| dc.description.abstract | One of the major aspects of the social pillar of the Kenya Vision 2030 is education.
Kenya Vision 2030 points out education and training is an instrument to develop
Kenya to be a middle-income economy. Family backgrounds have been highlighted as
of great important in molding the performance of children in schools worldwide. This
study therefore investigated the relationship between family background on the
academic performance of students in Siakago Division, Mbeere North District. This
study focused on the influences of; parental marital status, family financial status,
parents’ education level and family size on the academic performance of students in
Siakago Division, Mbeere North District. The study employed a descriptive research
design. The target population under study was 1,081 students in Siakago Division and
1,081 parents. The study used a sample 338 students and parents which were selected
by use of a proportionate stratified random sampling method. Data was collected by
use of questionnaire for parents and interview schedule for students. The data was
analysed quantitatively and qualitatively and presented using frequencies, regression
coefficient and Pearson’s coefficient correlation. Statistical Package for Social
Sciences version 21 was used to aid in generating a summary of results which were
represented in tabular form. The findings of the study, showed that parental marital
status, family size, parents education level and family financial status had a positive
relationship with academic performance of students. However, the findings showed
that while the marital status of the parents was not significant in explaining the
academic performance of students, but the type of family, either cohesive or
conflictive had an effect in academic performance. The findings also showed that only
7% of students’ academic performance would be explained by the parents’ education
level. | en |
