Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The overall importance of education in general and science education in

particular to mankind cannot be over-emphasized. No nation can afford to neglect

science education at any level of education and hope to thrive in any field of human

endeavour. Science education is imperative for useful living in any society. It is at the

centre for producing resources necessary for socioeconomic, scientific and technological

development needed for advancement of any nation.

The above notwithstanding, much has been said about secondary school

student’s poor performance in science generally and biology in particular. Over the

years, performance in biology has been dwindling. For instance, Okoye and Okeke

(2007) in their study found that in 2002, 2003 and 2004 the percentages of candidates

who passed West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) at credit level and

above (grades 1-6) in biology were 30.3%, 42.1% and 30.2% respectively. Similarly,

Egbunonu and Ugbaja reported that only 30.29% of the biology students who sat for

the WASCE between 2000 and 2005 passed at credit level above (A1-C6). In 2008,

WAEC Chief Examiners reported a decline in performance in biology especially the

theoretical aspect (WAEC, 2008). Again, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on

March 17th, 2010 reported that National Examination Council (NECO) recorded 74%

failure in biology in their Nov/Dec. 2009 SSCE examination result. Statistics from

1
May/June 2007- 2012 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination by WAEC shown in

Table 1 tells the same story.

The implication of this persistent poor performance of students in biology is that

a great percentage of them fail to get grades that will take them to higher institution for

higher studies. This has been a source of concern to well meaning Nigerians, parents,

researchers and science educators. Thus, Vol. 7 (3) Serial No. 30, July 2013 Pp.156-167

Copyright© IAARR 2013: www.afrrevjo.net 158 Indexed African Journals Online:

www.ajol.info researchers in science education in Nigeria have continued to seek for

ways of improving the situation and maximize meaningful learning of biology by the

students.

Biology is described as a science of life and plays a very vital role in the life of

every human being. It is very vast with many divisions including zoology, botany,

ecology, genetics, morphology, anatomy, physiology, histology, microbiology,

biochemistry, evolution and the more advanced cell biology, molecular biology, among

others. Apart from the inter-relatedness that exists among these branches, biology is

closely related with other science subjects like agricultural science, chemistry,

geography, mathematics and physics. Little wonder then that biology finds application

in many specialized areas like medicine, pharmacy, food production and processing

industries, biotechnology, genetic engineering, agriculture and horticulture,

environmental protection, tourism industry (biological gardens) and so on.

2
 Considering biology’s many branches and vast applications in every field of

human endeavour as enunciated above, its importance in a nation’s economic

development cannot be over-emphasized. It therefore becomes very necessary that

efforts are geared towards finding a lasting solution to students’ poor performance in

the subject. To this end, several factors have been identified by researchers as being

responsible for the persistent poor performance recorded in biology especially at Senior

Secondary Certificate Examinations. Some of these include lack of teachers, lack of

educational facilities like laboratories, overloaded syllabuses, laziness, poor attitude and

lack of interest on the part of the students, poor teaching methods by teachers, large

class size/ high teacher: student ratio and family/home background of the students.

Despite the fact that many educationists believe that family background has influence

on children’s performance in school, considering the fact that education starts from the

home, not much empirical studies have been carried out in recent times to support this

assertion especially in Anambra state (most of the available studies are old). Besides,

much of the data available on this topic are theories and opinions of individuals. It is

also not certain that such study has been carried out in biology as these researchers

could not lay their hands on any. Hence, there is need to carry out this study to obtain

an authentic and current information on how family background influences students’

performance in Biology.

The family has the potential to influence a child’s academic achievement. This is

because it is the first environment of the child. The initial experience Influence of

Family Background on Academic Achievement of Biology Students Copyright © IAARR

3
2013: www.afrrevjo.net 159 Indexed African Journals Online: www.ajol.info that would

mould the child’s values, aspirations, emotions, interest and attitudes are offered by the

parents/family (Okeke, 2009). What the child learns at home and how his family

motivates him towards education contributes to the child’s success in school (Essien,

2002). Similarly, Obasi (1999) observed that mere making sure that the children are

prepared for school in the morning is important for the children’s successful

achievement at school.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between family support

and academic performance of grade 11 students of John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime

University - Molo. The study examined the relationship between; family size and the

age of the learners, and the academic performance of grade 11 students of John B.

Lacson Foundation Maritime University - Molo.

More specifically, it seeks to answer these following questions:

1. What is the effect of family structure on the academic performance of Grade 11

students of JBLFMU - Molo;

2. What is the effect of family size on the academic performance of Grade 11 students

of JBLFMU - Molo;

3. What is the impact of family support on the grades in first semester on the academic

performance of Grade 11 students of JBLFMU – Molo;

4
4. What is the impact of pressure on the academic performance of Grade 11 students of

JBLFMU – Molo?

Theoretical Framework

 Structural Functionalism

Functionalist theories in sociology explain social institutions like the family

primarily in terms of the functions they perform (Jary and Jary 1991). Functionalism

begins with the observation that behaviour in society is structured, and that

relationships between individuals are organised in terms of rules and are therefore

patterned and recurrent. Functionalists then examine the relationship between the

different parts of the structure and their relationship to society as a whole. At its

simplest, functionalism focuses on effects such as the effect of the family on other parts

of the social structure and on society as a whole. Generally, however, a functionalist

analysis includes an examination of the contribution an institution makes to the

maintenance and survival of the social system. For example, in simplistic terms, a major

function of the family is the socialisation of new members of society.

 Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic interactionism, associated with the theories of Mead, Goffman and

Becker, focuses on the small-scale phenomena that constitute everyday interactions in

an attempt to understand how individuals experience and understand their social

worlds, and how different people come to share a common definition of reality (Berger

and Luckmann 1967).

5
 Symbolic interactionism is based on the premise that it is only through the social

behaviour of individuals that society can come into being at all, and as such, society is

ultimately created, maintained, and changed by the social interaction of its members.

Because human beings communicate with one another by means of symbols,

interactions are based on the meanings that individuals impart to these symbols

(Blumer 1969). Symbolic interactionism emphasises the ability of individuals to actively

or constructively interpret symbols in their actions. In contrast, functionalism suggests

that social structures determine actions.

 Conflict theories

Conflict theories encompass the work of Marx and Engels as well as Weber,

Habermas, Foucault, and Domhoff. Conflict theories focus on social conflict and

inequality, and as such, can be thought to include feminism. Feminism focuses on

gender inequality as one form of social inequality.

Generally speaking, the Marxist perspective argues that the structure of society

and the nature of social relationships are the result of past and ongoing conflicts

between those who own or owned the means of producing wealth and those who did

not. Marxist theories of the family focus on how the capitalist system, which maintains

an exploitative relationship between capitalists and workers, shapes other social

institutions such as the family, which in turn help consolidate the capitalist system. As

such, Marxist theories of the family centre on the association between property

relations and family structures, with the family being seen first and foremost as an

institution that reproduces class. The family is also seen as the safety valve in which

6
men exercise their frustration at their position in society in a manner that does not

challenge the overall system of capitalism.

Conceptual Framework

Family Support/Family Background Student's Academic Performance

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Statement of the Problem

Poor academic performance of students has been of great concern to

educationists, guidance and counselors (McCelland, 2000). Despite all guidance

programmes and counseling strategies mounted in schools to improve the students’

academic performances, poor performances are still recorded yearly in John B. Lacson

Foundation Maritime University - Molo and it has become necessary to find out the

cause of such poor performance.

Government, parents, teachers and students blame one another for students’

poor performance in schools. Parents blame teachers for lack of dedication to duties.

The teachers blame government for poor salaries hence they are poorly motivated,

parents also accuse government for not equipping the schools with learning materials,

government blame parents for not doing good home work and the students are blamed

for lack of discipline and dedication to their studies.

7
 Considering the above issues, the outstanding and relevant questions are:

1. What is the impact of family support on the academic achievement of grade 11

students of JBLFMU – Molo?

2. What is the effect of family structure on the academic achievement of grade 11

students of JBLFMU – Molo?

3. What is the effect of family size on the academic achievement of grade 11

students of JBLFMU – Molo?

4. What is the effect of pressure on the academic achievement of grade 11

students of JBLFMU – Molo?

Assumption

The researcher assumed that all the identified respondents would be cooperative

in answering the questions posed and they will answer questions correctly and

truthfully.

Significance of the Study

This study is of 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; 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 and hence improved

8
knowledge. These will have enriched available information on family background

specific factors and how they affect students’ academic performance in secondary

schools.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study was limited to students’ academic performance in John B. Lacson

Foundation Maritime University - Molo. Only the Grade 11 students will be our

respondents and will be given questionnaires for them to answer and to gather the data

needed for our study.

The study was conducted on February to March 2018.

Definition of Terms

Family - A group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit.

In this study, the support of the family is one of the research independent variable.

Academics - Relating to an educational or scholarly institution or environment. In this

study, the academics of the students is the research dependent variable.

Support - Give assistance to, especially financially. In this study, the researchers will

find out the effect of the support of the family on the academic performance of the

students.

Performance - The action or process of performing a task or function. In this study,

the performance of the students in school will say if family support influences it.

9
Relationship - the state of being related or interrelated. In this study, the

researchers will find out if family background relationship influences the academic

performance of the students.

Family background - refers to circumstances and past events that help to explain

how a child develops. In this study, the researchers will find out if family background

influences the academic performance of the students.

Family Size - represent the total number of individuals comprising a family unit. In this

study, the family size is included on the questionnaire.

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 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Parental Support and Academic Achievement

Fan (2001) demonstrated that parents' educational aspiration for their children

proved to be strongly related to students' academic growth. Research studies have

found that parental educational level has a significant impact on child’s learning, (Khan

& Malik, 1999). Similarly, Schneider and Lee (1990) linked the academic success of the

East Asian students to the values and aspirations they share with their parents, and

also to the home learning activities in which their parents involve with them. In fact, all

parents have desired to do something better for their children according to their

available resources. But the extent and effectiveness of parental support depends on a

variety of reasons, such as, ethnicity, family income, and home environment and their

awareness about the importance of education.

Research studies indicated that socio economic status is correlated strongly with

parents' educational ambition for their children. Khan, Khan and Zubairi (1999) stated

that “interacting with and sharing the child’s activities is affected by level of parents’

education and income” (p.92). Some poor parents make some arrangements for helping

their children in studies and to do their home assignments, while others rely on school

for the education of their children, as they do not have enough resources to spend

extra money on home tuitions etc. These results to poor performance in academic

achievement of their children.

11
 The findings of the study conducted by Okpala, Okpala, and Smith (2001) also

support the view that economic circumstances are significantly correlated with academic

achievement. Research studies indicated that the nature of the parental support change

at different age levels of children. Gonzalez-Pienda et al. (2002) have found that

parental support is likely to decrease as children move from primary to middle and then

to high school grades. Similarly, a research study by Fan, (2001) showed that children

also develop sense of responsibility and perform better as they grow older.

The children also seek emotional support from parents when they face some

academic problems at school. Educated and sensible parents always encourage their

children and give proper guidance in school related matters, but illiterate and

economically deprived parents may act violently and thus upset their child more. A

study by Repetti, (1996) indicated that “children described themselves as more

demanding and difficult with their parents on days in which they had earlier perceived

more problems with peers, such as being teased by another child or feeling excluded by

friends, or more academic problems, such as receiving a poor grade or having difficulty

with schoolwork”.

Parental Support and Self Concept

The “self” is considered as a fundamental concept from the very beginning in

personality theories of psychology. It is used generally in two different ways, I and Me.

William James (1890 as cited in Funder, 2007), has explained a significant division

between these two aspects. The self ‘I” as an agent, conducts basic functions, as self

12
regulation, self evaluation etc. “me” as an object, represented in self concepts, in how

we see over selves. During the course of development, “the child attains gradually

richer concept of himself or herself as an active agent, “I” separate from other people

andobjects, and “me” that has defining features and qualities reflected in multiple

selfconcepts” (Mischel, Shoda, & Smith, 2004, p.293). Thus, the self-concept is said to

be a set of planned self-attitudes that are relatively established and "characteristic" of

an individual (Demo, 1992, p.303).

Research studies have indicated that parental support factors have significant

contribution in the development of positive self regard that is statistically related to

academic achievement of the students (Franco and Levitt, 1998; Mahaffy, 2004;

Gonzalez-Pienda et al., 2002). Similarly, McMartin, (1995) indicated that failure in

school plays a significant role in formation of child’s negative self-image.

Generally, parents are not directly involved in the teaching-learning activities in

school. They are only expected to provide the financial and other material support for

the children’s schooling. The interactions among parents and their children are

influenced by the socioeconomic and cultural factors of that particular society in which

they survive. For instance, the way a family manages the learning activities of its

children at home is dependent upon parents’ socioeconomic position and their

resources in term of money and time.

Parental support is a multidimensional construct, (Fan 2001). Research studies

have presented some theoretical frameworks for parental support, (Gonzalez-Pienda et

13
al. (2002); Fan, 2001). Researchers have reported that some dimensions of parental

support may have more visible effects on students' academic achievement than others.

Gonzalez-Pienda et al. (2002) stated that parental support criteria were developed

according to six dimensions that are strongly associated to students' behavior at school

and the attitude towards learning.

“The six dimensions are (a) parents' expectations about their children's

achievement, (b) parents' expectations about their children's capacity to achieve

important goals, (c) parents' behaviors that reveal interest in their children's school

work, (d) parents' degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their children's level of

school achievement, (e) parents' level and type of help provided when their children do

homework, and (f) parents' reinforcement behaviors of their children's achievements.

Research studies have pointed out that some dimensions of parental involvement may

have more noticeable effects on students' academic achievement than others”.

Out of six dimensions that are discussed above, this study focuses on 5th one

that is “parents’ level and type of help provided when their children do the homework”.

Homework can be defined as “tasks that are assigned to students by teachers and are

meant to be performed during nonschool hours” (Cooper, 1989a as cited in Eilam,2001,

p. 692). A student is supposed to complete his/her homework at home, parents or

other family members may be involved in the process of helping or guiding the child.

They either help the child in doing the home task assigned by the teacher or facilitate

him/her in relation to difficulties in syllabus. Research studies indicated that parental

14
support in doing home tasks has significant effects in students’ achievement, (Singh,

Granville, Sandra, & Dika, 2002; Eilam, 2001).

According to Pakistan Social and Living Measurement (PSLM) Survey (2007- 08),

the overall literacy rate (age 10 years and above) is 56% (67% for male and 44% for

female) in 2006-071. In a country where nearly half of the population is still illiterate, it

is very hard for children to seek proper guidance in academic matters after the school

hours. When parents have not themselves been to school and remain illiterate and

innumerate, the school cannot expect that they will understand its aims or activities.

The lack of parental support creates major problem for school and the child also.

In the context of Pakistan, where the majority of the parents is illiterate, and the

teacher is also psychologically distressed due to a number of financial and job-related

problems, the lack of proper parental support to child create big hurdles in improving

the quality of education. If parents are educated, and have better understanding of how

to break a problem into parts, or know more effective motivational techniques, then

they can help their children more effectively. A study conducted by Voorhis (2003)

demonstrated that those students who reported more parental involvement in

connection with daily homework, doing their homework assignments more regularly.

The findings of this study support the effects of family involvement in student

accomplishments in the middle grades.

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 Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study used the Phenomenological type of research design. A

phenomenological research study is a study that attempts to understand people's

perceptions, perspectives and understandings of a particular situation (or

phenomenon). The researchers directly investigate and describe a phenomenon as

consciously experienced, without theories about their causal explanations or their

objective reality. The phenomenological approach is especially useful when a

phenomenon of interest has been poorly defined or conceptualised - or you did not

know that it existed.

Target Population

The populations in this research are all the full time undergraduate students in

John B. Lacson Maritime University – Molo in 2017/2018 session. The total population

comprised 700 grade 11 undergraduate full time students. The population also

comprised of 16 sections.

Sample Size

A total sample size of 15 students was selected from the total population of 700

full-time grade 11 students of John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University – Molo.

16
Sampling Procedures

The researchers used the Availability Sampling Technique. In this type of

sampling, the researchers selected samples from the population because they are

accessible. That is to say, individuals are selected for the research not because they

meet some statistical criterion, but because they are readily available. This convenience

usually translates to easy operation and low sampling costs. The trade-off, of course, is

that it is impossible to use the results to make general assertions about the population

with any sort of statistical rigor.

Research Instruments

A well-constructed and self-developed questionnaire titled “Family Support and

Academic Performance Questionnaire” was used to get the desired information from the

students. This is a questionnaire requiring subjects not to disclose their identity. The

questionnaire had both structured and unstructured questions. The questionnaire is

divided into two sections (A and B). Section A will be for collection of information on

personal data of respondents, Section B consists of questions about the family

background and the academic performance of the respondent. The researcher also

used questionnaires in order to uphold the confidentiality of the respondents and also in

order to save time.

Data Gathering Procedures

The sequences of collection of data are as follows: Permission was

requested from the respective sections of Grade 11 showing that this study is for

17
academic purposes. The written questionnaires were hand delivered to the subjects.

The subjects were instructed whether or not to reveal their identity and were assured

that the information given was purely for research purpose and would not affect them

individually. A total of 15 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to elicit responses

from the students and retrieved on the spot by the researcher.

Data Analysis Procedure

After gathering all the data needed for this study, the researchers analyze the

data by different processes that involve coding, categorizing, and making sense of the

essential meanings of the phenomenon. This also involves total immersion for as long

as it is needed in order to ensure both a pure and a thorough description of the

phenomenon. The researchers first read and categorized all the data that had been

gathered through the questionnaire. Then, the researchers elaborated the findings of

the essential meanings that were discovered through the process of free imaginative

variation. After that, the researchers then revisited the raw data descriptions in order to

justify the interpretations of both the essential meanings and the general structure. And

lastly, the researchers critically analyzed the data based on concrete, detailed

descriptions have been obtained from the participants, essential meanings have been

discovered, and the raw data has verified the results.

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 Chapter 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Profile Matrix

Fifteen questionnaires were distributed to the grade 11 students that are

available during the conduct of the study. Most of the respondents preferred not to

write their name and remain anonymous.

Gender: Eighty percent (twelve) were male respondents and twenty percent (three)

were female respondents.

Age: The respondent’s age ranged from 17 to 18.

One purpose of the questionnaire was to identify and to differentiate the

similarities and dissimilarities of the given information taken from the respondents. After

both clarifying the listed answers taken from the respondents, the researchers then

coded the given answers.

The researchers provided seven series of questions that can be answered by the

knowledge of the respondents.

19
Proximity Matrix

Table 1. What can you say about the support that your family/guardian give

to you in your studies?

Similarities Dissimilarities

Fourteen out of fifteen respondents Only one says that he has nothing to
answered that their family/guardian is very say about the support that his
supportive in their studies and they also family/guardians give to him.
motivate them to do their best in their
academics.
Some of the respondents even added
that they are very blessed and very
thankful to have an awesome family.

Research studies have indicated that parental support factors have significant

contribution in the development of positive self regard that is statistically related to

academic achievement of the students (Franco and Levitt, 1998; Mahaffy, 2004;

Gonzalez-Pienda et al., 2002).

Table 2. What can you say about your household size, is it small or large?

Similarities Dissimilarities

Ten out of fifteen respondents Five out of fifteen respondents

answered that their family size is small. answered that their family size is large.

20
 Information from literature depicted that children from larger families are found

to do worse than children from smaller families lower down the birth order do worse

than those higher up the birth order (Lacovou, 2001).

Table 3. Who are the people that live with you and get involve in your

studies?

Similarities Dissimilarities

One out of fifteen respondents

Thirteen out of fifteen respondents
answered that his relatives help him in his
answered that their mother and father are
studies.
the ones that get involve their studies.
One of the respondents answered that
his grandparents help him in his studies.

Fan (2001) demonstrated that parents' educational aspiration for their children

proved to be strongly related to students' academic growth. Research studies have

found that parental educational level has a significant impact on child’s learning, (Khan

& Malik, 1999). Similarly, Schneider and Lee (1990) linked the academic success of the

East Asian students to the values and aspirations they share with their parents, and

also to the home learning activities in which their parents involve with them.

21
Table 4. If you’re being pressured in your studies, can this help you or not?

Why?

Similarities Dissimilarities

Thirteen out of fifteen respondents One out of fifteen respondents

answered that being pressured can’t help
them in their studies because they say
that they can’t focus well and it really
stress them out.
answered that being pressured can help
him in his studies because it motivates him
to do more and it helped him to become a
better person.
One of the respondents answered that
he is not being pressured by their
parents/guardians.

Irvine (2002) also identifies a range of stressors in children from parental divorce

and separation, to academic and social failure. Throughout the adolescent years,

stressful experiences are also considered to be increasing in intensity, as prominent

stressors involving family dysfunction, peer demands and academic concerns are faced

by adolescents (Frydenberg, 1991b).

Table 5. Does your parents/guardians get involve in your studies?

Similarities Dissimilarities

Fourteen out of fifteen respondents One out of fifteen respondents

answered that their parents/guardians get answered that his parents/guardians do
involve in their studies. not get involve in their studies.

22
 A study by Repetti, (1996) indicated that “children described themselves as more

demanding and difficult with their parents on days in which they had earlier perceived

more problems with peers, such as being teased by another child or feeling excluded by

friends, or more academic problems, such as receiving a poor grade or having difficulty

with schoolwork”.

Table 6. What can you say about your school performance, is it poor,

average, or very good?

Similarities Dissimilarities

Ten out of fifteen respondents Three out of fifteen respondents

answered average. answered very good.
Two of the respondents answered
poor.

Those students that have a good family support mostly answered average and

very good while those who have poor family support also have a poor school

performance.

Table 7. In the first semester of the school year, have you passed or failed

your grades?

Similarities Dissimilarities

Thirteen out of fifteen respondents One out of fifteen respondents

answered they have passed in their first answered that he has not.
semester. One of the respondents answered that

23
 they both passed and failed in their first
semester maybe in some subjects.

Those students that have a good family support mostly answered that they have

passed their first semester while those who have poor family support did not passed

their first semester.

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 Chapter 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter presents the summary of the findings, conclusions and

recommendations based on the data analyzed in the previous chapter. Some limitations

have been identified. This study is on profile and evaluation of student's academic

performance and family background. Family Support on the Academic Performance of

Grade 11 Students of John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University - Molo was

researched by determining the impact of family support on student's academic

performance.

On the Family Support on the Academic Performance of Grade 11 Students of

John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University - Molo profile were age, gender, family

structure, family size, family support, and school performance were undertaken.

Findings

Based on the gathered, analyzed, and interpreted data, the researchers came up

with the following findings presented in accordance with the research questions

formulated in the statement of the problem:

1. The family structure is one of the specific parts of the independent variable of the

study which is the family support that the researchers are dealing with. Based on

the results the researchers have gathered, almost all of the respondents have a

25
 complete family and it shows a very significant effect on the academic performance

of students.

2. The family size is also one of the specific parts of the independent variable of the

study which is the family support that the researchers are dealing with. Based on

the results the researchers have gathered, majority of the respondents have a small

family size while some have large family size and showed a significant effect on the

academic performance of students.

3. Students being pressured by their parents/guardians are one of the specific parts of

the independent variable of the study which is the family support that the

researchers are dealing with. Based on the results the researchers have gathered,

students have different approaches on the pressure that their parents/guardians

give to them. Some students treat it positively while some treat it negatively.

4. The family involvement on the studies of the students is one of the specific parts of

the independent variable of the study which is the family support that the

researchers are dealing with. Based on the results the researchers have gathered,

parents/guardians that involve on the academics of the students can really help

them.

Conclusions

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions are drawn:

1. The family structure of the students really affects their academic performance.

When the family is complete, the academic performance of the student is good.

26
2. The family support has great impact on student’s academic performance. If the

family gives enough support to the student, they really excel in academic

performance.

3. Students being pressured in their studies can either help them or not. The effects

just differ based upon how the student treats it.

4. Parents/guardians involvement in the student’s studies can really affect their

academic performance. When parents/guardians involve in the studies of the

students, they could help them in many ways.

5. As a whole, family support has really a significant effect on student’s academic

performance.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions presented, the following recommendations

are suggested:

1. Majority of the parents are aware but some are not aware of the importance of home

environment that influences student’s academic achievement and therefore it is strongly

recommended that parents should be made aware of the importance of home

environment in their children academic achievement. For this purpose, teachers,

educationists and leaders may play their role to make them aware of the importance of

home environment for their student’s academic achievement.

2. Large size of family badly affects student’s academic attainment. Therefore it is

strongly recommended that importance of family planning should be emphasized and

27
parents should be made aware of importance of family planning. In addition, nuclear

family system should be introduced.

3. As majority of the parents do not know how to improve their children academic

achievement therefore it is strongly recommended that parents should be informed that

they can improve the education of their children through encouragement, provision of

educational facilities and participation.

4. Parent’s involvement and participation has a significant effect on the academic

achievement of the students therefore it is strongly recommended that interaction and

communication between the parents and teachers should be established for better

growth of the student.

28