Parent’s Economic Factors on the Learners’ Academic Performance

The case of Public Secondary Schools in Kilifi South Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

The research article sets out to assess the influence of parent’s economic factors on the learners’ academic performance among public secondary schools in Kilifi South Sub-County, Kenya. It was guided by the following objectives: To establish the influence of parent’s level of income on the learners’ academic performance; to investigate the influence of parents’ other income generating activities; to determine the influence of parent’s employment status; to evaluate the influence of parent’s job/occupation stability. The theory of academic performance, which was advanced by Elger and Human capital theory by Schultzi, were used. It utilizes the survey descriptive research design in its endeavour to respond to the problem being unveiled. Quantitative data was collected by a questionnaire and interview guide. pilot study was done to assist the researcher in determining meaningfulness, relevance and clarity and any modification or changes was integrated to ensure content validity. It recommends that since parent’s level of income seems inadequate towards the learner’s academic performance in Kilifi public secondary school, the government and the school management should come up with strategies geared towards leveraging parents’ levels of income so as to boost performance further. Further, school managers should harmonize the whole question of fees clearance, especially when dealing with hard times, as in the cases when famine and drought hit respective areas.