Title: Parental involvement, parenting style, secondary school student attitude towards schooling and academic performance in Kenya

Authors: Simon Njogu Njagi; Joash A. Migosi; Jonathan M. Mwania

Addresses: Rwika Technical Training Institute, Maasai Mara University, P.O. Box 1264-60100, EMbu, Kenya ' Department of Education, Administration and Planning, South Eastern Kenya University, P.O. Box 170-90200 – Kitui, Kenya ' Kitui Town Campus, South Eastern Kenya University, P.O. Box 170-90200 – Kitui, Kenya

Abstract: The study sought to find the relationship between parental involvement, parenting style, student's attitude towards school and academic performance. A correlational survey research design was used. Cronbach's alpha (α) for questionnaires from pilot study indicated that, parental involvement α = 0.7, authoritarian parenting α = 0.6, authoritative style α = 0.8, permissive parenting style α = 0.6 and attitude towards school had α = 0.6. Pearson correlation test on data from a sample of 200 students (100 girls and 100 boys) from public secondary schools in Embu North District, showed, parental involvement had positive significant relationship with both students attitude towards school and academic performance, authoritarian style had negative insignificant correlation with attitude towards school, but had significant negative correlation with academic performance, permissive parenting style had negative significant correlation with both attitude towards school and academic performance while attitude towards had positive significant relationship with academic achievement. There is need for parents to be sensitised on parenting.

Keywords: parenting style; parental involvement; attitudes towards school; ATS; academic performance; Kenya; secondary schools; secondary education; student attitudes; authoritarian parenting; authoritative style; permissive parenting.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEED.2014.061453

International Journal of Education Economics and Development, 2014 Vol.5 No.2, pp.152 - 171

Received: 12 Oct 2013
Accepted: 21 Nov 2013
Published online: 21 Jun 2014 *

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