Parental Involvement In Children’s Interest In Learning And Academic Performance Among Pre-Primary To Grade Three Learners In Primary Schools In Mukuru Kayaba Slums, Nairobi

Abstract

study focuses on the relationship between parental involvement and children’s interest in learning and their academic performance. Compelling evidence has shown that when families work with schools to support learning, there is a tendency of learners to perform well, not only in school, but also throughout life. Other studies have also shown that a factor such as parent’s level of academic qualification affects a child’s interest in learning and academic outcome. In Kenya, parents’ involvement in their children’s education is limited to only paying school fees and other financial obligations, and attending school/class meetings. It is for these reasons that this study was carried out in order to: identify the type of parental involvement; determine their relationship to children’s learning interests; investigate parent’s academic qualifications in relation to involvement in child’s learning; determine the relationship between parental involvement and their children’s academic performance. A total of 235 learners, 170 parents and 25 teachers from three Mukuru primary schools were used for this study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the analysis. A majority of the respondents amongst the teachers, 64%, said that when a parent is more involved in their child’s education, then the child is more likely to perform well academically and also portray high levels of discipline. From the research, however, there appears to be a weak positive correlation, with a Pearson correlation r = 0.276 between parents’ participation in their child’s education and the overall performance. This shows that the bulk of pupil performance can be attributed to other factors and not necessarily their parents’ participation in it. Over 50% of the learners also don't believe that their parents' level of income has any bearing on their educational performance, the general state of poverty they are in is a motivation in itself.The study recommended that: schools should organize parental guidance and counselling programmes for every grade to ensure that parents understand their role as guardians and first instructors of their children; there should be regular forums where teachers and parents/guardians interact to clearly sort out any existing misunderstanding regarding the welfare of learner; the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Teachers’ Service Commission, should hold regular in-service courses for teachers, not just for academic improvement, but also to enhance collaboration among all stakeholders in each school locality. This is because though teachers are trained under similar programmes, actual teaching is very diverse in every environmental backgrounds, for instance, this study was carried out in an urban slum where children live in very difficult circumstances. There is need to carry out more research to determine the extent to which a child's participation in economic activities in the evenings affects their academic performance, especially in slum areas. Relevant research is also needed in order to determine specific expectations of parents regarding their children’s future educational advancement and their career aspirations. Research should be undertaken to identify appropriate incentives to motivate teachers working in different environments in which the schools are located to facilitate effective learning/teaching in schools. It is recommended that the role of the Board of Management be investigated in order to specify growth and development of the schools that they represent.