Relationship Between Parental Conflict and Academic Performance of Adolescent Girls in Sample Public Girls’ Secondary Schools in Nairobi County

Abstract

The family is considered as key influential aspect of the society which impacts on one’s psychological,emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing. The home environment should naturally provide a good matrix for the holistic development of the child. This may have a substantial impact on the child’s educational attainment. The environment established within the family offers special learning aspects for the child and can thus positively enhance the development. Every family has conflict, but not all families resolve it positively (Maxwell, J 2004). Novelist Fitzgerald said, “Family quarrels are bitter things. They don’t go according to any rules. They are not like aches or wounds; they are more like splits in the skin that will not heal because there is not enough material.” It is therefore crucial for conflicting parents to handle their differences in utmost decorum. Parental conflict is complex and multifaceted construct as it includes any differences of opinions, whether it is negative or positive between father and mother. Adolescents tend to be very sensitive to their environment as they undergo both physiological and psychological changes. However, little is researched on how specific family interaction risks, in particular, parental conflict, shape academic functioning of girls. To fill this gap in information, the current study sought to determine relationship between parental conflict and academic performance of adolescent girls in selected public girls’ secondary schools in Nairobi County. The investigation steered by Abraham Maslow's Theory of Needs and Family Systems Theory. A correlational exploration configuration was utilized. The designated respondents were 12000 female students and 450 educators from sample public girls high schools in Nairobi County. Fischer's equation was embraced to decide the example size. Methodical arbitrary inspecting was utilized to recognize 384 female tutees. The information was gathered through surveys. Guiding was led to the survey instrument's legitimacy and unwavering quality. The test-retest strategy was involved in deciding the instrument's dependability. The point was to create or utilize tools with a steadfast quality coefficient of above 0.7. The gathered information was dissected with the help of the SPSS programming rendition 23. The enlightening insights, including means, modes, and standard deviations, helped sum up the information gathered. Inferential factual strategies, including Pearson's Product Moment connection, were locked in to decide between parental squabble and academic achievement of tutees in sample public girls schools in Nairobi County.96.7% of the respondents noted that parents quarrelling affected their academic performance. Exposure to destructive conflict between parents is linked with a range of problems for children and young people.