Social Status of Parents and Students’ Academic Performance in Aba Educational Zone, Abia State

Abstract

This descriptive survey examined the academic performance of SS2 students in Aba Education Zone in relation to the social status of their parents. The population of the study comprised all 4955 SS2 students in Abia State from which a sample of 100 students from four secondary schools were drawn for study. Four research questions were raised to guide the study. The Social Status of Parents Questionnaire (SOSPAQ) with a reliability index of 0.81 Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, developed by the researchers was used in collecting data on the social status of parents while students’ academic performance was assessed using the raw scores vailable from school records. Analyses of research data revealed that parents’ social status influenced the academic performance of students’ in Aba Education Zone of Abia State. The researchers thus recommended that the government, well-meaning individuals and organisations should support parents from disadvantaged social backgrounds in the education of their children by providing—inaddition to free, compulsory and qualitative education—bursaries, scholarships and education resources to counteract the impact of low social status of parents on the education of the children.