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The undersigned certifies that she has read and recommends for acceptance by the St. Augustine
university of Tanzania a research report entitled; “The relationship between family background
…………..............................
Dr.Mjokava
(Supervisor)
…………..............................
Date
1
DECLARATION
I, Pauli, Visent Shirima, do here by declare that this dissertation is my original work and that it
has not been presented to any other College, Institution or University for academic credit.
………………….………
Signature
………………….………
Date
2
COPYRIGHT
No part of this paper may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any
written permission of the author or the St. Augustine university of Tanzania in that behalf.
3
ACKNOWLEGDEMENT
I, firstly give Thanks, Honor and Glory for life and inspiration to God the Almighty. Many
people have made a valuable contribution to the successful completion of this work. I am greatly
indebted to all of them. It is impossible to mention all of them, but I mention just a few on behalf
of many.
Secondly, my sincere appreciations and gratitude is due to Dr. Mjokava my supervisor, whose
constructive criticism and guidance helped me accomplish this study. May the Almighty God
Special thanks go to all my friends, for the endless encouragement and support, morally and
materially. Not forgetting the SAUT community at large, may the lord almighty bless you all in
abundant.
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DEDICATION
This Dissertation is dedicated to my lovely parents, my father Pauli Shirima, my mother Prisca
Urassa and all others who contributed and co-operated with me during the writing of this work. I
am so thank full to them, for being kind, tolerant and considerate to me throughout my studies,
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ABSTRACT
The research aimed at assessing the “the relating ship between family background and
academic performance of secondary school students, case of Arusha municipal” the research
was guided by the four specific objective which are as follow ,” To assess the relationship
between parental marital status and academic performance of secondary school students in
Arusha municipal, to assess the relationship between family financial situation and academic
between parents’ education level and academic performance of secondary school students
school in Arusha municipal and to examine the relationship between family size and academic
When conducting the research, the research used questionnaire as a method of data collection
and the questionnaire was distributed to the student of Muriet, Olasit and parent of Sakina. The
technique like simple randomly sampling for student and parent. Data collected were analyzed
The study found out that a single parenthood had a negative relationship and two parenthood
have positive relationship with academic performance, also the issue of parental educational
level, family financial situation and family size had an impact on their children’s academic
performance. The data collected was presented in form of table then a researcher come up with
conclusion and recommendation that teacher and government should not ignore the family back
ground of student
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the background of the problem, statement of the problem, purpose of
study, research objective, which include, the general objective to gather with specific objective,
research question, significance of the study, scope of the study, and limitation of the study to
No country in the world has developed without providing the quality education be at primary,
secondary or university levels to her citizens as echoed in the World Bank report (WB, 1990).
The report adds education that development comes, when the nations invest in people to improve
motivation that children get from the people they interact with in their initial stages of life. A
study conducted in the United States of America by Rouse and Barrow (2006) revealed that
years of schooling completed and educational achievement of students, varied widely by family
backgrounds. Rouse and Barrow (2006) found out that students who came from less
disadvantaged families had higher average test scores and were more likely to have never been
held back a grade as compared to students from the more disadvantaged families. However, they
highlighted that it is not clear to reflect the causal effect of family backgrounds on the child’s
educational achievement which creates a gap that this study sought to fill by finding out the
7
Further McIntosh (2008) in his study concluded that in Canada, children who came
from low income households, having divorced or separated parents, would actually perform
better than average scores if they came from homes that had positive attitude sand that strongly
supported their children. This was supported by another study on Children and Youth in Canada
that was carried out by Ryan (2000) who reported that there is a significant effect of family
achievement.
It is generally accepted that parental social economic status has an impact on students’
academic achievement. For example, children whose parents are of high educational scales have
a far better statistical chance of participating in secondary education (Halsey, Health & Ridge,
1980). Otula (2007) supported this by stating that effective learning involves partnership of
Parents’ level of education has a multifaceted impact on children’s ability to learn in school. In
one study, children whose parents had primary school education or less will more than three
times likely to have low test scores or grade repetition than children whose parents had at least
secondary schooling (Goodwin & Goodwin, 1995). In the same study, it is also found that
parents’ level of education not only influenced parent-child interaction related to learning but
also the need for help at home that often comes at the expense of keeping children in school
Parents with little formal education may also be less familiar with the language used in school,
limiting their ability to support learning and participate in school related activities (Omoraka,
2001).Although many constraints exist, schools can play a pivotal role in helping parents to
enhance the home curriculum and improve the quality of parental involvement in them children’s
education. The strategies include for example, schools collaborating with organizations that can
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affect parenting in the pre-school years such as public health providers and non-governmental
organizations. Successful attempts to increase parental involvement have taken place around the
world. One example is the creation of student newspapers in China (Major banks, 2001). Such
newspapers exist at different levels of the education system in urban as well as rural zones. The
result is that pupils and parents in urban areas have the possibility to read, which is of benefit in
particular to the otherwise disadvantaged rural families (Goodwin & Goodwin, 1995).
In Tanzania most community secondary schools are performing poorly. The finding by United
Republic of Tanzania (URT), (2011) indicates that form four examination results have been
fluctuating from year to year, being highest in 2004 (91.5%) and lowest in 2010 (50.4%), the
percentage of candidates who failed started to increase again from 2008 (16.3%) to 2010
(49.6%). And in 2016 the performance was 70.09% compared to 2015 at which the performance
was 67.53% which is the increase of 2.56%. This is attributed by the introduction of free
education policy. (Necta 2017). This is attributed by lack of textbooks, laboratories, libraries,
teachers and poor parent’s participation in school 4 improvement, and indiscipline problem
Educations generally, refer to continuous process of enculturation, which begins from birth and
ends in grave. The type of education one receives determines his future potentials. Parents and
guardians are ill-feeling about the harming rate of poor academic performance of students in
school nowadays. What they do eventually was to call the teachers to questions the pupil’s poor
performance. Little do they know that other factors apart from teacher’s abilities such as home
background do influence pupil’s academic performance. The home being a primary unit of
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socialization and where most of children learning take place cannot be single or left out in
Consequently, there have a knowledge gap between what is known and unknown in addressing
the raised grand question of the current study, how home background affects the students’
academic performance in Tanzania secondary schools. This was why there is a need for
designing a study that would address the said raised grand question. This study is about “The
relationship between family background and academic performance of secondary school student
in Arusha city.”
The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between family background and
academic performance of secondary school students in Arusha city. The study examined the
relationship between; parental marital status, family financial status, parent education level,
The relationship between family background and academic performance of secondary school
1. To assess the relationship between parental marital status and academic performance of
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2. To assess the relationship between family financial situation and academic performance of
3. To examine the relationship between parents’ education level and academic performance of
4. To examine the relationship between family size and academic performance of secondary
1. What are the relationship between parental marital status and academic performance of
2. What are the relationship between family financial situation and academic performance of
3. What are the relationship between parents’ education level and academic performance of
4. What are the relationship between family size and academic performance of secondary school
This study have importance to different individuals who include: To parents; in order to make
them aware of the importance of family background in shaping the academic performance of
their children’s; To the school management in order to enlighten them on the important factors in
the children’s family background so as to be able to deal with or pay more attention to those
factors which may affect adversely the students ‘academic performance; The study will also
benefit other future researchers in the same field with the literature to support their arguments
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and hence improved knowledge. These contain enriched available information on family
background specific factors and how they affect students’ academic performance in secondary
Schools.
This study were carried out in Arusha city, passing through Olasit and Muriet secondary school
found in Arusha city and also the some parent of Sakina ward in Arusha city, it focus on
relationship between family background and academic performance of secondary school students
in Arusha city
Firstly, the study was limited by time and therefore the researcher employed research assistants
to ensure that the expected scope was covered within the given time limit.
Lastly, the researcher was face problem of financial support, since the collection of data will
involve travelling in different school, so the researcher will minimize cost by using cheap
transport.
Academic- The process of teaching and learning in school. It involves reading, studying and
examinations.
Family- A group consisting of blood related people including those adopted to the group.
Family background- refers to circumstances and past events that help to explain how a child
develops.
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Family background relationship- refers to any positive or negative impression or effect that
Family size- it is the total number of children in the child’s family in addition to the child
himself.
Family financial Status – This is the money that a person earns at a given time and place. It can
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CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Introduction
This chapter contains the theme that was used to conduct the study. The themes include
academic performance, family background, parental education level, parent marital status, family
financial status and family size. This chapter contains also theoretical review and the conceptual
framework
Education is an essential need in the society today, and therefore academic performance is
positioned quite high on the national agenda, with educators and policy makers putting effort in
No doubt, that it is important to investigate the different aspects of academic achievement within
a specific family situation. However, the family situations cannot be detached from the general
culture (example, societal values, traditions, attitudes and home environment). Accordingly, one
applied aspects of this study is secondary school students’ performance as influenced by family
structure, functions, values and other psychological dimensions such as parent beliefs. Lumsden
(2004), for example, stated the role of the significant others (parents and home environment) in
students ‘academic performance as a main factor which shapes the initial constellation of
students’ attitudes they develop toward learning. He stressed that “When children are raised in a
home that nurtures a sense of self-worth, competence, autonomy, and self-efficacy, they will be
14
more apt to accept the risks inherent in learning.” (P.2). Fleming and Gottfried (2004) supported
this trend and emphasized that their study “strongly suggest that parental motivational practices
are causal influences on children’s academic intrinsic motivation and school achievement”
encouragement of persistence, effort, mastery of subject area, curiosity and exploration that are
likely to impact on the academic performance of the student (Gottfried et al., 2004).
A number of significant changes have occurred in African families over the past 50years (Tucker
and MitcheU-Kernan, 2005). In 1950, married couples headed 78% of African families. By
1996, this number dropped to only 34% (Amato and Keith, 2001). The divorce rate has also
increased dramatically for African. In 1960, only 78 per 1,000 African women's marriages ended
in divorce. In 1990, this number jumped to 358 per 1,000 (Tucker and Mitchell Kernan, 2005), It
is expected that 75% of African children born to married parents will experience their parents'
divorce before the age of sixteen (Amato and Keith, 2001). Heiss (2006) also found that family
structure had weak effects on academic variables for African adolescents, but parental
Family size in this context refers to the total number of children in the child’s family in addition
to the child himself. The type of family that a child comes from either monogamous or
polygamous family usually has impact on the child academic performance. Moreover, either of
the family type (monogamous or polygamous) family dictates the size of the family. Polygamous
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family is peculiar to Africa in general and in Tanzania in particular. According to Gottfried et al.
(2004), polygamous family is a common among well-educated families as well as among poorly-
educated families.
The influence of the level of education of parents on the academic performance of their children
is evident in all countries. Pamela and Kean (2010) states those that students whose parents have
a tertiary level of education perform, on average, significantly better in tests of science, reading
and mathematical ability than do those whose parents have only basic. Thus, across these three
disciplines, the average grades achieved by students with well- schooling educated parents
ranged from 7% higher than those achieved by students with poorly educated parents in
Family background can be analytically separated into at least three distinct components as raised
by Coleman (2008). These are: financial (physical) capital (family income or wealth), human
capital (parent education), and social capital (relationship among actors). With respect to
between parental financial and human capital and the successful learning experience of their
children. However, he stressed that while both of these factors are important determinants of
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2.2 Theoretical literature review
For the research work to be intellectually sound, it must include a scientifically based theoretical
framework with which a systematic analysis will be carried out. Therefore, the following
theories are adopted for the study: parental attachment theory and Mashow’s motivational
theory.
Parental attachment theory was proposed by Bowlby (1980). The theory states that the child
forms a strong emotional bond with another person (caregiver) during childhood with lifelong
consequences. According to the theorist, sensitive and emotionally available parenting helps the
child to form a secure attachment style which foster a child’s socioemotional development and
wellbeing. Less sensitive and emotionally available parenting or neglect of the child’s needs may
result in insecure forms of attachment style, which is a risk factor for many mental health
problems.
The theory is relevant to this study in view of the fact that the proponent provides clues in
emotional development of children. He also made reasonable suggestions for parents and
guardians. Parents and guardians can now see the necessity of forming secure attachment bond
with their children. Such bonds will enable the children to end up with secure attachment and
secure state of mind later in life. Parents will learn to understand the biological and
psychological needs of the children, and to avoid unrealistic expectations of the child behavior.
In this way, parents may seek to avoid frustration that occurs when they expect things beyond the
child’s capability.
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2.2.2Maslow’s Motivational Theory.
This is another important theory that is relevant to this study. The theory was developed by
Abraham Maslow (1970) and popularized by many researchers including Onyi (2007).
According to Maslow, motivation is constant and never ending, fluctuating and complex. He
asserted that man always has needs to satisfy. These needs, according to him are arranged in a
hierarchical order starting from the basic or lower order needs to higher order needs. The
hierarchy is categorized into two, namely Deficit needs (physiological, safety, belonging and
self-esteem) and growth needs (self-actualization). Maslow explained that once a particular need
The above theory relates to this study because motivation is very important in learning. It is
necessary at home and in school. One of the major problems confronting teachers and parents is
that of motivating learners to perform assigned tasks to meet or even excel predetermined
standards. Motivations energize and sustain behavior, direct and regulate behavior and even
enhance selective behavior. A learner under motivated condition, exhibits purposeful behavior
aimed at achieving the set goals. The students are motivated to learn by their satisfaction of
needs like physiological: Shelter, food, water, rest etc. Safety: materials love and belonging. The
satisfaction of these needs leads to the quest to satisfy higher ones which are self-esteem and
self-actualization needs.
This section reviews some empirical works that have been done on areas related to the study.
Okunniyi (2004) carried out a research on how the family background influence student’s
introductory technology achievement among junior secondary school students in Abeokuta south
local government of Ogun state. The study design was a survey which involved the use of
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questionnaire in gathering data. The researcher uses 500 students as sample for the study. The
data collected were analyzed using frequency table, percentage, mean, standard deviation and t-
test statistics. The researcher found, among other things that social class of parents determines
Although this study was directed towards finding out how family background influences the
students’ academic performance, it is more concerned with how the family background affect the
students’ performance in secondary school. However, it is related to the present study as both are
interested in finding out the influence of family background factors on student academic
outcome.
Also (Kamau 2013) was carry out a research on relationship between family background
and academic performance of secondary school student in a case of Siakago division, mbeere
north district, Kenya. The study design was a survey which involved the use of questionnaire in
gathering data. The researcher uses 100 students as sample for the study and the conclusion was
on the issue of parental educational level is was concluded that the level of education of parents
had an impact on their children’s academic performance. It was also concluded that the
educational level of parent had a consistent direct relationship on the children’s cognitive and
behavioral outcomes. On family financial situation if was concluded that there is a direct
relationship between parental financial and human capital on the successful learning experience
of their children and their academic success and equally low income of parents had some
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2.4 Conceptual framework
A conceptual framework explains the relationship between the independent and dependent
variables. It briefly explains the relationship between family size, family financial status,
parental marital status, parental education level and academic performance of students in
Intervening variable
Dependent variable
Independent variable
status- performance
for secondary
- family financial -psychological
school
status factor
student
- parent education
level
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2.5 Research gap
Most of the researcher explained about component of family background that is parent financial
status, parent marital status, parent education level, and family size on how affect academic
performance of secondary school students but on my part can explain more on impact of
Arusha city
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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
This chapter covers the research approach, research design, the target population and sample
procedure, data collection instruments and methods of data analysis, finally methods used for
data analysis
Research approach the researcher understands the procedure of the study in the process of
investigation. In this study the researcher used qualitative paradigm. The paradigm in this study
referred to the researcher’s suppositions that used to justify any decisions on issues of research
approaches. Consequently, the logic of selecting the qualitative paradigm included: first, it is
because of the nature of the current study. The researcher rationalize that issues of family back
ground can see on economic status, education of parent, parental marital status but on side of
academic performance can measured by quantitatively. This is why the researchers have to
borrow and triangulated the quantitative methods where necessary but not the paradigm of
quantitative parse. The third reason for selecting the qualitative paradigm is the researcher’s
This study was using both qualitative and quantitative research design. Qualitative approaches
were used whereby a case design was used in the selected sample of secondary schools and
family; Descriptions basing on the study were obtained from the respondents within the selected
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institutions and family. The study also uses questionnaires to get descriptions from the
respondents. Quantitative research were used in data presentation like the use of tables and
others way.
The research were carried out in Muriet, Olasit and Sakina wards both of which were found in
Arusha city involving two secondary schools and some family. The reason for selecting only few
institutions and family despite the fact that there are many institutions and family in these wards
is because teachers, students and parent views in these sample institutions and family were
represent other institutions and family found in these wards and district in general on the
relationship between the family background and academic performance of secondary school
The study was carried out in Arusha city council which is one of seven district of Arusha region
in Tanzania, and it contain the regional and economic capital; the city of Arusha. It is bordered to
the south, west and north by Arusha rural district and to the east by Meru district. According to
the 2012 Tanzania national census, the population of Arusha urban district was (416,442) but I
was select (55) student and (36) teachers to represent the whole population of study.
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3.5 Sample and sample size.
3.5.1 Sample
Best and Kahn (2006) argue that a sample is a small proportion of population selected for
observation and analysis from the population, with similar characteristics. In general, Sample is
the selected items, units or elements which the researcher conclusion will be made. In this study
the sample were include, parent from Sakina, student from the Muriet and Olasit secondary
schools.
A sample size is the number of items to be selected from the universe to constitute a sample. The
sample sizes were derived from the total population; in this study the sample size was (91)
respondents from the selected sample institutions and family. The sample size in this
1.parents 36 40%
2.student 55 60%
3.total 91 100%
Sampling is a procedure the researcher uses to gather people, places or things to study. It is a
process of selecting a number of individuals or objects from a population such that the selected
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group contains elements representative characteristics found in the entire group. The study were
3.7.1 Questionnaire
The Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary (2010) defined questionnaire as a written or printed
list of questions to be answered by a number of people especially as part of survey. This method
was used to get information from parent, and students. Close-ended questionnaire which limit the
respondents to answer “YES” or “NO “this method was be employed to students and parents.
According to the observation that were obtained by a researcher concerning on the relationship
between family back ground and academic performance of secondary school student, the
respondents were not appear on the document otherwise he gates a permission from them. The
researcher took the research clearance letter from the Arusha city office, which permitted the
researcher to proceed to the field. During the research process the researcher made sure that,
respondents understood the purpose of the study and ask for their consent. A respondent was not
requiring writing their names anywhere. The need to consider an ethical issue in research project
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CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 Introduction
This chapter provides summary of the data collected. Data was collected by use of questionnaires
for parents and for students. The collected data was analyzed, result were presented for each of
the themes drawn from the objectives and were interpreted and discussed.
From the table above, the questionnaire paper were distributed to two schools which are Muriet
Under this category were 55 respondents who given the questionnaire of the study. The
This section presents the demographic characteristics of the respondents. The characteristic
4.2.2 Gender
The study sought to find out the gender distribution of the respondents. As showed in table 2.
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Table 2 Gender distribution of students
Male 30 55
Female 25 45
Total 55 100
Source: Finding data 2019
The findings showed that (45%) were female while (55%) were male.
The dependent variable of this study was academic performance of secondary school students in
Arusha city. This section presents the finding of improvement of school in national examination
The study asked the respondents to state whether the school had improved in performance from
The improvement of schools in the last two years were analyzed and cross tabulated as shown
below
The findings showed that (73%) said that the performance had improved in the past two years,
while only (27%) show that the school had not improved in the past two years.
27
4.2.5 Trend of performance of child in the past two years
The study is to investigate the trend of performance of the student in national examination in the
only 2% felt that the performance was constant. 20% felt that the students’ performance was
The study focused on parents’ marital status as one of the independent variables of the study.
This section investigated the marital status of parents, the opinion of the respondents on the
The study investigated the marital status of the students’ parents of the respondents. Shown in
table 5
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The findings showed that 85% of the respondents were from married parents’ families while 8%
The study asked the respondents to indicate whether they felt that their family structure had an
Frequency Percentage
Yes 40 73%
No 15 27%
Total 55 100
Source: Finding data 2019
The findings showed that 73% felt that there was an effect while 27% felt that it did not affect
The study asked the student to the following ways in which parent marital status may affect
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Statement Agre % Undeci % Disag % Total
e ded ree
N %
Single parenthood reduces parent support to the 40 73 0 0 15 27 55 100
student hence leads to poor performance in school
Two parenthood increases parent monitoring of 52 94 1 2 2 4 55 100
student performance hence leads to better
performance in school
Single parenthood leads to less academic 45 82 3 5 7 13 55 100
supervision to the child which leads to poor
performance in school
Single parenthood lead to less socialization of the 54 98 0 0 1 2 55 100
child which leads to poor performance in school
Two parenthood increases quantity of parent time 55 100 0 0 0 0 55 100
with children hence better performance in school
Source: Finding data 2019
Table 7 shows responses of students on how the parent marital status my affect the academic
performance of secondary school student, which indicate that (73%) 0f student agree that single
parenthood reduces parent support to the student hence leads to poor performance in school
while (15%) disagree. Also 52 (94%) agree that two parenthood increases parent monitoring of
student performance hence leads to better performance in school but 1(2%) show undecided and
2(4%) disagree. In other part the 45(82%) of student agree that single parenthood leads to less
academic supervision to the child which leads to poor performance in school while the 3(5%)
show undecided and 7(13%) disagree. Also the 54(98%) agree that single parenthood lead to less
socialization of the child which leads to poor performance in school while 1(2%) disagree. lastly
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the 55(100%) agree that two parenthood increases quantity of parent time with children hence
This section presents the findings of the independent variable; family financial status of the
family. The section focuses on the source of parents’ income, effect of financial status of parent
The study sought to find out the main source of income for the families that the students came
monthly salary,(33%) selling farm output and (40%) relied more on small businesses.
The study investigated how the students’ school fees were financed in the various families as
shown in Table 9.
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Table 9. Financing of students school fees
The findings showed that (0%) of the respondents said that the parents financed the fees fully
while (24%) said that some of the fee is financed by sponsors and (76%) said that fee is financed
by sponsors.
The study asked the respondents to indicate whether they felt that their parent financial status
Frequency Percentage %
Yes 51 93
No 4 7
Total 55 100
Source: finding data 2019
The findings showed that 93 % felt that there was an effect while 7% felt that it did not affect the
The study investigated the effect that parents’ education level has on academic performance of
students. This section focused on; the level of mother’s education, the level of father’s education
32
and the opinion of the respondent on the effect of parents’ education level on academic
performance of students.
The study investigated the education level of the mothers among the respondents.
The findings showed that 67% of the respondents said that their mothers had primary level
education while only 11% had tertiary level education and 22% had secondary level of
The study investigated the education level of the fathers among the respondents.
The findings revealed that 58% of the respondents said that their fathers had primary level
education while 13% had tertiary level education and 29% had secondary level of education.
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4.2.17 Effect of parents education level on academic performance
The study sought the opinion of the respondents, as to whether they felt that the education level
Frequency Percentage
Yes 38 69
No 17 31
Total 55 100
Source: Finding data 2019
The findings showed that 69 % felt that there was an effect while 31% felt that it did not affect
The study wanted to find out the effect of the family size on students academic performance,
effect of birth position to academic performance and the opinion of the respondents as to whether
The study investigated the opinion of respondents as to whether the birth position of a student
Frequency Percentage %
Yes 40 73
No 15 27
Total 55 100
Source: Finding data 2019
The findings showed that 73 % felt that there was an effect while 27% felt that it did not affect
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4.2.20 Effect of family size on academic performance
The study wanted to find out from what the respondents, their opinion on whether the size of the
The findings showed that 55% of the respondents said that the family size affected academic
Under this category were 36 respondents who were given the questionnaire of the study. The
4.3.1 AGE
The data presented in the table above shows that most respondent were able to respond
effectively because they have more experience concerning education issues which made them to
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4.3.2 GENDER
The data presented in the table above shows that 42% were male and 58% were female
The dependent variable of this study was academic performance of secondary school students in
Arusha city. This section presents the finding of improvement of school in national examination
The study asked the respondents to state whether the schools where their children schooled for
The improvement of schools in the last two years were analyzed and cross tabulated as shown
below
The findings showed that 72% said that the performance had improved in the last two years,
while only 28% felt that the school had not improved in the past two years.
36
4.3.5 Trend of performance of child in the past two years
The study sought to investigate the trend of performance of the student in the past two years. The
only 17% felt that the performance was constant. 19% felt that the students’ performance was
4.3.6 The influence of parent marital status to the student academic performance in schools
The study asked the parent to give opinion to the statements in relation to students’ performance
at school and the parent marital status. That shown in the following table 19
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Key: %-percentage, N-Total number of respondent
The table 19 shown the response of the parents on the relation to students’ performance at school
and the parent marital status, which indicate that 15(42%) of parent agree that high number of
school dropout are from single parent home while 10(28%) felt neutral and 11(30%) disagree.
Also the 12(33%) agree that high number of students dropout from school are from two parent
home while 16(39%) shown neutral and 10(28%) of parent disagree. In other part the 25(75%)
agree that single parenthood reduces parent support to the student hence leads to poor
performance in school while 16(25) disagree. Lastly the 36(100%) agreed that two parenthood
increases quantity of parent time with children hence better performance in school and no any
schools.
The study asked the parent to give the opinion to the ways in which family financial situation
may influence Students’ academic performance in school. That shown in the following table 20
38
Statement Agre Percent Neutr Percent Disag Percen Total
e age % al age % ree tage %
N %
The table 20 showed the response of parent on how family financial situation may influence
Students’ academic performance in school, which indicated that 32(89%) agree that children
from high income study at better school hence good academic performance while 4(11%)
disagree on it. Also 30(83%) agree that the children from low income family fail to gate the
study material hence poor academic performance while 6(17%) disagree on it. In other part the
21(58%) agree that children from low income families have higher risk of dropping out from
school while 2(6%) shown neutral and 13(36%) disagree. Lastly the 25(70%) agree that Student
from high income level have good environment of study at home hence better academic
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4.3.8 Influence of parent education level to student academic performance in school
The study asked the parent to give the opinion in which parent education level may influence
The table 21shown the response of parent on how parent education level may influence students’
academic performance in school, which indicate that 36(100%) agreed that student from high
educated family gate motivation of study from parent hence better academic performance while
no anyone disagree. Also the 36(100%) agree that high educated parent prepare good learning
environment that lead better academic performance while no anyone respondent felt on the
disagree or neutral. In other part the 30(83%) agree that educated parent have the influence to
40
the selection of subjects in secondary school hence better performance while only 6(17%)
disagree. Lastly the 36(100%) agree that the high educated parent provide learning material to
4.3.9 The influence of family size to the student academic performance in secondary school
The study asked the parent to give the opinion to the influence of family size to the student
academic performance in secondary school, which indicate that 36 (100%) agree that family with
41
small number of children given a more attention about study hence better student academic
performance. Also the 36(100%) agree that the small family size have good study environment
hence better academic performance, other part 36(100%) agree that If family size is small the
parent can afford to provide enough the teaching material study hence better student academic
performance, and 20(56%) agree that if the family size is large may cause the noise everywhere
that affect other in making revision at home hence poor performance at school while 16(44%)
disagree.
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CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Introduction
This chapter outlines the summary of findings and the discussions of the research findings. The
chapter also presents the conclusions of the study based on the findings and recommendations.
The study’s objectives were; to establish relationship between; parental marital status, family
financial status, parents education level and family size and academic performance.
This section outlines the review of the findings of the study. The section centers on the research
objectives which were on the relationship of parental marital status, family financial status,
parents’ education level, family size and academic performance. The study was conducted in
Arusha city. The study involved two secondary schools and parent of Sakina ward with the
sample size of (91) in which (55) were students, (36) parents. The data were collected through
the use of questionnaire. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. Quantitative data
were analyzed by using formulae where by frequencies and percentages were calculated, and
The study was investigating the relationship between parental marital status and the academic
performance of students. The findings showed that majority of students 85% came from married
parents’ families. Also the findings showed that majority of students (73%) agree that parental
marital status affect the academic performance of students. in part of parents the majority of
parent agree that two parenthood increases quantity of parent time with children hence better
performance in school, Single parenthood reduces parent support to the student hence leads to
43
poor performance in school. These findings therefore supports the observation made by Mc
Leod, Kruttschnitt and Donfeld (2004) that children from two parent homes do better than
5.2.2 Relationship between parents’ education level and academic performance of students
The study was to investigate the relationship between parents’ education level and academic
performance of students. The findings showed (69%) of student support that parent education
level can affect the academic performance. Also majority of parents agree that Student from high
educated family gate motivation of study from parent hence better academic performance, high
educated parent prepare good learning environment that lead better academic performance,
educated parent have the influence to the selection of subjects in secondary school hence better
performance, high educated parent provide learning material to their children hence better
academic performance.
These findings support the observation made by (Pamela and Kean 2010) that the relationship
between the levels of education of parents had an impact on their children academic
performance.
5.2.3 Relationship between family financial status and academic performance of students
The study observed that majority of families from which students come from (40%) has a
monthly salary as the main source income and majority of student financed by sponsors and
parent. The findings showed that the majority of student (93%) support that the family financial
status affect academic performance of student. Also the response of parent on the how family
financial situation may influence Students’ academic performance in school, indicated that
32(89%) agree that children from high income study at better school hence good academic
performance while 4(11%) disagree on it. Also 30(83%) agree that the children from low income
44
family fail to gate the study material hence poor academic performance while 6(17%) disagree
on it. In other part the 21(58%) agree that children from low income families have higher risk of
dropping out from school while 2(6%) shown neutral and 13(36%) disagree. Lastly the 25(70%)
agree that Student from high income level have good environment of study at home hence better
These findings support the observation made by Kim (2002) that concluded that with the respect
to children’s educational achievement, there is direct relationship between parental financial and
human capital and the successful learning experience of their children and the academic success.
The study was to investigate the relationship between family size and academic performance of
students. The findings from student show that the (55%) support that the family size have effect
on academic performance of students. In addition, (73%) felt that the birth position of the child
Other response from parent on the influence of family size to the student academic performance
in secondary school, which indicate that 36 (100%) agree that family with small number of
children given a more attention about study hence better student academic performance. Also the
36(100%) agree that the small family size have good study environment hence better academic
performance, other part 36(100%) agree that If family size is small the parent can afford to
provide enough the teaching material study hence better student academic performance, and
20(56%) agree that if the family size is large may cause the noise everywhere that affect other in
making revision at home hence poor performance at school while 16(44%) disagree.
The research findings concluded according to Lacovou (2001) had revealed that children from
large families were families were found to do worse in schools than children from small families
45
5.3 Conclusion
The study found out that a single parenthood had a negative relationship and two parenthood
have positive relationship with academic performance ,also the issue of parental educational
level I was concluded that the level of education of parents had an impact on their children’s
academic performance. It was also concluded that the educational level of parent had a direct
relationship on the children’s growth and behavioral outcomes, while family financial situation I
was concluded that there is a direct relationship between parental financial and human capital on
the successful learning experience of their children and their academic success , lastly On family
size I was concluded that size of the family had relationship with the academic performance of
their children.
5.4 Recommendations
The researcher recommended that for children to attain academic achievement the family
should have stable income from any source, also the researcher recommended that parents
should make sure that to be also academically because have to influence their children’s
academic performance. And family size should also be average size that help parent to afford
study material
The researcher suggested that a related study on the relationship between the school background
and academic performance of the students, in order to complete the circle of academic
performance determinants. Further, this study was conducted among secondary school students;
therefore the researcher suggests a similar study on primary school pupils and tertiary level
46
REFERENCE
Bank, B, Elavings, R, and Biddle, B. (1990). Effect of peer, faculty and parent influence on
Bowlby, J. (1980), Attachment and loss: Vol III New York. Basic books. http: //www. Child
Goodwin, W. L., & Goodwin, L. (1995). Understanding Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Gottfried, E. A.; Fleming, S. J.; Gottfried, W. A. (1994). Role of Parental Motivational Practices
James McIntosh (2008). Family background, parental involvement and academic achievement.
Julio, A. G.; Jose. Carlos, N.; Soledad, G. P.; Luis, A.; Cristina, R.; Marta, G. (2002). A
Kim, E. (2002). The Relationship between Parental Involvement and Children’s Educational
47
Kritem, A. A. R.; AbouRakba; Al-Aissawi, I. F. (1981). Saudi family: Role and changes and
their impact on decision making. King Abdul Aziz University, College of Economics,
Research Center.
Lisa Barrow and Cecilis Rouse (2006). How family background affects educational attainment.
Management Eugene.
Omoraka, S. (2001). The Effect of Gender, Socioeconomic Status and school location. Retrieved
Pintrich, P., Donald, B., & Weinstein C. (1994). Student Motivation, Cognition, and
Ryan, M. R. & Deci, L. E. (2003). Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic
Motivation, Social Development and Well-Being 7th Ed., McGraw- Hill &
World Bank (1990). World Development Report on Poverty Report. How Poverty Looks Years
Zulauf C. R & Gortner A. K. (1999). Use of Time and Academic Performance of College
Students:
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APPENDICES
Tanzania(Arusha center), I am at your school for the purpose of conducting a research which title
state that the relationship between family background and student performance in secondary
school particularly Arusha city. The findings of this research will be important in various ways
because will be useful in improving the research projects and will provide information that might
be used by other researchers who will be dealing with the related problems
Yes [ ] No [ ]
Yes [ ] No [ ]
3. How has your school performance trend in national examination in the last 2 years?
49
1. What is the marital status of your parent (students’ parents)?
2. Do you think family structure (whether single parent or two parent family) affects the
Yes [ ] No [ ]
3. Give the opinion to the following ways in which parent marital status may affect students’
Statement 1 2 3
Single parenthood reduces parent support to the student
whence leads to better performance in school
Two parenthood increases parent monitoring of student
performance hence leads to better performance in school
Single parenthood leads to less academic supervision to the
child which leads to better performance in school
Single parenthood lead to less socialization of the child
which leads to better performance in school
Two parenthood increases quantity of parent time with
children hence better performance in school
Other [ ]
Parents finance full fee of children [ ] some of the fee is financed by sponsors/government [ ]
50
All the fee is financed by sponsors/government [ ]
3. Do you think your parent’s financial status affect your academic performance?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………….
3. Give opinion to the following criteria which motivate students’ choice of the subjects.
Statement 1 2 3
Based on my parents career
Based on my capability
Based on my teachers
Based on my area of their interest
4. What are the other criteria which motivate students’ choice of the subjects?
I. …………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………
51
II. …………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………….
5. Do you think that the parent education level can affect the student academic performance in
school?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. FAMILY SIZE
Yes [ ] No [ ]
2. In your own opinion do you think that your birth position affects your Performance in school?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
3. Do you think that family size affect the children motivation to study hence better academic
results?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
4. If yes, please state how family size affects motivation to your study
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Appendix two: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARENTS
Male [ ] Female [ ]
SECTION B:
Yes [ ] No [ ]
Yes [ ] No [ ]
c) How has your child’s academic performance trend in the last 2 years?
2. Please read each of the following statements very carefully and tick the answer which best
AG – Agree
N-neutral
DA-Disagree
53
Statement agree neutral disagree
High number of school dropout are from single parent home
High number of school dropout are from two parent home
Single parenthood reduces parent support to the student
hence leads to better performance in school
Two parenthood increases quantity of parent time with
children hence better performance in school
II. Give the opinion to the following ways in which family financial situation may affects
a. …………………………………………………………………….
b. ………………………………………………………………………..
c. ……………………………………………………………………………..
54
III. Give the opinion to the following ways in which parent education level may affects
Mention other influence of parent education level to the student academic performance in
a. ………………………………………………………………………………………
b. ……………………………………………………………………………………
c. ……………………………………………………………………………………
55
IV. Give the opinion to the influence of family size to the student academic performance in
secondary school
Mention other influence of family size to the student academic performance in the
secondary school
a. ………………………………………………………………………
b. ………………………………………………………………………..
c. ……………………………………………………………………….
56
57