PARENTAL VARIABLES AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ORUK ANAM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF AKWA IBOM STATE

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the influence of parental variables on students’ academic performance in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The study adopted descriptive survey design. Four research questions and four hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The population of the study comprised 2,076 JSS2 students offering Social Studies in the sixteen public secondary schools in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. A sample size of 207 students (approximately ten percent of students) from the population of the study was selected for the study using multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected through the use of questionnaire titled parental variables questionnaire (PVQ) and 2023/2024 first terminal results in Social Studies of the selected students copied from their class score sheets. The instrument was subjected to face validity. The reliability coefficient of 0.89 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha method. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer all the research questions while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used for testing hypotheses one and two and independent t-test was used for testing hypotheses three and four. All the null hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study showed that: higher parental education level contribute positively to students' academic performance; students from high parental socio-economic status performed better than students from low parental socio-economic status; students with high parental involvement in their studies performed very well academically than students with low parental involvement and structured parental discipline enhanced students' performance. The study recommended among others that the government should introduce financial aid programs, scholarships, and free education initiatives for students from low-income families to ensure equal learning opportunities. Finally, suggestions for further research were made.