Parents’ Socio-Economic Status as Predictor of Secondary School Students’ Academic Performance in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper investigated parents’ socio-economic status on secondary school students’ academic performance in Ekiti State. Descriptive research design of the survey type was adopted. The population for the study comprised all Junior Secondary School students in Ekiti State. The sample consisted of 960 students from 20 secondary schools randomly selected for the study. Purposive sampling was used to select 48 students from each school. The instruments used for the study is a self-designed questionnaire and inventory to collect students’ results. Validity of the instrument was ascertained through face and content validity. Test-re-test and estimation of internal consistency methods of reliability were adopted for the questionnaire.  Reliability co-efficient of 0.69 and 0.71 was obtained. Four hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The data were analysed using Regression statistical tools. It was confirmed in the study that there was relationship between parents’ socio-economic status and academic performance of secondary school students.  It is therefore recommended that parents without or with low education should endeavour to send their children to home lessons after school hours, by weekends, and during holidays to improve their academic performance.  Government should embark on programmes or formulate policies that can bridge the gaps between children of the rich and the poor academically.

Keywords: Socio-Economic Status, Academic Performance, Secondary School, students, Parent.