Examining the Relationship between Forms of Parental Involvement and Students’ Academic Performance in Public Senior Schools in Lagdera Sub-County, Garissa County, Kenya

Abstract

Globally, parental involvement in education has been a major contributor to student achievement. However, despite its established importance, a persistent gap in parental involvement remains in the education systems of many rural areas, particularly in Lagdera Sub-County. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between forms of parental involvement and students’ academic performance in public senior schools in Lagdera Sub-County, Garissa County, Kenya. The study was premised on Epstein's Theory of Six Types of Parental Involvement. The study adopted a mixed-methods research approach targeting 45 teachers from the five public senior schools in Lagdera Sub-County, with a census used for sampling. The five principals, five BOM chairpersons, and 17 PA representatives were selected as key interview informants. A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data, while interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while correlation analysis was used to establish the relationship between the variables, and verbatim responses were used for qualitative analysis. The study also found that forms of parental involvement were significantly associated with students’ academic performance in public senior schools in Lagdera Sub-County, Garissa County, Kenya (r = 0.555, p < 0.05). The study concludes that active parental involvement in public senior schools in Lagdera Sub-County, Garissa County, Kenya, manifests in the form of communication with teachers, monitoring of academic progress, provision of academic resources, participation in school activities, as well as guidance and counselling, which play a pivotal role in enhancing students’ academic performance. The study recommends that parents, working in collaboration with teachers, adopt more purposeful forms of involvement by consistently encouraging students, monitoring their academic progress, and maintaining communication with schools.