RESEARCH

1. i
EFFECTS OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
AMONG PRIMARY STUDENTS IN AYER SUB COUNTY, KOLE DISTRICT
BY
OGWANG FELIX
REG. NO: 16/U/0121/LCP
Supervisor
Dr. Amir
Lira University
Faculty of Health Sciences Lira University
A Research Proposal Submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences Lira
University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of a
Bachelor of Science in Community Psychology and Psychotherapy of Lira
University
JANUNARY, 2019

2. ii
DECLARATION
Declaration by Student
This proposal is my original work and has not been presented for any other degree, published or
submitted for examination in this or any other university. No part of this work may be
reproduced without prior permission from the author and/or Lira University.
OGWANG FELIX Date
REG. NO: 16/U/0121/LCP
Declaration by Supervisors
I /We confirm that the work reported in this thesis was carried out by the candidate under my/our
supervision as the university supervisors.
________________________________ __________________________
Dr. Amir Date
Department of Mental Health,
Lira University

3. iii
ABSTRACT
Education is essential for the development of society. The family has responsibility to socialize
children for making them productive members of society. The more the parents involve in the
process of imparting education to their children, the more the children might excel in their
academic career and to become the productive and responsible members of society. Parental
involvement has the potential to reduce the gap in achievement between children from high and
low-income families respectively. The main purpose of the study is to determine parental
involvement and academic performance among primary students in Ayer Sub County. The study
will be guided by the following objectives: determine the effects parent communicating with the
school on performance of children; examine the effects learning at home on performance of
children and determine the effects of parents’ participating in school decision making on
performance of children primary students in Ayer Sub County. The target population consisted
of teachers, and students of primary. Purposive and simple random sampling technique will be
used for in this study. The study will adopt a cross-sectional survey design. Data will be
collected through questionnaires. The survey’s validity and reliability will be established through
pre-test of using the pilot study data. Data analysis of data will involve descriptive statistics such
as percentages and frequencies. The inferential statistics to be include Pearson product-moment
correlation. Data will be summarised using tables, graphs and pie-charts. This research study will
highlight the contributions that may help researchers and policy makers and offers practical
solutions of solving these problems. The study may help in the designing and formulation of
parental school curricula by policy makers at Institutional and National level. The Ministry of
Education and District Education Officials may benefit from the study findings in a number of
ways namely: they may have benchmarks for the effective and efficient parental involvement
ideas and put in place parental guidance counselling services. The study may help to realise the
need for the development of school-family-community partnerships as an essential component of
larger school improvement efforts. To future researchers, it is hoped that the results of this study
may help fill in some gaps that previous similar studies could have left, and contribute to
relevant information.

4. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ................................................................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................................ iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS.........................................................................................................................iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.....................................................................................................................vi
CHAPTER ONE....................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Background to the Study....................................................................................................... 1
1. 3 Statement of the Problem..................................................................................................... 5
1. 4 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................ 5
1.5 Objective of the Study........................................................................................................... 6
1.6 Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 6
1.7 The Scope of the Study ......................................................................................................... 6
1.8 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................... 7
1.9 Limitations of the Study........................................................................................................ 8
1.10 Assumptions of the Study ................................................................................................... 8
1.11 Conceptual Framework ....................................................................................................... 8
LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................................................11
2.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................... 11
2.2 Communicating with the School and Learners’ Performance ..................................................11

5. v
2.3 Learning at Home and Learners’ Performance .......................................................................16
2.4 Participating in School Decision Making and Learners’ performance ......................................19
2.4 Summary of Literature Review........................................................................................... 21
CHAPTER THREE ...............................................................................................................................23
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................................23
3.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................... 23
3.2 Research Methodology................................................................................................................23
3.3 Research Design.................................................................................................................. 23
3.4 Location of the Study.......................................................................................................... 24
3.5 Population............................................................................................................................ 24
3.6 Sample and Sampling Procedures....................................................................................... 25
3.7 Research Instruments .......................................................................................................... 26
3.7.1 Questionnaire for students and teacher................................................................................26
3.8 Pilot Study........................................................................................................................... 27
3.8.1 Validity ............................................................................................................................27
3.8.2 Reliability.........................................................................................................................28
3.9 Procedures of Data Collection............................................................................................. 28
3.10 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 28
3.10 Ethical Considerations....................................................................................................... 29
Work Plan........................................................................................................................................30
REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................................31

6. vi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
UPE Universal Primary Education
PTA Parents-Teachers’ Associations
SPSS Statistical Package for the Social sciences
U.S United States
UNICEF United Nations International Children Emergency Fund
MoE Ministry of Education
DEO District Education Officer

7. 1
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview
This introductory chapter will provide the basis for this study. It contains the background of the
study, statement of the problem, research objectives, research questions, significance of the
study, justification of the study, limitations of the study, scope and delimitations of the study,
assumptions and operational definition of key terms used in the study.
1.2 Background to the Study
Education is considered as the development of the endowed capacities in the individual,
which will enable them to control environment and fulfill their possibilities (Saxton,
2017). Indeed, in this era of globalization, economic change and technological revolution,
education is considered as the first step for every human activity. It plays a vital role in the
development of human capital and is linked with an individual’s well-being and opportunities for
better living (Battle & Lewis, 2016). Therefore without doubt all children need education and the
importance of education as a tool for bringing transformation in the society cannot be refuted
(Merz, Oort, Ozeke-Kocabas & Schuengel, 2017). Primary education is the most basic formal
education and valued very highly for preparing learners for other levels of education, world of
work, scientific and technical application of knowledge and life skills. However, attaining
primary education is not natural. It is influenced by many factors including parental
involvement. The role of parents in their children’s education has been recognized as a
significant factor in influencing academic success (Gadeyne et al., 2014).

8. 2
According to Jeynes (2010), parental involvement means different things to different people.
According to Levanda (2017) parental involvement includes a wide variety of actions parents
take for the benefit of children’s academic success at school. These include parenting style,
parental expectations and aspirations, home rules and parental supervision; parents’ attitudes
towards children activities, helping with homework, visiting the school to talk to teachers, and
beliefs regarding their child’s education (Porumbu & Necsoi, 2013). Castro, Casas, Martin,
Lizasoain, Asencio and Gaviria, (2015) added that parental involvement is an individual right
and responsibility for families and social need and should be considered as a lever to promote the
academic performance of the children.
Although there was some disagreement among theorists as to what constituted of parental
involvement, educators came to some consensus that these activities included actions that parents
took on behalf of their children both at home and at school, including, helping with homework,
communicating with teachers and volunteering at school (Bower & Griffin, 2011). Epstein et al
(2009) asserts that parental involvement has six aspects including parenting, communicating
with the school, volunteering at school, learning at home, participating in school decision
making, and collaborating with community. Epstein’s framework is based on the premise that
schools must initiate the practices and procedures that encourage families to be involved in the
education of school children. Singh et al. (1995) established four components of parental
involvement: parental aspirations for the children’s education, parent-child communication about
school, home structure and parental participation in school related activities (Porumbu & Necsoi,
2013). The present study however, will adapt four of thec Epstein et al’s (2009) domains
including; parenting, communicating with the school, learning at home and participating in
school decision making to show their influence on students’ performance in Ayer Sub County.

9. 3
Research suggests that parents, pupils and teachers benefit from increased parental involvement
(Lemmer, 2016). Greater parental involvement leads to teachers having better relationships with
parents and pupils, fewer behavioural problems, a reduced workload and a more positive attitude
towards teaching (Fan & Williams, 2010). Research studies have established that parent
involvement at all levels of education had an impact on student academic success (Hilgendorf,
2012). It has many positive effects on students other than academics, including increased
motivation and academic performance. On the contrary, research shows that inadequate or poor
parental involvement leads to low student achievement (Bower & Griffin, 2011). In essence,
parents and guardian can create favourable learning environments to enhance children’s
academic development. Brannon (2018) noted that parental involvement leads to higher
academic achievement. Brannon (2018) adds that the increasing evidence of the benefits of
parental involvement in the calls for continued research in this area and the necessity of
implementing parental involvement programs at all levels of school education.
Large number of research conducted in the past several decades showed a strong association of
parental involvement and students’ academic achievement; students whose parents involved
actively in their education perform much better in their schooling than peers whose parents did
not involve (Hsu et al., 2011). In Norway, studies indicate that parents’ involvement in
homework has significant influence on students’ academic achievement (Huang, 2009). This is
supported by studies from Latin America (Desarrollo 2007). In Pakistan, Waqas Rafiq et al,
(2013) explored the effect of parental involvement in the academic achievement of their children.
It was found that parental involvement has significance effect in better academic performance of
their children. Nyarko (2011) investigated the effect of parental involvement in school on

10. 4
students’ academic performance in Ghana. The results reveal a positive and significant
correlation between mothers’ school involvement and academic performance of children.
In Rwanda Kaberere et.al (2013) found that parents of children in high performing schools were
significantly more involved than their peers with children in low performing schools particularly
in support for learning and assisting children in homework. In Kenya Kibet (2010) investigated
the role of parents in enhancing preschool children’s education in Uasin Gishu district and found
that parental involvement in education was low. Earlier Ciaraka (2003), sought to establish the
role of parents in facilitating the learning processes in selected primary schools in Egoji-Meru
found that parental involvement in homework was high. However, Sperns (2011) indicated that
there was no relationship between parental involvement and students’ academic performance.
This finding was echoed by several other studies which indicated no association (Patall, Cooper,
& Robinson, 2008; Barnard, 2004; Fan & Chen, 2014) and even others reported negative
association (Coleman & McNeese, 2009; Fan, 2014; Koskei, 2012),)
Although, parental involvement has now come to be recognized as a key process in children’s
learning the bulk of research studies are outside Ayer Sub County. In addition as Martinez,
Martinez and Peres, (2004) observe different cultures and their education systems may differ in
the ways their families and schools work together. Therefore a study on the effects influencing
such functioning is vital in order to understand and provide insight into family-school-
community partnerships. Such a study would be helpful in effective and efficient problem-
solving and creating sustainable partnerships in Uganda and Ayer Sub County in particular.

11. 5
1. 3 Statement of the Problem
Students’ academic performance in terms of output grades in national examinations and in test
scores in schools is largely dependent on parental involvement, which includes participation in
school meetings, payment of school fees on time, provision of scholastic materials, among
others. Coincidentally, primary schools in Ayer Sub County perform poorly in national
examinations. Is this kind of performance as a result of limited parental involvement? A number
of studies have shown the need to improve student’s academic performance in schools and if this
is not addressed then Ayer Sub County will lag behind the rest of the country in terms of
development since education and development are interdependent.
Literature continues to support a positive relationship between parent involvement and
performance students; however, there is limited research that has specifically focused on the
primary population and situation is total dearth in Ayer Sub County. Given the importance of this
critical time period in a child’s growth and development, it is necessary to investigate,
specifically, the influence that parent involvement has on the performance among primary
students. Regardless of a parent’s chosen part of involvement or the factors that contributed to
that choice, developmental psychologists agree that it plays a significant role in children’s
overall performance. For this reason, parent involvement and its significant role in the
performance of children in primary are the focus to this study
1. 4 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of the study is to examine parent involvement and student academic
performance in primary in Ayer Sub County

12. 6
1.5 Objective of the Study
The study will be guided by the following objective:
i. To determine the effects parent communicating with the school on performance of children
in primary students in Ayer Sub County
ii. To examine the effects learning at home on performance of children primary students in Ayer
Sub County
iii. To determine the effects of parents’ participating in school decision making on performance
of children primary students in Ayer Sub County
1.6 ResearchQuestions
The present study seeks to answer the following research questions;
i. What effects do parent communicating with the school on performance of children in
primary students in Ayer Sub County?
ii. To What effects do effects learning at home on performance of children primary students
in Ayer Sub County?
iii. What effects do effects of parents’ participating in school decision making on
performance of children primary students in, Ayer Sub County?
1.7 The Scope of the Study
The scope of the study refers to the boundaries of the study in terms of context, time, methods
and theoretical coverage of the study (Oso & Onen, 2009). The study will be conducted in Ayer
sub county, in Uganda. It will be conducted among teachers, parents and students of primary.
The study will focus on exploring the influence of parental involvement on the students,
academic performance among primary students.

13. 7
1.8 Significance of the Study
This research study will highlight the contributions that may help researchers and policy makers
and offers practical solutions of solving these problems. Specifically, the teachers, parents and
children may benefit from this study by understanding the significant contribution of parental
involvement to academic performance of students. The teachers may know that parental
involvement in academic achievement of children is indispensable. Children may develop
positive attitude to towards the parental involvement in matters related to their academics.
The study may help in the designing and formulation of parental school curricula by policy
makers at Institutional and National level. The Ministry of Education (MoE) and District
Education Officers (DEO) may benefit from the study findings in a number of ways namely:
they may have benchmarks for the effective and efficient parental involvement ideas and put in
place parental guidance counselling services. The study may help to realise the need for the
development of school-family-community partnerships as an essential component of larger
school improvement efforts.
The members of the Board of Governors may improve on the importance of parental
involvement in enhancing students’ performance and hence put measures in place that may help
parents love and respect their responsibilities all of which may lead to improved academic
performance.
It is hoped that the results of this study may help fill in some gaps that previous similar studies
could have left, and contribute to relevant information.

14. 8
1.9 Limitations of the Study
Parental involvement is a serious cutting across the entire republic of Uganda, it would be
necessary to study primary schools in Uganda. However this is not possible give the time and
financial constraints. It is important to note that cross-sectional surveys are carried out within a
certain short interval of time and therefore cannot be utilized to make direct causal inferences
(cause-effect relationships) about involvement and students’ performance schools.
1.10 Assumptions of the Study
This study is based on assumption that an academic achievement of students is a goal which all
parents and teachers aspired to achieve. The study also assumes that each child had a
parent/guardian. The study also assumes that the mean score of students is a true indicator of
academic performance of students. Lastly the study assumes that parental involvement has an
impact on students’ performance.
1.11 Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework of the study is based on the Epstein’s (1987) theory of overlapping
spheres of influence. It illustrates how the independent variables of parental participation in
parenting, communication, decision making and home learning influence academic performance.
It also shows that there are other determinants of academic performance such as discipline,
cultural factors, government policy, school factors and discipline as intervening variables which
the researcher will attempt to control. Epstein (1995) parental involvement frame work will
direct the study variables by the assertion that the overlapping spheres of influence which focus
on the complex interrelationships of family, and school affects students’ academic performance.

15. 9
Independent Variable Depended Variable
Intervening Variable
Figure 1: parent involvement and academic performance
Students’ Academic PerformanceParent Involvement
 Communication
 Decision Making
 Home Learning
 Discipline
 Culture
 Government Policy
 School Factors

16. 10
1.11 Operational Definition of Terms
Communicating: Communicate with families about school programs and student progress.
Create two-way communication channels between school and home.
Decision Making: Include families as participants in school decisions, governance, and
advocacy activities through school councils or improvement teams, committees, and
parent organizations.
Homework: Is referred to as work that is done at home especially school exercises set by the
teacher. Homework is a formative assessment and is used for practicing and studying. A
reinforcement of skills learned with daily practice.
Learning at Home: Involve families helping their children in academic learning at home
including homework, goal setting, and other curriculum-related activities. Encourage
teachers to design homework that enables students to share and discuss interesting tasks.
Parental Involvement: Knowing the teacher, knowing what assignments are due, knowing what
the teacher expects and giving support. It involves providing materials and time to do
assignments, expecting quality work from your child, checking up with questionable
grades and occurrences, no unnecessary absences. Expecting homework to be done or
reviewed daily even when the child says there is no homework while checking backpacks
regularly.
Parenting: Assist families with parenting skills, family support, understanding child and
adolescent development, and setting home conditions to support learning at each age and
grade level. Assist schools in understanding families' backgrounds, cultures, and goals for
children.
Performance: Performance refers to students’ academic efforts and is measured using test
scores.
Volunteering: Improve recruitment, training, activities, and schedules to involve families as
volunteers and as audiences at the school or in other locations. Enable educators to work
with volunteers who support students and the school.

17. 11
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter will contain review of research literature. It includes discussion and critique of
studies done by other people on the same aspects related to the study topic. This chapter is
divided into three subsections namely: communicating with the school and learners’
performance, learning at home and learners’ performance, participating in school decision
making and learners’ performance and it ends with summary related literature.
2.2 Communicating with the School and Learners’ Performance
In today’s society, schools and parents are responding to increased expectations, economic
pressures, and time constraints. In these changing times, effective partnerships between teachers
and parents become even more essential to meet the needs of the children. Epstein (1995)
describes communicating with parents as one of six major types of parent involvement practices
critical to establishing strong working relationships between teachers and parents. Epstein (1995)
asserts that parents who are involved with their children’s education are those who consistently,
communicate with the school staff, volunteer their time in the school, help their children learn at
home; take an active role in school-related decision making. School should employ a variety of
techniques for communicating with parents about their children’s progress, decisions affecting
their children and school programs in general. Some schools sign contracts with parents in which
expectations for students, teachers, and parents are clearly delineated. Teachers are expected to
develop diverse mechanisms for communicating with parents and an ability to tap the parent
network to elicit family views on children’s progress (Epstein, 1995).

18. 12
Research provides inconsistent findings regarding the importance of parent-child communication
and other forms of parental involvement activities to children’s school success (Domina, 2005;
Englund, Luckner, Whaley, & Egeland, 2004). Some studies report positive associations with
academic achievement (Hong & Ho, 2005; Houtenville & Conway, 2008; McWayne, Hampton,
Fantuzzo, Cohen, & Sekino, 2004), other studies indicate no association (Barnard, 2004; Patall,
Cooper, & Robinson, 2008), and even others point to negative associations (Coleman &
McNeese, 2009; Domina, 2005; Fan, 2001). Such contradictory results call for another study
thus the present study
When parents communicate with the school, they get updates on the progress of their children.
According to Peterson (2014), there is inadequate communication between schools and families.
Research shows that communication is the major reason for lack of parent involvement (McNeil
& Patin, 2005). Epstein and Sheldon (2005) found that most communication that occurs between
parents and schools is often from the school to parents. Such communication takes place in
situations where children of those parents have behavioural or learning problems or with parents
who have shown interest in helping their children (Letsholo, 2006).
Olmstead (2013) agrees that communication is important but indicates that, proactive
involvement does not require parents to be physically present at school since they can be
connected through school websites, phone calls, parent’s portals, online curriculum and other
forms of technology that connect the schools to home. Parent’s communication with the school is
very important because it enhances participation of pupils (Chemagosi, 2012). Monadjem (2003)
found that a positive parenting style was more important for children’s reading achievement
reduced learning difficulties than the extent to which parents were involved at school.

19. 13
Monadjem (2003) adds that parenting moderates the impact of parent involvement by
influencing the extent of the parent-child interaction. Englund, Egeland and Collins (2008)
also observed that the expected graduates had higher levels of parent involvement in middle
childhood, more supportive parent-child relationships in early adolescence and higher levels of
social competence with adults than unexpected dropouts. Children whose parents attribute their
achievement to the child’s own effort have been found to have better academic results than those
whose parents attribute their achievement to luck, ability or other people (Georgiou, 2008)
There is evidence that shows positive communication between parents and teachers helps
improve academic performance (Butler, Uline, & Notar, 2008). When parents and teachers
communicate well with one another, they are able to support student learning. It also leads to
increased attendance rates (Butler, Uline, & Notar, 2008), positive student attitudes (Marburger
& Ooms, 1986) increased student interest in their work (Tobolka, 2006); (5) increased parent
satisfaction with teachers (Greenwood & Hickman, 1991) and higher teacher satisfaction ratings
(Metlife, 2012). However the situation in Ayer sub County remains un clear.
Bower and Griffin (2011) used the Epstein model as a strategy to study parental involvement in a
high poverty, high minority elementary school. The study involved a student body of 347
students of multiethnic backgrounds. Five teachers and two members of the administrative team
were interviewed for this study. The researchers used a digital voice recorder and transcribed
responses to the questions verbatim. Collected data also consisted of field notes based on
observations of formal parental involvement activities within the school environment.
Communication and home learning consisted of weekly reports sent to parents and personal calls
made by teachers and the administrator to invite parents to school events. Bower and Griffin

20. 14
(2011) found low parent attendance despite efforts by the school to include them in activities.
Engagement was not apparent in the study, and the researchers observed a lack of
communication between parents and teachers. The researchers determined that schools and
teachers did not build effective relationships with parents.
Hountenvilli and Conway (2008) also confirmed that the more parents participate in school
activities in a sustained way in advocacy, decision making and oversight roles as fund raisers and
boosters as volunteers and para-professionals and as a home teachers, the better for student
performance. Hountenvilli and Conway (2008) also proved that families whose children are
doing well in school have a daily family routine, monitor out of school activities of their
children, model the value of learning, self discipline and hard work, express high but realistic
expectations of achievement, show interest in children progress by helping or looking at their
homework, discuss the value of good education and possible career options and they also stay in
touch with their children, teachers and school staff.
Haas and Reiley (2008) examined ways to increase homework completion among middle school
students using selected interventions. One intervention required students to complete daily
homework planners and parents to sign the planners for verification. The findings indicated that
most parents cooperated. Despite a few nonparticipants, the homework planners, in conjunction
with a Gotcha slip, created a dialog between teachers and students as well as between teachers
and parents. The results also found that not all students knew how to fill out the homework
planners accurately, and the increased communication with parents served to improve these
students’ organizational skills and increase homework completion rates.

21. 15
In a study by Kreider (2002) on whether early childhood programs can help prepare parents to
build relationships with their children’s elementary schools, found that parents who were
involved in early childhood programs read to their children more, were more likely to visit their
children’s kindergarten classrooms, and were more likely to network with other parents than
those not involved in early childhood programs. In conducting the study researchers interviewed
more than 200 low-income and ethnically diverse parents in both rural and urban areas whose
children attended kindergarten. In a study by Kreider (2002) recommend that schools and early
childhood programs adopt strategies to respond to parents’ feelings of anxiety and excitement,
promote “feelings of welcome and familiarity” with schools, provide information about their
children and how to promote a smooth transition into school, and work to promote parents’
confidence in themselves and their ability to recognize opportunities for involvement
However, research provides mixed findings regarding the importance of parent-child
communication and other forms of parental involvement activities to children’s school success
(Domina, 2005). Some studies report positive associations with academic achievement
(Houtenville & Conway, 2008), other studies indicate no association (Patall, Cooper, &
Robinson, 2008), and even others point to negative associations (Coleman & McNeese, 2009;
Domina, 2005). In particular, reported evidence of negative or no association with academic
achievement is at odds with a widespread belief of positive parental involvement influences and
difficult to reconcile with related theoretical work (Epstein, 1988).

22. 16
2.3 Learning at Home and Learners’ Performance
Most parental participation in children’s education occurs in the home. Schools must capitalize
upon what parents are already doing by helping them to assist and interact with their children at
home learning activities that reinforce what is being taught in school. Schools should aim to
increase parents’ understanding of the curriculum and the skills their children need to develop at
each stage in their schooling. Schools must also inform parents about their systems of tracking
students and other practices so that parents may help make decisions that are in their children’s
best interests. These activities may help bridge any cultural or class disconnect between home
and school environments. Schools are thus challenged to design a menu of interactive work that
taps parents’ support skills and involves them in the learning processes. Schools must also work
with parents to ensure that students set academic goals, prepare for career transitions, and make
appropriate course selections (Epstein, 1995).
Research demonstrates that parent involvement in children’s learning strongly correlates with
student academic achievement. Programs which engage parents in reading with their children,
providing support on homework assignments, or tutoring their child were shown to be successful
(Cotton, 1989). When parents are involved in their child’s education there is a better chance for
literacy success (Froiland 2013). In a review of 52 articles on parental involvement in urban
areas, Jeynes (2007) found that parental expectations and parenting style were more strongly
related to student outcomes than parental involvement in school. Jeynes (2010) suggests that
home-based parental involvement is more important for school success than parental school-
based involvement.

23. 17
Hountenvilli and Conway (2008) conducted a research on how parental involvement impacts on
academic achievement. The results showed that parental involvement in education has a strong
positive effect on student achievements. Hountenvilli and Conway (2008) used national data
from more than 10,000 eight-grade students in public and private schools, their parents,
teachers and school administrations. The results revealed that higher academic achievement of
students was due to parents spending more time talking to their children during dinner time to
understand their worries and fears. The research proved that the most effective forms of parent’s
involvement are those which engage parents in working directly with their children in
learning activities at home.
In a similar study, Decades of research by Hountenvilli and Conway (2008) showed that when
parents are fully involved in education process; students get higher grades, graduation rates
are high, better school attendance is realized, increased student motivation to self driven
academic orientation is realized, students have a better self esteem, rates of suspension are
evident, use of drugs and alcohol is decreased, and we have fewer instances of violent behaviour.
In Norway, studies showed that parents’ involvement in homework has significant influence on
students’ academic achievement (Huang, 2009). This is supported by studies from Latin America
(Desarrollo 2007). Hountenvilli and Conway (2008) observed that higher academic achievement
of students was due to parents spending more time talking to their children during dinner time to
understand their worries and fears. The research proved that the most effective forms of parent’s
involvement are those which engage parents in working directly with their children in learning
activities at home. The study also proved that families whose children are doing well in school
have a daily family routine, monitor out of school activities of their children, model the value of

24. 18
learning, self discipline and hard work, express high but realistic expectations of achievement,
show interest in children progress by helping or looking at their homework.
In Rwanda Kaberere et.al (2013) found that parents of children in high performing schools
were significantly more involved than their peers with children in low performing schools
particularly in support for learning and assisting children in homework. Even though the
study made a significant attempt in establishing the effect of parental involvement on students’
academic performance, no attempt was made to establish effect sizes and extent to which
parental involvement predicted variations in school academic performance. The study is also
limited in sample in since teachers, students and head teachers were not included the study. Haas
and Reiley (2008) examined ways to increase homework completion among middle school
students using selected interventions. One intervention required students to complete daily
homework planners and parents to sign the planners for verification. Despite a few
nonparticipants, the homework planners, created a dialog between teachers and students as well
as between teachers and parents.
In Ghana, Nyarko (2011) examined the impact of parental involvement in school on students’
academic performance. The results reveal a positive and significant correlation between mothers’
school involvement and academic performance of children. In Kenya, Lesanjiu (2013) explored
the effect of parental involvement on academic performance of girl child in public primary
schools in Samburu County. The results indicated that an increase in parental involvement
increases academic performance. This is supported by Koros (2006) who reported a positive
relationship. Otewa, et al. (2011) explored parental factors affecting academic performance of
grade six pupils in Kisumu city. The study found that parental involvement had a significant

25. 19
relationship with students’ academic achievement. Muola (2010) investigated the relationship
between academic achievement and home environment among standard eight pupils in
Machakos-Kenya. The study found that parental encouragement had a non-significant correlation
with academic performance.
2.4 Participating in School DecisionMaking and Learners’ performance
This include parents in school decisions, develop parent leadership and representatives of
the parent body (Epstein & Sheldon, 2005). Naidoo (2005) explains that parents may participate
in parent advisory committees, serve as school board members, be included in the local school
improvement council or act as active members of the parents-teachers association (PTA). In
these structures, parents are able to take part in goal setting, development and implementation of
program activities, assessment, personnel decisions and fund allocations for school programmes.
Naidoo (2005) indicates that involving parents in activities like parents-teachers conferences,
school functions, volunteering in the classroom, tutoring children at home, and so on, might
prepare parents to play an active role in decision making at their child’s school. Parents then are
able to understand the instructional programs, school structures and receive basic experience in
working with teachers, and this expands parents’ knowledge and their credibility with teachers as
they move into decision-making roles.
As parental participation in decision-making, when it is comprehensive program involving
parents in learning support activities as well, is associated with improved student outcomes.
Parent and community involvement in decision-making may also help make schools more
accountable to the community. Parental involvement in school may be strengthened by including
parents in school site councils, parent-teacher associations, and other committees. Parents are

26. 20
expected to develop opportunities for input, feelings of ownership, an understanding of policies,
and a sense of connection with other families. Teachers will likely become increasingly aware of
the role of parents’ perspectives in policy development (Epstein, 1995).
Parent involvement in education correlates with higher academic performance and school
improvement. When schools, parents work together to support learning, students tend to earn
higher grades, attend school more regularly, stay in school longer, and enrol in higher level
programs. Researchers cite parent-family-community involvement as a key to addressing the
school dropout crisis 1and note that strong school-family-community partnerships foster higher
educational aspirations and more motivated students (Barton, 2003). The evidence holds true for
students at all levels of education.
Hountenvilli and Conway (2008) also confirmed that the more parents participate in schooling in
a sustained way at every level in advocacy, decision making and oversight roles as fund raisers
and boosters as volunteers and para-professionals and as a home teachers, the better for student
achievement. They also proved that families whose children are doing well in school have a daily
family routine, monitor out of school activities of their children, model the value of learning, self
discipline and hard work, express high but realistic expectations of achievement, show interest in
children progress by helping or looking at their homework, discuss the value of good education
and possible career options and they also stay in touch with their children and teachers.
Epstein (1995) further asserts that parents who are involved with their children’s education are
those who consistently demonstrate good parenting skills, communicate with the school staff,
volunteer their time in the school, help their children learn at home, take an active role in school-
related decision making, and where regularly collaborate with the school community. Schools,

27. 21
therefore for effectiveness should set up networks to link all families with parent representatives
as well as providing information on school or local elections for school representatives
(Project Appleseed, 2008). They require to establish active Parents-Teachers’ Associations
(PTA), school advisory councils, or committees for parent leadership and participation, establish
independent advocacy groups to lobby and work for school reform and improvements, district
level councils and committees for family and community involvement. In addition, it is
important for schools to include parent leaders from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and other
groupings in the school and offer training to enable the leaders to serve as representatives of the
other parents, with input from and return of information to all parents. (Project Appleseed, 2008)
2.4 Summary of Literature Review
Related literature was reviewed and gaps were identified. The body of literature concerning
parental involvement and learners performance has continued to grow over the years as policy
makers, parents and school administrators increasingly became aware of it benefits. The
literature looks into the parental involvement and students’ performance. The literature revealed
that indeed parental involvement is very crucial to students’ wellbeing and their performance.
The concept parental involvement was reviewed and the researcher note lack of consensus
regarding the definition of parental involvement. Despite its intuitive meaning, the operational
use of parental involvement has not been clear and consistent (Fan & Chen, 2001). In fact due
varying definitions, some researchers choose to avoid a general definition of parental
involvement and instead they focus on specific types of the involvement exhibited by parents
(Kohl, Lengua & McMahon, 2000).

28. 22
A review of literature indicates that there are contradictory findings regarding the effect of
parental involvement on children’s academic success. Some studies reported positive
associations with academic achievement (Tipor, Keane, Shelton, & Calkins 2010; Hong & Ho,
2005). Other studies indicated no association (Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008; Barnard, 2004;
Fan & Chen, 2001) and even others reported negative association (Coleman & McNeese, 2009;
Domina, 2005; Fan, 2001).
The reviewed literature however, provides pertinent insights of relevance to the influence of
parental involvement in education on performance of students. From the literature, it can be
noted that parental involvement in education of their children is very important. However most
studies reviewed were generally outside Uganda and hardly any in Ayer Sub County which may
be having unique challenges. Secondly most of these were either qualitative or quantitative in
approach but not both. Again the sample size in these studies was quite small. All this created
gaps gap that the study wanted to fill.

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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter will discuss the methodology which will be used to conduct the research. It includes
the research design, study population, sample size and sampling techniques, data collection
instruments, validity and reliability of instruments, data collection procedure and data analysis.
3.2 ResearchMethodology
A quantitative method will be adopted in this study. Quantitative approach will be employed in
order to manage data from the closed questionnaires. Further still, quantitative approaches will
be aimed at investigating the relationship between parent involvement and academic
performance among students in primary in Ayer Sub County because ascertaining the
relationship requires strict mathematical techniques of analysis. (Guest, 2013) contends that
available evidence is increasingly supportive of quantitative research methodology paradigm.
3.3 ResearchDesign
McMillan and Schumacher (2006) describe a research design as the procedure for conducting a
study, including when, from whom and under what conditions the data will be obtained. It is the
blueprint that guides the research process in a way that is most likely to achieve the intended
purpose (Gorard, 2013). A cross sectional survey design will be used in the study based on
quantitative research approach. According to Fraenkel and Wallen (2008) cross sectional
research describes an existing relationship between variables. It is also good for studies that
involve collecting data from a large population (Vessels & Huitt, 2005). This design is
appropriate because it involves analysis of respondents across a wide spectrum, a cross-sectional

30. 24
survey design acts as the best design to decipher the required study findings (Vessels & Huitt,
2005). The academic performances of primary students are taken as the dependent variable.
Thus, the researcher will be to determine the effects of Parental involvement on students’
academic performance in primary schools in Ayer Sub County.
3.4 Location of the Study
The study will be carried out in Kole, Ayer Sub County in Uganda. Kole District is bordered
by Lira District to the east, Apac District to the south and Oyam District to the west and
north. Kole, the district capital, is located approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi), by road,
northwest of Lira, the largest city in the sub-region. This location is approximately 290
kilometres (180 mi), by road, north of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The
coordinates of the district are:02 24N, 32 48E
3.5 Population
A target population refers to a group of subjects sharing similar characterizes whom the
researcher wants to investigate (Gravetter & Forzano, 2006). The target population will be drawn
from all pupils of primary schools in Ayer Sub County. According to District Education officer
(DEO) there are 291 students. Their participation in this study will be established to provide data
on parental involvement as well as their personal data like age and gender. Form 7 students will
be targeted because it is thought that they are good people to evaluate the level of their parents’
involvement compared to parents themselves. The survey population will be made of standard
seven pupils. These are the ones who sat for standard six examinations in the preceding year and
records of their scores in that examination will be available in the relevant offices. The
distribution of such students per school and in gender is shown in table 1.

31. 25
Table1: Population
School Standard seven Pupils
Boys Girls Total
A 29 31 60
B 15 24 39
C 9 15 24
D 25 23 48
E 20 13 33
F 16 12 28
G 10 9 19
H 16 24 40
Total 140 151 291
3.6 Sample and Sampling Procedures
Kothari (2004) elucidates that a sample as a finite part of a statistical population whose
properties are studied to gain information about the whole. Purposive and simple random
sampling will be used in the study. Purposive sampling technique will be used for selecting
schools. Simple random sampling will be used to select students. Calculation of an appropriate
sample size generally depends upon the size of the population in question (Alreck & Settle,
1995). For cross sectional survey however, the sample should be between 20% and 50% of
population (Gay & Diehl, 1992). . Thus 8 schools, 146 students of primary will be selected for
the study. This information is presented in table 2.

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Table2: Sample Size
School Standard Six Pupils Sample Size
Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total
A 29 31 60 15 15 30
B 15 24 39 8 12 20
C 10 15 25 5 8 12
D 25 23 48 12 11 23
E 20 13 33 10 7 17
F 16 12 28 8 6 14
G 10 9 19 5 4 9
H 16 24 40 8 12 20
Total 141 151 292 71 75 146
3.7 ResearchInstruments
In this study, a total of two tools will be used; questionnaires for teachers, and questionnaires, for
students.
3.7.1 Questionnaire for students and teacher
The researcher developed questionnaire for students is based on the framework of six types of
involvement developed by Epstein (1995). This instrument is designed to measure how schools
are reaching out to involve parents in a meaningful manner (appendix 2). The scale uses a 28
items. It has five responses on a 5 point Likert scale: Not occurring =1, Rarely =2, Occasionally
=3, Frequently=4, Extensively = 5. A score of 4 or 5 indicates that the activity or approach is
strong and prominent. A score of 1, 2, or 3 indicates that the activity is not yet part of the
school’s program, or needs improvement.
The researcher also developed questionnaire for teachers is based on the framework of six types
of involvement developed by Epstein (1995). The scale uses a 12 items. It has five responses on
a 5 point Likert scale: Not occurring =1, Rarely =2, Occasionally =3, Frequently=4, Extensively
= 5. A score of 4 or 5 indicates that the activity or approach is strong and prominent. A score of

33. 27
1, 2, or 3 indicates that the activity is not yet part of the school’s program, or needs
improvement.
3.8 Pilot Study
A pilot study is a research conducted on a limited scale to test the feasibility of the study,
instruments and methods. A pilot study will conducted in on primary school which has similar
population characteristics as the actual population in which the study will be conducted. The
pilot study sample will constitute 10% of the actual study sample (Connelly, 2008). A sample of
teachers and learners will be selected for the pilot study. Therefore, a pilot study will be carried
to check whether the instructions given are clear and the questionnaires are comprehensive. It is
also intended to remove ambiguities and error. Besides, validity and reliability of the instruments
will be ascertained.
3.8.1 Validity
Validity is the degree to which a test or instrument measures what it is intended to measure
(Bowling, 2012). The instruments will be pre-tested among a group of subjects similar to the
intended respondents where they will be required to write comments on its veracity, ease of
comprehending the instructions and recommendations for any improvements. The validity of the
tools will be determined based on construct, content and face validity. Besides, the researcher
and supervisors will assess whether the items in tools are clear and appropriate. This will be
ascertained by ensuring that all the objectives and variables of the study are addressed tools.

34. 28
3.8.2 Reliability
Reliability of the instruments signifies the issue of consistency of measures or the ability of the
instrument to measure the same thing each time it is used (Kulter, 2007). It is a measure of the
degree to which a research instrument yields consistent results or data after repeated trials. The
instruments for this study will be pilot-tested to determine their appropriateness to the Ayer Sub
County situation before actual data collection. The instruments will be administered to the same
pilot sample twice in an interval of two weeks. The two weeks interval is enough to avoid the
impact of repetition by respondents. The reliability index of the tools will be calculated using
Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient from the test-retest scores. The acceptable
reliability coefficient will be 0.07 and above which are above adequate benchmark coefficient of
0.50.
3.9 Procedures of Data Collection
The first step will be to obtain an introduction letter from Lira university which will be presented
to the relevant authorities to grant permission to carry out research. The research permit from the
District Education Officer(DEO) will be obtained before proceeding to the field for data
collection. Arrangements on how to meet the respondents will be done by the researcher by
visiting the schools. The researcher will give teachers questionnaires to fill. Once they will be
filled, they will be collected for analysis.
3.10 Data Analysis
Data collected will be edited coded, classified and tabulated. After tabulation, the data will be
analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.descriptive
statistics including frequencies and percentages will be employed for close ended questions.

35. 29
Inferential statistics to be will be Pearson’s Product Moment Coefficient Correlations to
determine the relationship between variables. The data will be summarised through frequency
tables and bar graphs
3.10 Ethical Considerations
All the respondents will be informed about the purpose of the study. It will be explained to the
respondents that they are free to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. It will be
made clear that there will be no financial or any other form of gain as a result of their
participation. All respondents will be assured that their participation is anonymous, confidential
and voluntary. In order to observe confidentiality, the respondents will not be required to sign
anywhere on questionnaire. It will be explained that the respondents who volunteered to
complete the data collection instruments will be assumed to have given informed consent.
The questionnaire has an information sheet attached to it explaining the purpose of the study, the
time frame for the study and assurance that the information given will be utilized for study
purposes only and strict confidentiality will be observed. The information sheet also included
instructions to the respondents not to write their names or any identifiers on the questionnaires.
This information is presented in an informed consent letters that will be handed out to the
respondents (see Appendix 1). All materials will be locked up in the researcher’s office and the
computer used will be pass-worded to safeguard confidentiality. After completion of this study,
all related materials will be destroyed.

36. 30
Work Plan
Events
A S O N D J F M A M J
Reading related literature
Writing the proposal
Defense at department
Corrections on the proposal
Data collection
Data analysis
Thesis writing
Final submission

37. 31
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX I: LETTER OF INTRODUCTION
Dear Respondents,
My name is Felix Ogwang. I am a undergraduate student from Lira University, Uganda. I am
carrying out a field survey as a requirement for my academic accomplishments. The survey is
part of the study about the Parental Involvement and Academic Performance among
Primary Students in Kole, Ayer Sub County
Taking part in this study is voluntary. If you accept to take part in the study you will be required
to complete the questionnaires. Kindly respond to each as honestly as possible. Completing the
questionnaires may require between 20 and 40 minutes.
By completing the attached questionnaires and submitting to the researcher you will be deemed
to have given informed consent to participate in the study.
There are no known risks to respondents by participating in this study. But the respondents can
choose to withdraw from the study at any time without any penalty.
The information given will be absolutely used to for this study. Data will be treated with utmost
confidentiality and anonymity and only group data will be reported.
Please without writing your name or anything which may identify you, sign below if you accept
to participate in the survey as a respondent.
Signature_______________ Date:_________________

45. 39
APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRES FOR STUDENTS
Gender: Male ( ) Female ( )
I live with my ................
My age is ...... years old.
The highest education level of my father/ male guardian is.........................
The work/occupation of my father/ male guardian is ...................
Indicate your mean score in third term in standard 6 ……………..
Put a tick (√) under the right box to complete the statements.
KEY
NO=Not Occurring =1 R=Rarely=2 O=Occasionally=3 F=Frequently=4 Extensively=5
Items N.O R O F E
1. My parents/guardians talk to me about the importance of avoiding social evils
activities.
2. My parents/guardians ensure that I get sufficient time for resting after school
every day.
3. I am provided with a working table and chair at home to do my school work
4. I am provided with a special space in the house where I can do my homework
undisturbed.
5. My parents/guardians make frequent follow ups on my school academic
progress.
6. My parents/guardians make frequent follow ups with school about my
behaviour.
7. My parents/guardians frequently make follow ups on my school attendance.
8. My parents/guardians frequently provide for me with school requirements
timely (school uniform, fees and other school contributions, exercise and
reference books, pocket money).
9. I am treated fairly by my parents/guardians irrespective of my gender.
10. The walking distance from home to school leaves me exhausted when it comes
to following my lessons in school.
11. When I present my school report to my parents/guardians they look at it
critically and give me advice.
12. My parents/guardians usually tell me about the importance of education to me,
the family and the society.
13. My parents/guardians participate in varies school programmes which meant for
parents and pupils.
14. My parents/guardians arrange proper tuition sessions for me.

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15. My parents/guardians care for my health and provide me with a proper health
checks.
16. My parents/guardians provide me with proper balanced diet, cloth and shelter.
17. My parents/guardians ask me frequently about what I had done at school during
the day
18. The distance from school to home I exhausted when it comes to doing my
homework.
19. My parents/guardians frequently keep their promises to me about my studies.
20. My parents/guardians frequently reward me when I perform better in my
subjects.
21. My parents/guardians applaud me when I join and participate in games and
sports.
22. I always sense that there is a good relationship between my parents/guardians
and my teachers.
23. My parents/guardians encourage me to express my opinion and talk to me about
my feelings about anything.
24. My parents/guardians frequently make time to assist me with school homework
25. My parents/guardians frequently show sympathy to me when I am upset with
anything.
26. My parents/guardians allow me to participate in community and faith based
activities.
27. My parents/guardians take time to know my school friends.
28. My parents/guardians help me to set and achieve my goals

47. 41
Appendix 3: Questionnaire for teachers
Indicate your gender: Male ( ) Female ( )
Indicate your age bracket 25 -30 ( ) 31-35 ( ) 36-40 ( ) 41-45 ( ) 46 and above ( )
Working experience: 1-5 years ( ) 6-10 years ( ) 11 -15 Years 16 and above years
Professional qualification: certificate ( ) Diploma ( ) PGDE ( ) Bachelors ( ) Masters ( ) Others
b) Indicate the extent to which parents are involved in the academic performance of their
children at home
Use the scale below;
1=not at all, 2= to a less extent 3= somehow 4=to a large extent 5= to a very large extend
Items 1 2 3 4 5
1. Parent attend parent-teacher meeting, open days, prize-English
days
2. parents discuss with teachers academic progress of their children
3. parents assist their children to realise the set targets
4. parent communicate with teachers about learning problems at
school
c) Indicate the extent to which parents are involved in the academic performance of their
children
Use the scale below;
1=not at all, 2= to a less extent 3= somehow 4=to a large extent 5= to a very large extend
Items 1 2 3 4 5
1. parent supervise students home work
2. parents provide extra reading materials for their children
3. parents provide for extra tuition at home
4. parent like school where their children go
d) Effects of parent involvement on academic performance
Indicate the effects of parents are involved in the academic performance of their children
Use the scale below;
1=not at all, 2= to a less extent 3= somehow 4=to a large extent 5= to a very large extend
Items 1 2 3 4 5
1. the school is able accomplish more when parents are involved
2. academic performance improves
3. parents develop positive attitude towards school
4. children become successful academically