Abstract

This work entitled The Effects of Parenting Style on the Academic Achievement of Students in the Buea Municipality, To determine the effects of parenting styles on the academic performance of children in secondary schools, To identify if parents financial status affect students academic performance in secondary school, To access if home environment affects students academic performance in secondary school, To examine if customs and traditions affect student academic performance, To find out if parental follow up affects students academic performance.

The research design is the survey research design. The sample size of the research is 147 students. The instruments used for the data collection was the questionnaire. The last but the least, the major findings of this research work are that: parent provides their children all their financial needs, parents help their children develop a good habit, parents guide their children on the type of friends to make and lastly parents custom and tradition affect children academic performance.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Parenting involvement is absolutely essential to a pupil’s academic performance in school and life. Parent involvement leads to pupils’ success since the overwhelming studies and research indicate that there is positive academic outcome stemming from parental involvement with benefits beginning in early childhood.

The impact that parents have on their child’s academic performance transcends income level and social status, the most accurate predictor of student academic performance is not income or social status but the extent to which that student parents are able to; create a home environment that encourages learning, express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for their children’s achievement and future career; become involved in their children’s education at school and in the community “if two of these three criteria are accomplished, children of low-income families will achieve at or above levels expected of middle-class children.

A child’s learning is enhanced when schools encourage parents to stimulate their children’s intellectual development. Numerous studies have shown that the home environment has a powerful effect on what children’s youth learn, not only in schools but outside of school as well. This environment is considerably more powerful than the parents’ income and education in influencing what children learn in the first six years of life and during the twelve years of primary and secondary education.

One major reason that parental influence is so strong is that the children spend more than ninety percent of their time from infancy throughout their childhood outside the school under the influence of their parents. Therefore, ultimately the parents are their first and most important teachers. (Weinstein and Walberg, 1983, Peng and Wright, 1994, Walberg and Paik, 1997).

This chapter will focus on the overview of the study and has the following subheadings; background of the study, statement of the problem, research objectives, research questions, significance of the study, the scope of the study, operational definition of terms.

Background of the Study

Parenting style is a combination of commitment and active participation on the part of the parent to the pupils. Parent involvement is a valuable component of any pupils’ education. It is a well–established fact that parental involvement is linked to children’s success at school. When parents have involved in their children’s education at home, they do better in school (Henderson and Berla, 1994). The level of parent-school involvement is a better predictor of grades than standardized test scores. (Desimone 1999).

All parents want their children to learn. According to Akhtar (2002), education is commonly referred to as acquiring knowledge at school in a form of formal education. However, the process of education does not only start when the child attends school but begins at home. Denga (1988), states that the home is the first school to teach the children and it is true that the home offers greater opportunities for learning to a child.

The acquisition of knowledge by a child is facilitated if parents can afford to provide enough space, educating toys, storybooks, picture books. These materials by themselves can not enhance learning. It is the parents’ responsibility to use them in posing questions to the children so as to facilitate the teaching-learning process for greater achievement. Parents in turn play an active role in the development of their children through their involvement be it physically, morally, socially as well as intellectually (cognition).

The level of parenting varies because of their different socio-cultural and economic factors such as moral guidance, parent financial status parental follow-up, social class, religion, home environment as well as tribe. These factors may affect the desire of their children to become responsible men and women since it’s the desire of parents to ensure that their children attain the same level as they did and even more.

Previous studies of Brown (1999) and House (2007) have strong evidence that parental involvement affects pupil academic performance in terms of the parent finance follow up, moral guidance, social class, and so on.

The development theory of Piaget (1952) and as cited in Luma (1983) state that a child’s growth starts from the brain of which is not a separate entity from the rest of the body nor does it work in isolation. The brain grows very fast in size and begins to respond to the needs of the environment by exploring it, looking and touching, solving the problem of trial and error through manipulative play.

This builds up a child which is the basis of all the later intellectual activities (Brierley, 1976), so parents have to help their children in explaining their environment and providing them playing tools that are educative to help solving the of trial and error.

The 1989 UN Conventions on the right of an African child (C.R.C) Article 11 says every child have the right to be educated, thus parents’ involvement is required. Also, Article 26 (3) states parties shall undertake to provide whenever possible, material assistance to such children and to direct their effort towards the elimination of all forms of discrimination and apartheid on the African content.

The history of children can be traced as far back as 1951 when a small group of women known as (C.D.C expatriates wives) in Bota agreed to form a joint playgroup for their children of 2 years and above (Spring 2006, Volume 8, issue 3)

Statement of the Problem

The lack of parenting styles on the academic achievement of students contributes to the poor performance of the students. The researcher is out to find out how parenting styles affect the academic achievements of students in secondary schools.

The above factors prompted the researcher to find out the effect of parenting styles on the academic achievement of students.

Purpose of the Study (Research Objectives)

General Objective

To investigate the effect of parenting styles on the academic achievement of students in some selected schools in the Buea Municipality.

Specific Objectives

1. To determine the effects of parenting styles on the academic performance of children in secondary schools
2. To identify if parents financial status affect students academic performance in secondary school
3. To access if home environment affects students academic performance in secondary school
4. To examine if customs and traditions affect student academic performance
5. To find out if parental follow up affects students academic performance