Influence of Parental Socio-Economic Characteristics on Academic Performance among Secondary School Students in Kenya: A Case of Garissa County

The study aimed at understanding how parental socio-economic factors influenced academic performance of children in Kenya. The study used Garissa County as a case to draw a conclusion. The study had the following specific objectives: to assess the role of household economic status on academic performance of children in selected secondary schools in Garissa County; to establish the nature of the relationships between social factors as measured by education level of parents on academic performance of children; to determine the influence of parenting style on academic performance of children; to evaluate the place of social safety nets on academic performance of the children. The study used qualitative and quantitative research methods. It adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was derived from the parents and teachers in Garissa County. A sample of 160 was used from the target population. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select participants in the study. Data was collected from a sample of 160 students currently attending secondary school in Garissa County. Data collection instruments included questionnaires, interviews and observation techniques. This quantitative data was complemented with qualitative data collected from key informants namely head teachers, deputy head teachers and local chiefs. Data was analyzed using frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion as well as cross-tabulations and the findings were presented using, graphs, diagrams, figures, reports and charts. Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis methods. The study was conducted in Garissa County. The findings were used to address the issues affecting the education system in Kenya. As hypothesized, economic status of the household as measured by ownership of a car was found to be statistically associated with academic achievement of children. In particular, children from well off families were more likely than other to emerge top of their class. Mother’s level of education was also found to be associated with better school performance but there was no statistically significant association between father’s education and academic performance of the sampled children. Social safety nets were found to be non-existence. Based on these findings, the study recommended policy change to give more focus on the unique barriers to educational attainment in Garissa County. Finally, more research was recommended to shed light on other factors besides parental characteristics that hinder educational achievement in arid and semi arid areas. The study focused on the period between.