perceived low attainment in their previous schools.

To conclude this review, there is a huge complexity of reasons why

students from low socio economic status are less likely to excel in

education. These range from family and community expectations due to

possible returns of education for the family, financial hardship, parents

ambivalent attitudes to education, poor attendance patterns due to need

for child labor. Like wise there are also many reasons why pupils from

high socioeconomic status excel in education. These include ability of

literate parents to support pupils with home and school work, monitoring

and supervision of children’s school work and access to information and

social networks necessary for their children’s success in

27

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGy

Research Design

The researcher used a descriptive research design in order to

obtain information concerning the current status of socio economic status

of parents and pupils educational attainment. The distinctive nature of

Selected primary schools in Takaba in Mandera West District, Kenya,

prompted the researcher to employ a case study type of descriptive

research involving correlation studies concerned with determining the

extent to which variations in parents level of education, income and

occupation were associated with variations in pupils educational

attainment

Research popullat~on

The target population included 28 teachers and 442 parents.

Teachers and parents were targeted because socioeconomic status is an

aggregate concept linked to both childhood and parents’ social positions

and the primary years for children are essential for their development and

transition to secondary education.

Samp~e S~ze

A sample size of 26 teachers and 207 parents was selected from

the target population of 233 using a formula suggested by Krejcie and

Morgan (1970). According to Krejcie and Morgan (1970), the population of

the parent with the population of 442 will have a sample size of 207 while

28

the teacher population of 28 will have a sample size of 26(refer to

appendix VI).

Sampllãng procedure

The sampling procedure was purposive sampling, used to obtain

the sample schools, Simple random sampling was used to select

respondents from those schools to avoid biased information. This ensured

that all teachers and parents in the sample schools were represented. The

questionnaires were distributed to the school teachers because they were

the ones who could give in~depth information concerning the role rewards

play on teaching and performance on matters concerning education. The

teachers were from Takaba primary school, Dandu Primary, Gither

primary school, Rock Hill Primary and Wangaidahan Primary school.

Research histruments

Questionnah-es

The questionnaires were preferred for this study because it enabled

the researcher reach a larger number of respondents within a short time,

thus made it easier to collect relevant information. The questionnaires

were developed basing on the objectives of the study and the personal

profile of the respondents.

Observation Guide

The researcher also employed the formal observation technique to

collect data on pupil’s academic performance. In fact Sechrest (1966) as

cited by Musazi (2006) suggest that “social behaviors and attitudes for

examination are best studied in the environments in which they are likely

to occur rather than relying on individuals to give self reports about their

29

own behaviours and attitudes.” The observation was used to know how

things were happening in the selected schools through their activities.

This was targeted on the teachers, parents and pupils.

Va~idfty and rehabi~ity of histrument

According to Moser and Kalton (1971), validity is the success of a

scale in measuring what it was set out to measure so that differences in

individual scores can be taken as representing true differences in

characteristics under study.

The researcher consulted statistical specialists and his supervisor who

ensured the relevance and suitability of the content in the questionnaire

would provide coverage of the objectives of the study. The validity of the

questions were checked by the responses acquired and the content

validity index. The validity of the questionnaire was ensured by employing

the formula suggested by Handy (2007)

L~ =

To

•2 7075

36

Where V=Validity

RQ=Relevant Question

TQ= Total number of Questions

The number of relevant questions divided by the total number of

questions was 0.75 which is above 0.5 hence valid.

30

Reliability is a measure of the degree to which a research

instrument yields consistent results after repeated trials. According to

Christensen (1988), reliability refers to consistency and stability in

measurements. To establish the reliability of the questionnaire, the

researcher used the methods of expert judgment and pre-test in order to

test and improve the reliability of the questionnaire.

Data gathering procedures

The researcher distributed the questionnaires to respondents of

selected schools after the pre-test exercises, The questionnaires are

delivered and collected by the researcher in person.

Data Analysis

During data analysis, quantitative and qualitative methods of

research were used to analyze the data. The data was mainly analyzed

using descriptive statistics such as frequency tables, percentages, bar

charts and histograms. This enabled the researcher to meaningfully

describe distribution of scores or measures on the effects of rewards on

pupils’ academic performance. Data was presented in word as well as

frequency tables.

Also data from each questionnaire was categorized and edited for

accuracy and completeness of information, The information obtained was

further triangulated with information from secondary sources for

meaningful interpretation and discussion.

31

Ethical Consideration

After pre-testing of the questionnaire the researcher sought

permission from the relevant authorities to conduct the study. The

researcher justified itself when approaching the school head teachers in

order for them to believe that the study was being carried out purely for

academic purposes. The university had offered the researcher an

introductory letter requesting the schools to assist by supplying the

required information for the study.

Also the researcher promised the respondents that their identity

could not be disclosed as there were no writing of names on the

questionnaires and that everything was to be confidential. The researcher

gave the respondents the true facts about the research in order to make

informed decisions about participating or not.

Limitations of the study

Some of the limitations encountered included incorrect responses

by some respondents due to fear of school supervisors.

Also there was a lot of silence and lack of goodwill among the

teachers which made the atmosphere unfavorable for the researcher

when he was collecting the questionnaires from the selected schools.

32

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRATATION

IntroductionThis chapter deals with the presentation and analysis of the major findings

from the research instruments that were used for collecting the data with

specific emphasis on the Socio-economic issues of parents on the

academic performance of pupils in primary education in selected schools

in Mandera West district, North Eastern Province, Kenya.

In order to conceptualize the situation, first the characteristics of the

respondents are presented below.

The character of the respondents included aspects of gender, age,

marital status, level of education and working experience filled on the

questionnaire and the results are presented and analyzed in table 1 below

are table four for clear clarification

Table 1: Showing the characteristics of respondent in terms of

age, marital status, qualification, gender and experience

33

E~JoYrs2~~Yi29~ ifl~E~Ti6

22.2 8 3,7 54 25.

9

~~yrs 34 16.6 8 3.7 42 20.

Totall 168 8L 39 18~ 207 10

5 5 0

Marital Married 122 59.2 22 11 144 70.

status 4

Single 46 22.2 15 7.4 63 29.

6

Totall 168 8L 37 18, 207 10

5 5 0

Diploma 22 11.1 15 7.4 39 18.qualificatio

5n

Certificate 154 70.2 22 11.1 168 81.

5

Totall 176 81~ 37 18, 207 10

5 5 0

5 years 46 22.3 15 7.4 19 35.

Working I 2

34

Table 4 above shows that the parents and teachers were mainly male

representing 81.4% of the total number of respondents while the

respondents constituted only 18.5%. This finding generally suggests high

gender disparity among the respondents in favour of male. Among the

male and female respondents, a majority of 35% of them were aged 20-

30 years followed by 25.9% who were aged between 41-45 years. A total

of 20.3% of the respondents were aged between 46-50 years while

16.9% of were aged between 3 1-40 years.

Table 1 above further shows that among the male and female

respondents, a majority of 70.2% were married while only 29.6%

similarly, a majority of 18.5% of the respondents had attained diploma

education while those who had attained a primary certificate level

constituted 81.5% of the total numbers of respondents a finding which

revealed that the respondents were of a reasonable education level.

Source; Primary data

35

TaNe 2: Sodo~Econom~c status of Parents and Educat~onPerformance.

STATUS INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT RESULTS

OCCUPATION EDUCATION INCOME EDUCATIONAL

ACTIVITY

Elite or Non Manual Post graduate Mot~ Performance UnlimitedUpper Jobs. degree (0%) Attendance opportunityclass Bachelors’ 40,000 to succeed.

degree

(12.5%)

EnrolmentMiddle Manual and Diploma 21,000 to Parentsclass non manual (0%) 40,000 support

jobs. Certificate 8100 to pupils to

52.3% (16.67%) 20,000 attend andperformSecondary - Repetition better

0 &Alevel(27.08%)

Lower or Predominantly Primary 4,100 to No chanceworking manual jobs. (41.67%) 8,000 to excel inclass 40% Not gone to (17.02%) performance

School Less than(2.08%) 4,000 Drop out

(82.98%)

Source: researcher

The figure above shows that the parents’ occupation, education

and income fell in some kind of hierarchy as follows:

The elite or upper class consists of parents with post graduate and

bachelors degree. These parents generally earn a descent income and are

36

occupied in non manual or highly skilled jobs. They make a good living.

Their children perform well in school; and the children have unlimited

opportunity to succeed in school. Unfortunately only 7.3%, of the sample

represented those working in non manual jobs, 12.5% of the parents had

bachelors’ education and none of the parents earned an income of more

than one million Kenya shillings.

The middle class consisted of parents with diploma, certificate

(16.67%) and secondary education (27.08%) who earn a fairly descent

income. But none of the parents in selected schools in Mandera West

district earned an income above five hundred thousand Kenya shillings per

month. 52.3% of them are occupied in manual and non manual jobs, i.e.

skilled and semi skilled jobs. They can support their children to attend

better schools or assist with academic work to compensate for poor

quality in the FPE schools.

The lower or working class parents who have primary education

(41.67%) or had not gone to school (2.08) earn the least income. 17.02%

earned between 4,100 to 8,000 and 82.98% receive Less than Kenya

shillings 4,000 per month. 40% of them are occupied in predominantly

manual jobs. Their children do enroll in school but many drop out, or have

to repeat to reach the minimum standards.

37

Education level of Parent

This was mainly assessed through a questionnaire for pupils. To

determine parent’s level of education, a number of items were subjected

to the respondents and later analyzed using SPSS. The items which were

presented to the participants in an attempt to evaluate parent’s socio

economic status basing on their education included questions about

father’s level of education, and mother’s level of education.

The majority of parents had primary education level in percentages as

(121 for mothers and 86 fathers). There were no parents with the levels

of education beyond first degree where frequency of 25 for fathers and 12

for mothers. 56 of fathers and 55 of mothers in this school had secondary

education, 12 Mothers and 4 Fathers had not gone to school. The

frequency for those with certificate was 8 for Mothers and 34 for Fathers

as shown by the graph below.

Figure 1: column graph showing parents education level

35

30

25

20

15

10 rather

5• mother

0

— 49 ~— ~%

4~OO &q0

Source; 2011 Primary Data

38

Overall majority of parent’s had low level of education. So Free Primary

education has helped parents from low socio economic backgrounds to

enroll their children in school. More so greater numbers of mothers with

lowest levels of education allowed their children to be enrolled in school.

Parent’s educational level and pupil academic performance

Education of parents is crucial to the attainment of pupils because parents

provide head start for the pupils learning.

Table 3: Frequency

performanceof parents’ education level and pupils’ academic

Figure 2: columnpupils performance

graph showing parents education level and

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Source; 2011. P imary Data

Gr4do A

Gr4de B

Gr4d.~ C

— Gr4d~ 0

Education Level I Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade DPOSTGRAFUATE 34 23 12BACHELORS 30 26 19

DIPLOMA 18 21 39 14CERTIFICATE

NONE

6 15 27

21 12 19

19

28

POSTGRAFLJATE BACHELORS OIPLOI~4A CERflFICATE NONE

39

The graph suggests that the higher the education level of pupils parents,

the better the performance of pupils because parents with high

qualifications had more children in grade A and B. It can also be observed

that parents who have not been to school had children who performed

better (Grade B and C) than some children whose parents had higher

educational qualification that obtained Grade D in the mock examinations.

Parent’s income and pupil academic performance

Another factor in determining socio economic status is income because

income creates differences in access to scarce material goods.

Table 4: Frequency of parents’ income level and pupils academicperformance

Majority of pupils enrolled in Mandera West district schools are those from

lower incomes between zero and 10,000 since this school offers free

tuition to pupils.

40

Parent’s income and pupil’s performance

80

70

60

50

40

Figure 3: Column Graph showing Pupils performance inmock by parents’ level of income

GRADEA

GRADE B

GRADE C

0 GRADED

30

20

10

I I7/ /

Source; 2011. Primary Data

Children from lowest income quintile are represented in all Grades.

However large numbers of pupils with low income pass in lower grades

than those from higher income quintiles. So the lower the parents’

income, the poorer the pupils perform.

Parents’ occupation and pupils’ enrolment 2

The results showed that Majority of the households depended on manual

and non manual formal training e.g. policeman, driver and business.

Secondly, 29 rely on predominantly manual e.g. subsistence farming,

peasantry chores while 4 had non manual with secondary, tertiary

education e.g. teachers as depicted by the pie chart below

Table 5: frequency of parents occupations and pupils academicperformance

Occupation Frequency Percent

non manual with secondary, tertiary education e.g. 15 7.3

teacher(skilled)

Manual and non manual formal training e.g. 109 52.7

policeman,

driver, business( semi skilled)

predominantly manual e.g. subsistence farming, 83 40

cleaner(unskilled)

Total 207 100

Figure 4: Pie chart showing proportion of pupils academicperformance by parents’ occupation

7.30non manual withsecondary, tertiary

40% education eg teachermanual and non manualformal training egpoliceman,driver,business

52.7 predominantly manual egsubsistancefarming, cleaner

Source; 2011 Primary Data

So majority of pupils (52.7 percent) who are enrolled in Takaba zone

primary school have parents who do manual and non manual work with

42

formal training. Pupils whose parents have the least occupation prestige

are also enrolled in in large proportions(40 percent) while very few pupils

whose parents do non manual work are enrolled in the school.

The type of businesses observed around the communities of these schools

include retail shops, transport (taxi, motorcycle and bicycle), livestock

trade, sells of livestock product, Agric produce selling etc. Employment

opportunities in this area include people working in pastoral farming and

business, schools, medical centers etc. there are subsistence farming

activities around the rural and indigenous occupants around these

schools. The crops grown include maize, millet, beans etc.

It was difficult to determine the educational level of people employed in

business and how much profits they earn, Neither was it possible to

determine income of those in farming. But these are very tiresome and

one has to work for long hours to earn a living. As such people in this

area who are engaged in pastoral activities, business and farming are

unlikely keep children in school as they need the children’s labor.

43

Parents’ occupation and pupil’s performance

Figure 5: Column graph showing pupils academic performancesrate by parents’ occupation

18

16

14 non manual w,th

12 secondary, tertiaryeducation eg teacher

10• manual and non manual

8 formal trainingegpoliceman,driver,business

• predominantly manual egsubsistance

2 farming, cleaner

0

divi divii dlviii divlV DIVX DIVU

Source; 2011 Primary Data

Concerning performance, there is no indication that parents low socio

economic status is associated with poor performahce because pupils

whose parents do predominantly manual work are represented in Grade A

in the same numbers as those whose parents do manual and non manual

work. None of those whose parents do non manual work passed in Grade

A, meaning that high socio economic status is not associated with better

performance.

Correlations

Pearson worksheet functions calculate the correlation coefficient between

two measurement variables when measurements on each variable are

observed for each of N subjects. (Any missing observation for any subject

44

causes that subject to be ignored in the analysis~) It provides an output

table, a correlation matrix that shows the value of Pearson’s applied to

each possible pair of measurement variables. The correlation coefficient is

scaled so that its value is independent of the units in which the two

measurement variables are expressed. (For example, if the two

measurement variables are parents level of education and pupils

performance, the value of the correlation coefficient is unchanged if pupils

performance is converted from percentages to grades~) The value of any

correlation coefficient must be between -1 and +1 inclusive.

Tabile 6: Correllation between pupifi academic performance and

parents’ ilevell of education, and their occupation

FathersMothers Parents

Educationeducation Occupation

levellevel

Parents education level pearson correlation 1 ~859**

.881 * *

(Father) sig. (2 tailed) .ooo~ooo

N 4744 47

Parents education level Pearson’s correlation ~859**

1 779**

(mother) sig. (2 tailed)

45

.000

.000

57

Pupils performance Pearson correlation

.641** .875**

sig, (2 tailed).000~ 000

N

44N

4444

Parents occupation779**

.000

1

.000

Pearson’s correlation ,881**

sig. (2 tailed)

N44 47

income

47

.609**.675**

.000

44

754**

sig. (2 tailed)

N 47

44

.000

5947

46

As shown in table six, This study found that There existed a positive

correlation between the parents level of education and pupils academic

periormance, with fathers education significant at 804 while mothers

educational level was significant at 0~641

Table 7: Correlation between parents’ education, occupation;

income and pupils academic performance

Parents parents Parentsparents income performance

Educational educational occupation

level (father) level (mother)

Parents education level 1

(Father)

Parents education level .859** 1

(mother)

Parents occupation .881** 779 ** 1

Parents income •754** 675** .609**

1

Pupils performance .804 ** .641** .875**757**

47

The study also proved that there was also a positive correlation between

parent’s level of income and academic performance, significant at 0.875

levels. This is clearly demonstrated in table 7 above.

TaNe 8: Corre~at~on between parents’ ~ncome and pupUs’academk performance

(mother)

.000

44

Parents’ occupation

.875**

sig. (2 tailed)

N

.000sig. (2 tailed) .000

Parents’pupils’ performance

Parents’ education level

.804**

(Father)

.000

N47

Parents’ education level

.641**

incomePearson’s correlation •754**

sig. (2 tailed) .ooo

47

Pearson’s correlation .675**

.000

44

Pearson’s correlation .609**

59N 57

48

The Pearson’s correlation was used to find a correlation between the

continuous variables. The value for the Pearson’s fell above 0.00 (no

correlation) and 1.00 (perfect correlation). Generally, correlations above

0.08 are considered pretty high. This study finally showed that Parents

occupation was as well positive with a correlation significant at 0.757

1

sig. (2 tailed)

757**

.000

N57

Pupils performance Pearson correlation

1

N118

57

757**

sig. (2 tailed) .000

57

NB: **~ correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).N: means number of observations.

49

CHAPTER FIVE

FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

FINDINGS

The main objective of this area is to identify and synthesize the available

evidence about the determinants of pupils educational attainment so that

‘policies to secure and improve the quality of education can be designed

basing on pupils academic performance.

Parents’ education ~eve~ and pupils’ academic performance

Recent discussions about educational attainment reviewed in chapter two

and data presentation in this study indicate that low socio economic status

is associated with perceptions of lower educational attainment, This is

consistent with the concept of cultural capital. It is also consistent with

pupils academic performance.

Cultural capital encompasses a broad array of linguistic competencies,

manners, preferences, and orientations.” Bjorkman (2005) identifies three

variants of cultural capital: first, in the embodied state incorporated in

mind and body; second, in the institutionalized state, that is, in

institutionalized forms such as educational qualifications; and third, in the

objectified state, simply existing as cultural goods such as books, artifacts,

dictionaries, and paintings.

Cultural capital is not the only capital accruing to individuals, It is primarily

a relational concept and exists in conjunction with other forms of capital.

50

Therefore, it cannot be understood in isolation from the other forms of

capital that, alongside cultural capital, constitute advantage and

disadvantage in society. As well as cultural capital, these include

economic, symbolic, and social capital. Social capital is generated through

social processes between the family and wider society and is made up of

social networks. Economic capital is wealth either inherited or generated

from interactions between the individual and the economy, while symbolic

capital is manifested in individual prestige and personal qualities, such as

authority and charisma. In addition to their interconnection, Bjorkman

envisages a process in which one form of capital can be transformed into

another. For example, economic capital can be converted into cultural

capital, while cultural capital can be readily translated into social capital.

Regarding parents level of education, this study found out that the

education level of parent’s influences pupils’ performance positively. This

implies that an increased level of parents’ education leads to better levels

of pupils’ attainment, The correlation coefficient for parents’ education

visa vise pupils’ performance was significant at 0.804 for father and 0.641

for mother (see table 6, 7, 8). This means that the education level of the

father influences pupils more positively in Mandera West district schools

than mother’s education level. This is consistent with Anneli (2005):

finding that mothers had significant effect on pupils test scores but that

father’s education had a stronger influence than mothers.

majority of pupils enrolled in Mandera West primary schools had parents

whose education level fell in the quadrant of a low socio economic

status(see figure 1). This would explain the poor performance of the

pupils in this school. Because parents only completed primary education,

51

they cannot be competent to help pupils with their academic work. These

are parents who probably dropped out from school.

However some pupils whose parents’ education level was low still

performed better than pupils whose parents were better educated. This is

contrary to Alisa 2003, & Okumu (2008)’s finding that, pupils from highly

educated families perform better because parents encourage them to do

so or because parents read, monitor and supervise their children’s

academic progress. It would mean that pupils whose parents do not read

with them can find other people to read with or to encourage them. So

pupils whose parents are less educated could befriend other children

whose parents are better educated to learn from those parents.

Sometimes the disadvantages that low educated parents face may be a

motivation for their children to be more attentive in class so that they

perform better in order not to face the same problems they witness their

parents facing. In addition elder brothers or sisters or other relatives may

encourage pupils from lower education background to work hard since

extended family is evident in most lower class families as mentioned by

Larreau, (2003.)

One can also note that children whose parents have higher education still

perform poorer than those from worse off education backgrounds. So it is

possible that these educated parents do not have time with their children

to encourage them to do better.

Okumu et al (2008) explained school success by the amount and type of

cultural capital inherited from the family milieu rather than measures of

individual talent or achievement, But these days the education ministry

52

and schools or other form of organized learning facilitate the acquisition of

knowledge, skills and attitudes that have intrinsic value and also help in

addressing important human goals. As such education for all is

emphasized because now education leads to global benefits rather than

benefiting individual families.

The goals of education are other factors to consider in determining

educational attainment, The experience of UPE head teachers seems to be

a sense of dissatisfaction with the bureaucratic nature of the formal school

system. This is supported by Okumu et al (2008)’s findings that the

schools remain passive, expecting initiatives to come from above rather

than be self directed. Private schools are more robust in peiformance in

KCPE because they have a tendency to operate outside the formal school

system or independently from it,

Another factor for better educational attainment is early child hood care

and education. Children learn most of the values early so it is very

important that childrens’ expectations for education are emphasized early

in childhood otherwise they may fail to cope up with the rest of pupils. For

the children who are not enrolled in school, there are explanations for

what drives the decision taken by their parents and guardians. These

include Childs safety, need for labor, monitory costs and Child’s physical

readiness.

The sex of pupils has an influence on their educational attainment, In

Dandu primary primary school, boys tended to perform better in KCPE.

This can be attributed to the fact that in the evening girls join their

mothers to prepare food for the family while a boy waits or plays.

53

Furthermore, the existing social relations of gender that structure women

as providers of reproductive labor also affect the girls who are socialized

as apprentices of their mothers so they can play similar roles in future.

Other items prominent in the schools were behavioral problems of pupils

such as absenteeism, drop outs.

According to head teacher of Dandu primary, there is an attitude problem

in his school because most parents here don’t consider education as a

priority, they see children, especially girls, as valuable for marriage and

tending gardens. Subsistence farming affects academic performance

because it leads to high levels of both pupil and teacher absenteeism at

school. This corroborates Kasente (2003)’s finding that While the parents’

income can be boosted by earnings from gardening, very few spend it on

their children’s education. Secondly while the cash from gardening is a

huge boost to the parents, education and health don’t come cheaply.

Parents prioritize buying food ahead of paying school fees. This partly

explains why the school had very few good grades in KCPE in the last

three years. On the other hand, Some parents refuse to make any

contributions towards their children’s education, believing that

government will provide all the necessities.

Some teachers walk long distances to school and fail to make the journey

back the next day in time. But other problems like overcrowded

classrooms persist.

Exposure to educational opportunities determines differential

consequences for more and less advantaged groups (including economic

54

and social consequences). However there is a possibility of movement

from lower to upper class through success in education.

It is recommended that a well developed support system is essential for

educational attainment, The performance of students, and schools need to

be tracked closely in order to reveal both excellence and

underperformance and as a basis for designing policy interventions,

Parents’ Income and pupiOs’ Acadenik performance

This study found that the parents’ level of income positively affects

educational attainment of pupils in Dandul primary schools with a

correlation coefficient at 0.757 (see table 7, and 8).

Costs generally increases with the number of school years attended. And

parents with lower level of income have worse income shocks. As such

they may fail to acquire the materials needed for their children’s education

success.

However it is important to understand whether lack of income has

temporary or permanent effects on pupils’ enrolment and performance. As

for enrolment lack of income may have temporary effects whereby pupils

withdrawn from school may return to school in the following year. But

where lack of income has a permanent shock on enrolment, pupils who

dropped out of primary school will remain absent over time. This is

especially possible for pupils whose parents may decide to allow them to

marry in families that value their labor more than education.

55

The next time a child cries over being dropped from a class or game,

allow him or her to experience the pain of losing, but encourage the child

to get over it by changing his or her attitude. Reassure the child that all

people fail at some point, but work at improving their current state.

Remind the child that even the most popular people have failed once or

more at some point in their lives, but chose not to stay at the place of

failure. Mention to your child that instead of giving up, successful people

strive to improve their skills or find better ways of coping with challenges

they cannot change. Bauer and Julie (2009)

Only parents with more income and who are willing to invest this income

in their children’s education by means of providing educational

requirements will better enable their children to perform better. This is

because they can afford school fees, buy exercise books, text books which

are some of the variants of cultural capital that Bjorkman (2005) thought

give the children who possess them advantage over those who do not.

One should also note that parents with more income but unwilling to

invest it in their children’s’ education will have pupils who may perform

poorly.

In such cases do not let the pupil dive into a mood of giving up.

Encourage him or her to remember that it is always important to finish

whatever they start and where there is a will there is a way. This kind of

thinking helps children to stroll out of the disappointment mood and have

something to look forward to.

In the view of the researcher, unlike level of parent’s education which is

acquired over time, income obtained from non salary sources varies and

56

pupils who had more books at home also have parents with higher

educational attainment, a variable that has been found to have a positive

influence on test scores, However the results are not entirely in line with

the findings of the aforementioned researchers. These results implied that

the higher the number of pupils sharing a text book, the lower the test

scores.

So provision of text books should be accompanied by increased access to

the text books by pupils. In this regard, pupils should be allowed to take

school text books to their home. This can enable Pupils to work together

in pair or in small groups (with or without assistance from parents)

Parents’ occupation and pupils’ academic performance

Parents whose occupational prestige is low had more children who

perform poorly. Likewise, parents with higher occupation have children

who aim higher and perform better (see table.1)

In the conceptual frame work, the parents’ occupation was classified as

manual or non manual. Such a description better suited the trends of

occupation in Kenya though others would classify occupation as skilled,

semi skilled and unskilled, This researcher assumed that even manual jobs

exercise certain skills. Therefore all jobs involve skills. The predominantly

manual occupation tends to be done by parents with low education and

low income. As such occupation problems add to the disadvantages

parents with little income and level of education face.

This study found a strong and positive correlation between parent’s

occupation and pupil’s performance (see table 7). This implies that the

lower the parents’ occupations’ prestige, the poorer pupils’ performance

58

tends to be. The correlation coefficient between parents’ occupation and

pupils’ attainment was found to be 0~875.

However job status can be a sensitive thing. For example, one may tell

another a more flattering title or inflate their status simply by changing

the label of the job they do. But there is no need to candy-coat failure,

loss, defeat or disappointment, under the guise of low occupation. One

should not dwell on it either Benninga & Berkowitz, (2003) advises that,

you can, instead, choose to let the child know that things may not always

work out as expected. Let pupils know that you too as a parent get

disappointed sometimes, but have learnt to overcome disappointments.

Reassure the child that he or she has a chance of winning another time

because there is always room for one at the top

Another explanation why pupils from peasant backgrounds drop out is

that it does not require complicated skills learned in school to do

subsistence farming. So schooling appears to be irrelevant for subsistence

farmers. But if it is true that proceeds from subsistence farming are

allocated basing on parent’s priorities (Kakuru 2001, Kasente D, 2003,

Bjorkman M (2005), there is need for them to change attitude. This is

because Rural development is often presumed to rest on educational

improvement and high levels of mathematics achievement might seem

essential to improving the quality of rural life and the viability of rural

communities. Opolot-Okurut,(http://dg~cme11.org/) using a sample of 36

professionally qualified primary school teachers of mathematics who had

diploma certificates in education, from the corpus of primary school

teachers, investigated factors that hinder pupils opportunity to learn

mathematics and reported that the challenges that teachers face include:

the characteristics of the pupils; the overcrowded classrooms; the nature

59

of the curriculum and syllabus; government policies on education and the

learning environment and assessment.

These factors need to be addressed to enhance the academic

performance of pupils in the country and the dropout rate, Poor

performance in mathematic make some pupils leave school.

Parents are typically less motivated to send their children to school during

periods of disorder because of unstable occupations. To approximate the

extent to which individuals are affected by period of instability Michal

Bauer and Julie Chytilova (2009) calculated the number of years of the

respondents primary schooling age (7-14) that overlap with the period of

tribal conflict. They expect that the higher the exposure of tribal fued era,

the lower the education level. Similar pattern was found by other studies

as well in Burundi, DR Congo, Mozambique, Sudan, Nicaragua and Turkey

where there were greater negative change in school enrolment in boys

than for girls Losing may help children to develop empathy and

perseverance. These virtues are vital as the child lives in the real world.

Congratulating and praising a child for every effort, regardless of

the struggles experienced, motivates him or her to persevere.

One important characteristic for educational attainment is an extremely

high level of energy among learners, teachers and parents. This can be

associated with an environment of competition albeit from different stand

points and in different forms.

60

Condusions

A family’s socioeconomic status is based on family income, parental

education level, parental occupation, and social status in the community.

Less educated Parents may have inadequate skills for such activities as

reading to and with their children, and Having inadequate resources and

limited access to available resources can negatively affect families’

decisions regarding their young children’s development and learning.

As a result of the financial and material issues surrounding working class

families, low income parents are most concerned with providing basic

survival needs like food, shelter and clothing.

Families with higher occupational prestige often have more success in

preparing their young children for school because they typically have

access to a wide range of resources to promote and support young

children’s development. They are able to provide their young children with

high-quality child care, books, and toys to encourage children in various

learning activities at home. Also, they have easy access to information

regarding their children’s health, as well as social, emotional, and

cognitive development. In addition, families with high socioeconomic

status often seek out information to help them better prepare their young

children for school

61

Recommendatbns

1. Parents should improve on their education levels through adult

education programs since it may positively impact on the academic

endeavors of their children.

2. Pupils from low socioeconomic backgrounds should try to persevere

through financial hardships and remain in school because schooling

eventually has a redeeming effect on their poor plight.

3. Teachers should help pupils who obtain low grades to develop

academic curiosity in fields which are more relevant to them.

62

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For Poor KCPE Performance, The new vision Wednesday 11th

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Academic Performance In Nigerí~. Some Explanation From A Local

Survey-k: \ref research\Socio-economic factors influencing

students, m ht.

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Impoll3ntare Attitudes andBehavibr2K:\ref research retrieves on 2 august

2010.

Anneli,, K. (2005); Factors OfIncome InequalltyAnd Theft’ Influence

MechanLs’ms.’ A Theoretical Overview, Faculty of Economics and

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Education. Kenya. http://www.odi.org. uk/resources. Retrieved on

10~’3/20 11.

Bauer, M., and Julie .C. (2009); The Impact OfEducation On The

Subjective Dkcount Rate In Kenyan Villages. IZA DP NO, 4057

Germany.

Benninga, J. S., & Berkowitz, M. W. (2003): The Relationship Of Character

Education Implementation And Academic Achievement In

Elementary Schools. Journal of research in character education,

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Bjorkman, M. (2005); Income Shocks And Gender Gaps In Education:

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And Out Of School In Selected D&ricts In Kenya,

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February 2011

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[February 28, 2011]

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Kakuru D. M (2003): Gender Sensitive Educational Policy and

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Kirewa Youth Development Initiative (2004), KCPEperformance in

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66

APPENDICES

APPENDIX I: TRANSMITTAL LETTER

OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR (DVC)

SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH (SPGSR)

Dear Sir/Madam,

RE: INTRODUCTION LATTER FOR MR~ ABDOW ABDIGEYHUSSEIN TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN YOUR INSTITUTION,

The above mentioned candidate is a bona fide student of KampalaInternational University pursuing a Masters in Education Management.

He is currently conducting a field research for his dissertation entitled,

SOCIO ECONOMIC STATUS OF PARENTS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

OF PUPILS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN MANDERA WEST DISTRICT,

NORTH EASTERN PROVINCE,

KENYA.

Your institution has been identified as a valuable source of informationpertaining to his research project. The purpose of this latter then is torequest you to avail him with the pertinent information he may need.

Any data shared with him will be used for academic purposes only andshall be kept with utmost confidentiality.

Any assistance rendered to him will be highly appreciated.

Yours truly,

Novembrieta R. Sumil,ph.D.

Deputy Vice Chancellor, SPGSR,

67

APPENDIX II: CLEARANCE FROM ETHICS COMMITTEE

Date______________________

Candidate’s Data

Name

Reg.#

Course

Title of Study

Ethicall Rev~ew Checklist

The study rev~ewed considered the folllowhig:

- Physical Safety of Human Subjects- Psychological Safety- Emotional Security

Privacy- Written request for Author of Standardized Instrument- Coding of Questionnaires/Anonymity/Confidentiality- Permission to Conduct the Study- Citations/Authors Recognized.Resuilts of Eth~ca~ Review,

- Approved- Conditional (to provide the Ethics Committee with corrections)- Disapproved/Resubmit proposal.Ethks Committee (Name and Signature)

Chairperson________________________

Members_________________________

68

APPENDIX III: INFORMED CONSENT

I am giving my consent to be part of the research study of

Mr.Abdow Abdgey Hussein that will focus on Social Economic status of

parents on pupil academic performance in Primary Education in selected

Schools in Mandera’s West, North Eastern Province Kenya. I shall be

assured of privacy, anonymity and confidentiality and that I will be given

the option to refuse participation and right to withdraw my participation

any time.

I have been informed that the research is voluntary and that the results

will be given to me if I ask for it.

Initials:________________________________

Date______________________________

69

APPENDIX IV: RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

L RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRES FOR TEACHERS

I am ABDOW ABDIGEY HUSSEIN, A master’s student of Educational

Management and Administration at Kampala International University. I

am carrying out research on the effects of Socio-Economic Status of

parents and its influence on pupils’ academic performance in Takaba

Zone, Mandera West district.

The questionnaire is specifically for academic purposes and all information

received shall be kept confidential.

Tick (v’) where necessary and (x) cross where it is not applicable.

a) What is your marital status?

Single ( ) Married ( ) Divorced ( )

b) Sex: Male ( ) Female ( )c) Age range; 15-20( ) 21—24( ) 25—33( )33&above

( )d) Level of education: Primary ( ) Secondary ( ) University ( )none( )Evaluate the following statements using the following;

70

A~ LEVEL OF PARENTS’ EDUCATION

Response T I I

1 Parents level of education contribute to academic Iperformance

2 Factors that aid parents’ study and achievement are 1 2 3 4 5

related to the pupils’ final performance.

3 The level of parents’ education motivate children 1 2 3 4 5

4 Education level of the parents encourage children 1 2 3 4 5

to struggle and achieve their goals

5

6

Parents’ education level improve the pupil’s urge to

study

All factors aiding pupil’s academic performance

are related to the level of parents’ education

7 The parents’ levels of education is the main factor

aiding pupil’s performance in Takaba zones

12345

71

B. THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE PARENTS

2 3 415

-~-----1 parents’ economic status encourage pupils to 1 2 3 4 5

perform better

2 parents economic status is the major contributing i 2 3 4 5

factor in pupils’ academic performance

3 parents’ economic status is a valuable concern in I I Ianalyzing the way pupils perform

~4 Teachers have made positive contribution in 1 2 3 4 5

enhancing the academic performance of pupils

-~-----5 Teachers perceive the parents’ economic status as 1 2 3 4 5

key factor contributing to pupils’ academic

performance — — —

72

C~ OCCUPATION OF THE PARENT

Teachers view pupil academic performance basing

on the ability of the parent to meet the pupil’s basic

needs?

Economic status of the pupil’s parent has a positive

or negative impact on the child’s academic

performance

Response i 2 3 4 5

1 The kind of occupation a parent is engaged in 1 2 3 4 5

contribute to pupil’s academic performance~--2

3

234 5

12345

73

2, RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRES FOR PARENTS

I am ABDOW ABDIGEY HUSSEIN, A master’s student of Educational

Management and Administration at Kampala International University. I

am carrying out research on the effects of Socio-Economic Status of

parents and its influence on pupils’ academic peiformance in Takaba

Zone, Mandera West district.

The questionnaire is specifically for academic purposes and all information

received shall be kept confidential.

Tick (V) where necessary and (x) cross where it is not applicable.

a) What is your marital status?

Single ( ) Married ( ) Divorced ( )

b) Sex: Male ( ) Female ( )c) Age range; 15-20( ) 21—24( ) 25—33( )33&above

( )d) Level of education: Primary ( ) Secondary ( ) University ( )none( )Evaluate the following statements using the following;

strongly Agree Neither agree Disagree Strongly

Agree nor disagree disagree

5 4 3 [2 1

74

A~ LEVEL OF PARENTS’ EDUCATION

2

Response

Parents level of education contribute to academic T i 1 ~brmance

~rstare~s’stud~and~ementare I I I Irelated to the pupils’ final performance.

3 The level of parents’ education motivate children I I I ~ I

4 Education level of the parents encourage children I I I I Ito struggle and achieve their goals

5 Parents’ education level improve the pupil’s urge to 1 2 3 4 5

study

6 All factors aiding pupil’s academic performance

are related to the level of parents’ education

7 The parents’ levels of education is the main factor

aiding pupil’s performance in Takaba zones

75

B. THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE PARENTS

Response T I I ~ I

1 parents’ economic status encourage pupils to 1 2 3 4 5

perform better

2 parents economic status is the major contributing 1 2 3 4 5

factor in pupils’ academic performance

3 parents’ economic status is a valuable concern in T I I 4 Ianalyzing the way pupils perform

4 Teachers have made positive contribution in 1 2 3 4 5

enhancing the academic performance of pupils

5 Teachers perceive the parents’ economic status as 1 2 3 4 5

key factor contributing to pupils’ academic

performance

76

C~ OCCUPATION OF THE PARENT

Response i 2 3 4 5

1 The kind of occupation a parent is engaged in 1 2 3 4 5

contribute to pupil’s academic performance

2 Teachers view pupil academic performance basing T ~ I ~ Ion the ability of the parent to meet the pupil’s basic

needs?

3 Economic status of the pupil’s parent has a positive 1 2 3 4 5

or negative impact on the child’s academic

performance

77

APPENDIX V: RESEARCHER’S CURRICULUM VITAE

PERSONAL PROFILE

NAME: ABDOW ABOIGEY HUSSEIN

DATE OF BIRTH: 31st DECEMBER 1965

SEX: Male

MARITAL STATUS: Married

RELIGION: Islam

Educatbnal Background

Takaba Primary School 1977 — 1983.

Mandera Secondary School 1984 — 1987

Kilimambogo Teacher’s Training College 1991 — 1992

Kenya Institute of Special Education 2005 - 2008

Kampala International University 2006 - 2008

Kampala International University 2009 — To date

Work Experience

Assistant Teacher 1988 — 1995.

Deputy Head Teacher 1995 — 2003

Head Teacher 2003 — To date.

Other Relevant Data

Attended many seminars/work shops on Education

Chairman of Constituency Bursary Committee — To date

Hobbies

Reading the Holy Quran

Participating Comm unity Development Project.

78

TABLEIO FOR DETERMINING SAMPLE SIZE FROM A GIVEN POPULATION

N S N S N S N S N S10 10 100 80 280 162 800 260 2800 338 —

15 14 110 86 290 165 850 265 3000 34120 19 120 92 300 169 900 269 3500 24625 24 130 97 320 950 274 4000 35130 28 140 103 340 181 1000 278 4500 35135 32 150 108 360 1100 285 5000 35740 36 160 113 380 1200 291 6000 36145 40 180 400 196 1300 297 7000 36450 44 190 123 420 201 1400 302 8000 36755 48 200 440 205 306 9000 36860 52 210 132 460 210 310 10000 37365 56 220 480 214 313 15000 37570 59 230 500 217 317 20000 37775 63 240 550 225 320 30000 37980 66 250 600 234 2000 322 40000 38085 70 260 152 650 242 2200 327 50000 38190 73 270 155 700 248 2400 331 75000 38295 76 270 159 750 256 2600 335 100000 384

Note: “N” is population size“S” is sample size.

Krejcie, Robert V., Morgan, Daryle W., “Determining Sample Size for ResearchActivities”, Educational and PsycholoQical Measurement, 1970.