THE EFFECT OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

Parental involvement has been widely recognized as a significant contributor to students’ academic success across various levels of education. This study explores the effect of parental involvement on academic achievement among senior secondary school students using secondary data. The research aims to assess whether variations in parental engagement—categorized as low, medium, and high—have a measurable impact on students’ academic performance. The data set analyzed consisted of academic scores from 90 students, divided equally among three levels of parental involvement. Descriptive statistics, specifically the 25th, 50th (median), and 75th percentiles, were calculated to determine the distribution of academic performance across the three groups. The findings reveal a clear and consistent pattern: students with high parental involvement demonstrated the highest academic achievement (median ≈ 80.08), followed by those with medium (median ≈ 70.15), and then low involvement (median ≈ 60.83). These results align with established educational theories, including Epstein’s Six Types of Involvement, which emphasize the critical role of parents in reinforcing school learning at home, fostering academic motivation, and creating supportive environments. The analysis confirms that students benefit academically when parents are actively engaged in their education—through activities like helping with homework, communicating with teachers, or encouraging academic goals. The study underscores the need for schools to actively encourage and facilitate parental involvement, especially in senior secondary levels where academic pressure and decision-making about future careers are at their peak. Limitations include reliance on secondary data and the lack of qualitative insights into the nature of parental engagement. Nonetheless, the evidence strongly supports the conclusion that increased parental involvement positively influences student academic outcomes, suggesting an essential area for policy emphasis and school-community collaboration.