The Influence of Single Parenting on Students’ Academic Achievement in Selected Secondary Schools in Taveta Sub-county, Taita Taveta County, Kenya.

Abstract

This study had a purpose of finding out the influence of single parenting on students’ academic achievement in selected secondary schools in Taveta Sub-county. The objectives of the study were to establish how single parenting affected parental involvement in their children’s education, influence of single parent’s level of education, parents’ occupation and family size on their children’s academic achievement. The study employed an exploratory research design and targeted 800 Form 3 students, 115 teachers from Taveta sub-county. A sample of 80 students from Form 3 class which formed 10% of total population were randomly selected. Some 34 teachers out of 115 constituting 30% were also randomly selected. The researcher employed the use of questionnaires as the main data collection instrument. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The resultant data were presented in tables, frequencies, percentages and charts. The study found that parental involvement in students’ academic achievement was very crucial to academic performance. For instance, 41 percent of students with a single parent indicated that their parents were rarely fully involved in their school work compared to 16 percent of students with both parents who said that their parents rarely involved themselves in their academic work. Concerning discipline, 28 percent of students with single parents agreed that their teachers always complained about their behavior compared to 11 percent of students with both parents who also agreed that their teachers always complained about their behavior implying that discipline and academic achievement goes hand in hand. The results obtained revealed that parents’ level of education had a direct correlation with students’ academic achievement. Some 65 percent of the student respondents strongly agreed that educated parents were more involved in their children’s education. The study found out that most single parents were most of the time busy in their occupations thus leaving them with inadequate time to monitor their children’s academic progress. Similarly, only 6 percent of student respondents from single parents indicated that their parents always rewarded them for performing well academically compared to 8 percent of students with both parents. The results also showed that the size of the family has a direct effect on a student’s academic achievement, the bigger the family size the lesser the level of attention given to the children. For instance, 53 percent of students from single parents agreed that their large family sizes contributed negatively to their academic achievement compared to 42 percent of students with both parents. Further, 15 percent of students with single parents also agreed that their needs were always met compared to 26 percent of students with both parents whose needs were always met by their parents. The study has recommended that the school management should encourage single parents to be involved in their children’s academic matters. Relevant bodies like the Ministry of Education should enlighten the parents and the society on the importance of education. The Government should educate parents on the need for proper planning of families because parents with smaller families are more likely to give maximum attention to their children’s academic work and overall welfare. Further, a study should be carried out to establish the influence of single parenting on child’s development and interaction dynamics in the classroom between teachers and children.