Influence of Family Relationship on Academic Performance of Pupils in Public Primary Schools in Kianjiru Zone, Embu County, Kenya

Abstract

One of the major aspects of the Kenya Vision 2030 is Education. Kenya Vision 2030 states that education and training is an instrument to develop Kenya to be a middle-income economy. Home factors have been pin- pointed as of great importance in moulding the performance of pupils in schools worldwide. This research, therefore, investigates the influence of family relationship on the academic performance of pupils in Kianjiru zone, Mbeere South Sub-county. The interest to pursue this research arose due to the poor performance by pupils in the said area in the national examinations. The study adopted a descriptive survey design method to collect information. The target population of the study was 458 standard seven and eight pupils in Kianjiru from where a sample size of 88 pupils was drawn. The data was collected using questionnaires for pupils that were analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented using frequencies, percentages. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21 was used to aid in generating a summary of results. The study established that families play a vital role in the pupils learning and that the efforts of the parents are important in improving the performance of the pupils. It further established that pupils’ academic performance is affected by parental factors which include providing them with learning materials, providing them with the necessary stationery, helping them to do their homework, doing follow-up of their schoolwork and attending school meetings. It was also notable that differences in educational background of parents did not contribute to a significant difference in the academic achievement of the pupils. The recommendations of the study were that the parents should be sensitized on the need of their involvement in the children’s learning. The school administration should organize seminars to educate the parents on the importance of creating a good learning environment at home.

Keywords: Kenya; Family relationships; Pupils’ academic performance; Public primary schools; Learning environment.