Assessment of parental involvement in academic performance of Their children in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia west Sub-county, Trans-Nzoia county, Kenya

Abstract

Parental involvement in schools as Parent Teacher Association(PTAs) and Board of Governors(BOGs) is now a widely recognized practice, Their involvement and active support in teaching and learning is important to sustained education quality, Mostly parents perform governance roles in schools, But differing ideas among parents and teachers exist as to what constitutes parental involvement, This study was therefore designed to investigate the roles of parents in schools, The extent of parental involvement , The influence of parental involvement on performance and the factors that inhibits effective parent’s involvement in schools within Trans- Nzoia West Sub-county Trans-Nzoia County. Secondary schools under investigation were Public- boarding and Public- day as categorized by the Ministry of Education in Kenya. Epstein’s theory of overlapping spheres of influence (1996) was used in the study. A sample size of Principals (20), Teachers (100), Students (300) and Parents (200) was selected from the 60 schools in the Trans- Nzoia West Sub-county; Purposive sampling was then used to get equal number of both categories of schools into the sample . Descriptive survey as a method of inquiry was used. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to elicit information from the principals, teachers and students of the sampled schools. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used in analyzing the data , The study established that. Parental involvement is a key factor in academic performance, Parents agreed that if all parents are involved then it’s the student who benefits, Volunteering in school activities e.g. office work was found not to contribute significantly to academic performance, Fund raising had a positive impact on good academic performance. Parent-Teacher relationship encourages involvement by parents on the learning of their children. The study further finds that the nature of students we have today need mentoring both at home and school during formal learning time. The study recommended that parents be sensitized on various forms of involvement instead of over-reliance on governance and resource mobilization. The findings of the study will help the education policy makers to formulate constructive policies to better engage parents in school management.