The Influence of Reciprocal interactions in the Family on Academic Performance among Secondary School Students in Kenya

Authors

  • Rael Achieng Ogwari
  • Dr. Catherine Simiyu
  • Professor Jonah Nyaga Kindiki

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v3i7.506

Keywords:

Reciprocal interactions, Family, Academic performance

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the influence of reciprocal interactions in the family on academic performance among secondary school students in Siaya District. Stratified and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the study participants. The sample comprised of a total of 243 students (154 boys and 89 girls) drawn from 27 public coeducational schools in the district.  Data was collected using student questionnaires. The researchers’ judgment of the representativeness of the items in the questionnaire to the study topic was used to determine content validity of the instrument while Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to ascertain validity and reliability of the instrument. Linear regression analysis and one way Analysis of Variance were used to analyze data. The results revealed significant relationship between reciprocal interactions in the family and academic performance of students. There was positive correlation between parental expectation, autonomy granting, cross-sex behaviour and students’ academic performance. Siblings’ sex dyads and birth order were also found to correlate with students’ academic performance. The findings may be used by policy makers to sensitize parents and students on the significance of specific interactions in the family on academic performance.

References

Adrianes, P. (2013). The Efffect of Parental Involvement on Academic Achievement. Retrieved

April, 2014 from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au?informed/features.

Ames, C. & Archer, J. (1987). Mothers beliefs about the role of ability and effort in school

learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 71, 409-414.

Barnard, W. M. (2004). Parent Involvement in Elementary School and Educational Attainment.

Child and Youth Services Review, 26, 39-62.

Bigner, J. J. (2006). Parent-Child Relations: An Introduction to Parenting (7thed.). Upper

Saddle River. Prentice-Hall.

Brody, G. (2004). Siblings Direct and Indirect Contributions to Child Development, Current

Directions in Psychological Science, 13, 124-126.

Brooks-Gunn, J. B. (1986). The Relationship of Maternal Beliefs about Sex-typing and

Children’s Behaviour. Sex Roles,14, 234-248.

Buchman, C. (2000). Family Structure Parental Perceptions and Child Labour in Kenya. What

Factors Determine Who is enrolled in School? Social Forces, 78, 4, 1349-1378.

Carpenter, D. M. (2008). Expectations, Aspirations, and Achievement among Latino Students of

Immigrant Families. Marriage and Family Review, 43, 164-185.

Chepchieng, M. C., & Kibos, J. E. (2004). Influence of Family Socio-Econo0mic Status and

Gender on Students’ Academic Performance: A Study of Baringo District Secondary

Schools. Journal of Education and Human Resource, 2, 2,50-61.

Coleman, B., & McNeese, M. N. (2009). From home to school: The Relationship among

Parental Involvement, Student Motivation: Sudent Motivation and Academic.

Achievement. The International Journal of Learning, 16,7, 459-470.

Chung, G. H., Flook, L., Fulgini, A. J. (2009). Daily Family Conflict and Emotional distress

among Adolescents from Latin America, Asian and European backgrounds.

Developmental Psychology, 45, 5, 1406-1415.

Coleman, J. S. (1997). Family, School, and Social Capital.In I.J Saha (Ed.). International

Encyclopedia of Sociology of Education. Oxford: Pergamon.

Crosnoe, R. (2001). Academic Orientation and Parental Involvement in Education during high

School. Sociology of Education, 74,2010-230.

Crowe, M. (2011).Parent-Child Conflicts and their Damaging Effects on Children. Retrieved

August 23, 2013 from http:// www.livestrong.com/article/573540-parental-conflicts

Davis-Kean, P. D. (2005). The Influence of Parent Education and Family income on Child

Achievement: The Indirect role of Parental Expectations and the Home Environment.

Journal of Family Psychology,19, 21, 294-304.

Domina, T. (2005).Levelling the home advantage: Assessing the Effectiveness of Parental

Involvement in Elementary School. Sociology of Education, 78, 233-249.

Downey, D. B. (2001). Number of Siblings and Intellectual Development: Resource Dilution

Explanation. American Psychologists, 56, 497-504.

Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental Involvement and Students’ Academic Achievement: A

Meta-analysis. Educational Psychological Review, 13,1, 1-22.

Feinberg, M. & Hetherington, E. M. (2000). Social Referencing and the Social Construction of

Reality on Infancy. New York. Plenum.

Flook, L. &Fulgini, A. J. (2008).Family and School Spillover in Adolescents Lives. Child

Development, 79, 3, 776-787.

Fulton, E., & Turner, L. A. (2008). Students’ Academic Motivation: Relations and Parental

Warmth, Autonomy Granting, NAD Supervision. Educational Psychology, 28, 5, 521-

Goldenberg, C., Gallimore, R., Reese,L., &Garnier, H. (2001). Cause or Effect? A Longitudinal

study of immigrant Latino parents’ aspirations and expectations and their children’s

school performance. An American Educational Research Association Journal, 38, 547-

Ghazarian, S. R. & Buehler, C. (2010).Interparental Conflict and Academic Achievement: An

investigation of Mediating Factors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 1, 23-35.

Ginsburg, G. S., & Bronstein, P. (1993). Family Factors related to Children’s Intrinsic/Extrinsic

Motivational Orientation and Academic Performance. Child Development, 64, 1461-

George, D., & Mallery, P. (2003).SPSS for Windows Step by Step: A Simple Guide and

Reference (14thed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Guerin, J., Afifi, L. F., Burden, S. L., Kautto, J. (1996). Pattterns of Interaction in Family

Relationships and the Development of Identity Exploration in Adolescence. Child

Development, 56, 415-428.

Hill, N.E., & Craft, S. A. (2003). Parent-School Involvement and School Performance Mediated

Pathway among Socioeconomically Comparable African American and European

American Families. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 74-83.

Holloway, S. D., & Hess, R. D. (1985). Mothers and teachers attributions about children’s

mathematics performance. In I.E Sigel (Ed.), Parental Belief Systems: The

Psychological Consequences for children, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Jacobs.,& Bleeker, M.M. (2004). Achievement in Math and Science. Do Mothers Beliefs

Matter 12 years Later? Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 97-109.

Hong, s., & Ho, H. Z. (2005). Direct and Indirect Longitudinal effects of parental involvement

on student achievement: second order latent growth modeling across ethnic groups.

Education Psychology, 97, 1, 32-42.

Jeynes, W.H. (2007). The Relationship between Parental Involvement and Urban Secondary

School Students’ Academic Achievement: A Meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42, 1, 82-

Kim, S., Hwang, Y., & Shin, S. (2009). Effects of Social Capital on academic achievement:

Focusing on interaction between Social capital and social class. Paper presented at the

annual meeting of 53rd Annual Conference of the Comparative and International

Education Society, Charleston, SC.

Kreppner, K., & Lerner, R. (Eds.).(1989). Family Systems and Lifespan Development. London:

Lawrence Erlbaum.

Kim, J. Y., McHale, S. M., Crouter, A. C., & Osgood. D.W. (2007). Longitudinal Linkages

Between Sibling Relationships and Adjustment from Childhood through Adolescence.

Developmental Psychology, 43, 960-973.

Laursen, B., Coy, K.C., & Collins, W. A. (1998). Reconsidering Changes in parent-child

Conflict across Adolescence: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 69, 817-832.

Lee, J. S., & Bowen, N. K. (2006). Parental involvement, cultural capital, and the achievement

gap among elementary school children. American Educational Research Journal, 43, 193-

Margarin, N. (2009). Relationship Between Birth Order, Assertiveness and Academic

Performance. Retrieved September July, 2012 from http://darhiu.ffzg.hr/1586

Marjoribanks, K. (1997). Ordinal Position, Family Environment, and Status among Australian

Young Adults. Journal of Social Psychology, 137, 398-399.

McHale, S. M., Updegraff, K.A., Helms-Erickson.H.J., &Crouter, A.C. (2001). Sibling

Influences on Gender Development in Middle Childhood and Early Adolesence:

A Longitudinal Study. Developmental Psychology, 37, 115-125.

Moore, K. A., Whitney, C.R., & Kinukawa, A. (2009).How Family strengths are related to

Adolescents’ outcomes.Washington D.C: Child Trends Group.

Muller, C. (1998). Genderdifferences in Parental involvement and Adolscents’ Mathematics

achievement. Sociology of Education, 71, 336-356.

Nyatuke, B. O., & Nasongo, J.W. (2010). Effect on Sociolization with Regard to Students’

Gender Roles on Students’ Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools in Kisii

Central District, Kenya. Current Research Journal of Social Sciences, 2, 6, 327-333.

Ogwari, R. A. (2008). Students’ Perception of the Influence of Parenting Styles on Girls’ Self-

Concept and Academic Performance: A Case of Secondary Schools in Mount Elgon

District.Unpublished M.Phil.Thesis, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.

Park, H. (2008). The Varied Educational effects of Parent-child Communication: A

comparative study of fourteen countries. Comparative Education Review, 52, 2,219-243.

Patall, E. A., Cooper, H., Robinson, J. C. (2008). Parental involvement in homework: A

research Synthesis Review of Education Research, 78,4,1039-1101.

Turley, R.N.L., & Desmond, M. (2010).Unanticipated Educational Consequences of a Positive

Parent-Child Relationship. retrieved August 27, 2012 from

http://www.uncg.edu/hdf/facultystaff

Singh, K., Bickley, P. G., Trivette, P.S., Keith, T. Z., Keth, P. B., & Anderson, E. S. (1995).

The Effects of Four Components of Parental Involvement: Structural Analysis of NELS-

DATA, School Psychology Review, 24,299-317.

Tshui S. H & Cai, L. T. (2011). A study of birth order, academic performance and personality.

International Conference on Social Science and Humanity, IPEDR vol.5, Singapore.

UNICEF (1993). Child’s Rights: The Progress of Nations. Children Pay High Prices for Cheap

Labour. Retrieved May 23, 2012 from http://www.unicef.org. IACSIT Press.

Xia, L., Bechara., A., Palmer, P. H., Trinidad, D. R., Wei, Y., & Johnson, C. A. (2011). Parent-

child Engagement in Decision Making and the Development of Adolescent Affective

Capacity and Binge Drinking. Los Angeles: Elsevier.

Yamamoto, Y., & Holloway, S. D. (2010). Parental expectations and Children’s Academic

Performance in Sociocultural context. Educational Psychology Review, 22, 3,189-214.

Downloads

Published

2014-08-03

Issue

Section

Article

Similar Articles

1-10 of 164

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.