Influence of Family Relationships on the Academic Performance of Children in Primary Schools in Kenya: A Case of Kianjiru Zone in Embu County

Abstract

One of the key emphases of the Kenya Vision 2030 is education and training. It suggests education and training as a vital strategy to develop Kenya to be a middle-income economy. Family factors have been pin pointed as playing a significant role in enhancing the academic performance of children in schools worldwide. This research investigated the influence of family relationship on the academic performance of pupils in Kianjiru zone,in Embu County, Kenya. This was necessitated by the poor performance of pupils in the said area in the national examinations. The study employed the Descriptive Survey Design to collect information. The target population was 458 Standard seven and eight pupils in Kianjiru zone 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 academic performance of the children. It further established that children’s academic performance is affected by parental responsibilities such as providing them with learning materials, helping them do their homework, doing follow-up of their school work and attending school meetings. A notable thing however was that differences in educational background of parents did not make any significant difference in the academic achievement of the children. The recommendations of the study were that the parents should be sensitized on the need of their involvement in the children’s learning. This can be by the school management organizing seminars or meetings to enlighten the parents on the importance of creating a good learning environment at home.

Keywords: Kenya; Family relationships; Children’s academic performance; Primary schools; Home learning environment.