| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to investigate how home-based factors have influenced KCSE performance in public day secondary schools in Lari District, Kiambu County. The specific objectives were to establish the influence of parents’ level of education, socio-economic status of parents, parents professional qualifications and home chores on students KCSE performance in public day secondary schools in Lari District. The study targeted 36 public day secondary schools with a population of 461 teachers and 288 Parents Teachers Association members. This gave a target population of 749 respondents. The study sampled 86 Parents Teachers Association members and 138 teachers. The total sample size was 224 respondents. The study randomly selected the Parents Teachers Association members and the teachers from the 36 public day schools. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used for data collection. Reliability analysis was done through test-retest method. Pearson’s product moment’s correlation was used to test reliability. Validity was ensured through discussion with the experts including supervisors and colleagues. Primary data were collected and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques and presented in tables and graphs. Secondary data were obtained from journals and schools data base. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Descriptive statistics and thematic statistics were used. This assisted in determining the level of influence the independent variables have on the dependent variable. The study findings indicated that educated parents assist their students in doing their school work. Parents’ socio-economic status influences the students KCSE performance. Professional parents participate better in academic performance and understand the importance of academics better. Teachers perceived that parents contribute to students’ participation in home chores. More time is spent on home chores than on school work. The government through the Ministry of Education should sensitize parents about the home based factors affecting students’ academic performance. The head teacher should hold meetings with parents that address the influence of parents’ education on their students’ academic performance. The government through the Ministry of Education and Constituency development Fund should enhance issuance of bursaries and other necessary financial needs. Therefore the government through the Ministry of Education should sensitize parents’ on the importance of parents’ professionalism on students’ KCSE performance. Students’ participation in home chores was another factor that influenced students’ KCSE performance. The parents should therefore create a conducive environment at home to enable the students study privately. The parents should balance between the home chores and students’ academic work and allocate adequate time equally for both. The study concluded that the home-based factors; parents’ level of education, socio-economic status of parents, parents professional qualifications and home chores influenced the student’s academic performance. There should be a research on the other home base factors affecting students’ academic performance in public day secondary schools since this study only focused on four factors. | en_US |
