| dc.description.abstract | This study sought to investigate critical parental socio-economic factors affecting the academic
achievement of students in selected secondary schools in urban informal settlements in Westlands
District in Nairobi County. The study was premised on the classical Liberal Theory of Equal
Opportunity and social Darwinism proposed by Charles Darwin. A descriptive survey design
using a sample of 125 respondents comprising of 91 students, 18 teachers and 16 parents was
used for the study. The tools for data collection were questionnaires for students, Focus Group
Discussions for teachers and Interview schedules for parents. Quantitative data from the
questionnaires was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics while the qualitative data
from interviews was managed through thematic techniques. The major findings of the study were
that; the physical and other critical instructional resources were grossly inadequate or in a
pathetic condition not conducive to education provision, there was a strong non-significant
negative correlation between the occupation of parents and ability to finance education, that
there is a significant positive correlation between good parent-teacher relationship and their
involvement in their children’s academic achievement. It was concluded that, parental
occupation and involvement in learning activities and effective parent-teacher relationship were
facilitating factors. Parents’ low ability to finance education, coupled with the poor status of
physical and instructional resources were inhibiting factors to students’ academic achievement in
the study locale. It was therefore recommended that the government should strengthen the
collaboration between key education development partners to mobilize physical
teaching/learning resources and strengthen education in the region. Unemployment should be
controlled; poor students should be provided scholarships and that the government should take
steps to raise socioeconomic status of people | en_US |
