PARENTING STYLES AND STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN SELECTED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BUKOOMA SUBCOUNTY IN LUUKA DISTRICT, UGANDA.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of parental styles on

students’ academic achievement in public secondary schools in Luuka District, Eastern

Uganda. The objectives that guided the study were; to investigate the relationship

between parents’ participation in school meetings and students’ academic

achievement , to assess how parents’ payment of facilitation fee influences students’

academic achievement, to examine the influence of parents ‘provision of scholastic

materials on students’ academic achievement in secondary schools in Luuka District.

The study was designed as cross sectional survey based on both quantitative and

qualitative approaches. The population sample was around four hundred sixty three

respondents (Head teachers, deputy head teachers, Board of Governors, teachers,

students and Ministry of Education Officials), The sampling techniques used were simple

random sampling. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, The

findings of the study were; parents did not attend meetings effectively and this affected

the students’ achievement, students’ facilitation fee was not paid on time hence

affecting the students’ achievement and parents did not equip the students with

relevant or enough teaching and learning materials. In conclusions there was minimal

parental support towards the students’ academic achievement in the areas of attending

school meetings, paying facilitation fee and provision of learning and teaching

materials. The recommendations of the study was; that there should be strict measures

from the government and Board of governors on to parents who seem not support their

children, design boosting and intergenerational educative programs that help parents to

participate in school like having a day parents too, sit in class with students.