AN EVALUATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTS’ SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study Education, as defined by the United Nations, is a systematic process of transmitting knowledge, skills, training, and moral values to individuals with the objective of enhancing their intellectual, emotional, and social development. When effectively delivered, education improves an individual’s capacity to seize future opportunities, equips them with necessary competencies, and fosters responsible citizenship. Beyond merely transferring information, education cultivates values, sharpens instincts, and encourages the formation of constructive habits and attitudes that support lifelong growth and development. Parents, as the primary agents of socialization, bear the initial responsibility for educating their children. This responsibility often begins with informal education at home and is complemented by the formal education children receive in schools. It is the duty of parents to ensure that their children attend school and are making satisfactory academic progress. Considering the crucial role education plays in national development, concerns about the quality of education provided to children have gained prominence. The National Policy on Education (1998) emphasizes the importance of quality education as a foundation for building a strong, progressive, and united nation. However, achieving this vision requires the consideration of various factors, including the family background and home environment of the child. In many rural and semi-urban areas, parents struggle to pay school fees due to financial hardship. Consequently, children are often compelled to engage in petty trading, subsistence farming, house chores, and other menial activities to support their education or contribute to the household income. Furthermore, a student’s health condition—often linked to parental socio-economic status—can greatly influence academic outcomes. Adewole (2005) observed that in rural areas where poor nutrition and frequent health issues prevail, children's academic performance tends to be adversely affected. Conversely, competent parenting combined with a stable financial base often contributes to higher academic achievement. Environmental factors also play a significant role in students’ academic performance. Learning environments plagued by distractions such as excessive noise, air pollution from smoke or exhaust fumes, and other disturbances can have detrimental effects on students' concentration and cognitive function. For example, schools located near markets or motor parks are often exposed to persistent noise and pollution, which pose health and psychological challenges that impair students' learning outcomes. Socio-economic status (SES), commonly assessed through indicators such as education level, income, and occupation, reflects an individual's or group’s relative position in society. SES is not only a measure of economic standing but also captures social prestige and access to resources. Low socio-economic status, often accompanied by limited educational attainment, poverty, and poor health, affects not only individuals and families but also the broader society. Research consistently shows that children from low SES backgrounds tend to develop academic skills more slowly compared to their peers from higher SES families. 1.2 Statement of the Problem Over the past decade, the influence of parental socio-economic background on students’ academic achievement has become a key issue within Nigeria's educational discourse, particularly in public schools. Various sociological perspectives have emphasized the importance of distinguishing between the effects of family background and children's academic outcomes. Scholars such as Coleman (1975) and Medill (1963) have argued that both the financial standing and educational level of parents significantly influence their children's academic performance. This is based on the belief that educated parents tend to place greater value on education and actively support their children's learning. In contrast, a child’s upbringing in a disadvantaged household may hinder their academic progress. Alken and Barbarin (2014) observed that schools in low socio-economic neighborhoods are often underfunded and poorly resourced, which negatively impacts students’ learning experiences. Children from such backgrounds may not receive adequate academic support at home due to their parents' limited time, financial capacity, or educational attainment. These students frequently lack access to early childhood education, structured learning environments, and essential learning materials both at home and at school. As a result, they may develop a weak academic foundation that affects their interest and performance in various subjects as they progress through the education system. This foundational deficiency becomes more evident during adolescence when students face senior secondary school examinations, often resulting in poor academic performance. In contrast, children from middle- and upper-class families typically have greater access to quality educational resources, conducive learning environments, and parental support, which collectively contribute to better academic outcomes. Consequently, students from less privileged backgrounds are often unable to meet the academic standards expected at their level, which has long-term implications for national human capital development and technical advancement. It is against this backdrop that the researcher was motivated to examine the extent to which parents' socio-economic background influences the academic achievement of their children in secondary schools. 1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The broad objective of this study is to evaluate the Influence of Parents’ Socio-Economic Background on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students. Explicitly the study’s specific objectives are: i.     Establish the influence of marital status of parents on academic achievement of senior secondary school students of Bwari area council. ii.    Determine the influence of parental level of education on academic achievement of senior secondary school students in Bwari area council. iii. Establish the influence of income of parents on academic achievement of senior secondary school students in Bwari area council iv.   Determine the influence of occupation type of parents on academic achievement of senior secondary school students in Bwari area council 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS The research is guided by the following question: i.  Does marital status of parents have a significant influence on  senior secondary school students academic achievement Bwari area council? ii.   Does parental level of education have any significant influence  senior secondary school students  academic achievement  in Bwari area council? iii.  Will Parent level of income have a significant impact on  senior secondary school students academic achievement  in Bwari area council? iv.  Does occupation type of parents have any influence on  senior secondary school student academic achievement of Bwari area council? 1.5 Research hypotheses H0: parent’s socio-economic background  does not have an impact  on academic achievement of secondary schools student  in Bwari Area council Ha: parent’s socio-economic background  have an impact  on academic achievement of secondary schools student  in Bwari Area council 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The development of a student into a sound and effective citizen depends on the academic achievement and level of educational attainment. Hence, the researcher is of the opinion that the findings of study will provide useful facts which will go a long way to improve academic performances and achievements of student in secondary school in Bwari Area Council. it is envisaged that the findings of this study may expose some factors that might be responsible for poor performance of students’ in school with emphasis to parent socio-ecoomic status. Hence the result have would be helpful for counselling parent to pay more attention to their ward educational needs and provide them with facilities and support necessary for their academic attainment. The study  will create relevant awareness for the improvement of education to meet global trend and alert both parents and government of the need to provide adequate psychical and material encouragement for students to attain good educational achievement in senior secondary schools. The identified areas where government at different levels could come in to bridge the gap of educational attainment of children from low and high income earned background in the society.      Finally the study will contribute to body of existing literature on parent socio-economic status and thus serve as a reference material to both scholars and student who wishes to conduct further research in related fiend. 1.7     SCOPE AND DELIMITATION The scope of this study borders on the Influence of Parents’ Socio-Economic Background on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Students. The study will further examine if factors such as marital status of parent, level of income, occupation type of parent and their level of education will have any significant influence on student academic achievement. The study is however delimited to Bwari Area Council in FCT Abuja. 1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing that it is a new discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size covering only senior secondary schools in Bwari Area Council in FCT Abuja. Thus findings of this study cannot be used generalization in other senior secondary schools in other states within Nigeria. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work will impede maximum devotion to the research. Howbeit, despite the constraint  encountered during the  research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful. 1.9     DEFINITION OF TERMS           In order to avoid misinterpretation of terms, the following terms used in this study and their definitions are given in accordance in this study as follows: Socio-economic Status:  The socio-economic status of an individual in a family within any given society is determined by the level of education, income, occupational background and other criteria of social class. Academic Achievement/Performance:  This refers to how much an individual has achieved or attain after a course of instructional training in a school settings. Polygamous Family:  This is a custom in which a man is married to more than one wife at a time. Monogamous Family:  This is the practice of a man being married to a wife at a time. Broken Home:  This is a situation whereby the parents of the homes are apart or divorced, that is the parents of a child are not living together (in most cases, the children lack care, security and training). Unbroken Home:  Here the co-operation exists between the father, mother and children, because they are together and not divorced.  In this practice the children enjoy care, security, training, etc.  So the child is well catered for.