Chapter I
The Problem and its Background
Introduction
Our country suffers about the employment status of every parents. This status can
affect the academic performance of every students. The academic relies heavily on the
parental involvement in their academic activities if they are to attain higher levels of
academic success. Education has a pivotal role in nation as well as individual character
building. It is a life line for any society and nation. Education of a child needs
multidimensional efforts. Students, teachers, institute and parents all have their importance in
their process of learning. Parent’s education is such a motivating force for a child which
paves the way for his/her future. It is an admitted fact that the children of educated parents
are more confident, resourceful and experienced that the children whose parents lack
education. Parent employment directly affects children schooling and their outcomes. On the
other hand parent’s occupation and efforts enable children to become more productive in life.
Therefore parents should serve as a good role models to their children in their respective
occupation so as positively influence students’ academic performance.
As a researcher, the researcher decided to conduct the study in order to determine
whether there is an effect on the academic performance of high school students whose parents
work.
Background of Study
The development of any nation or community depends largely on the quality of
education of such a nation. It is generally believed that the basis for any true development
must commence with the development of human resources (Akanle, 2007). Hence formal
education remains the vehicle for social-economic development and social mobilization in
any society. The difference between developed and developing nations is not on the basis of
colour, race or any other criteria, but on the basis of education and knowledge. Even in a
society itself, people are differentiated on the basis of the quality of education, received by
them (Mumthas, 2006). Education therefore has an immense impact on the development
human society. It is through education that knowledge and information is received and spread
throughout the world. In other words “without education, man is as though in a closed room
and with education he finds himself in a room with all its windows open towards outside
world” (Khan, 2003). Parents play an immense and significant role in the academic
performance of their children. Educated parents would have increased emphasis on
educational excellence. Educated parents are equipped by virtue of their education to take
cognizance of the fact that parent- student- school- community relationship is important in
order to promote educational attainment and academic achievement of their children and so
they make the partnership a priority (Okantey, 2008).
Parent has vital roles to play in the life of a child. The involvement of a parent on a
child determines the future of such child. Parenting involvement is a catch-all term for many
different activities including at ‘home,’ good parenting, helping with homework, talking to
teachers, attending school functions, through to taking part in school governance. When
schools work together with families to support learning, children tend to succeed not just in
schools but throughout life. To say the fact, the most accurate prediction of a student’s
performance in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which that student’s
parent is able to create a home environment that encourage learning and to express high
expectations for their children’s achievement and future careers.
Academic achievement is directly related to students’ growth and development of
knowledge in an educational situation where teaching and learning process takes place.
Academic achievement is defined as the performance of the students in the subject they study
in the school (Pandey, 2008). Academic performance determines the student’s status in the
class. It gives children an opportunity to develop their talents, improve their grades and
prepare for the future academic challenges. Parental involvement in promoting children’s
school success has been identified as a vital factor affecting students’ academic performance
in school. In particular, various aspects of parental involvement although, parents of different
occupation classes often have different styles of child rearing, different ways of disciplining
their children and different ways of reacting to their children. These differences do not
express themselves consistently as expected in the case of every family; rather they influence
the average tendencies of families for different occupational classes. (Rothestein, 2004).
Family is the primary cell of society where the child’s upbringing must begin since
his birth, still in cradle. According to V. Hugo, the person’s principles established since
childhood are like letters engraved in the bark of a young tree, which grow, enlarge with it
making its integral part. Therefore, right beginning makes the most important part of
upbringing/education. Nobody ever said that children were easy to rise. They don’t come
with guidelines or instructions, and they certainly don’t come with a pause button (I’ve
looked!). What they do come with is a crucial set of physical and emotional needs that must
be met. Failure of the parents to meet these specific needs can have wide-ranging and long-
lasting negative effects (Christheisen, 2009). This is because parent in the home are children
first teacher. As a child move from infant to toddler and then to a preschooler, he learns how
to speak, listen, write and read which latter develop the child to achieve academically.
The influence of parents on children school performance is well documented in
numerous studies. Gadsden (2003) says greater parental involvement at early stage in
children’s learning, positively affects the child’s school performance including higher
academic achievement. Harderves, (1998) review that family whose children are doing well
in school exhibit the following characters:
• Establish a daily family routine by providing time and a quiet place to study
with the children and assigning responsibility for house hold chores.
• Monitor out-of-school activities, for example setting limits on television
watching, reduce time of playing, monitor the group of friends the pupils walk with.
• Encourage children's development and progress in school; that is maintaining a
warm and supportive home, showing interest in children's progress at school, helping him or
her with homework, discussing the value of a good education and future career with children.
Upon this background, this study sets out to investigate the parental status and student
academic performance in senior high school.
Research Locale
This study will be conducted in the public secondary school of Gloria District,
municipality of Gloria Oriental Mindoro named: President Diosdado Macapagal Memorial
National High School (PDMMNHS) located at Brgy. Bulaklakan.
Figure 1. Vicinity Map of President Diosdado Macapagal Memorial National High School.
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
The theoretical of academic performance (Top) was developed by (Elger, 2007). The
theory emphasize six foundational concept to form a framework that can be used to explain
performance as well as performance improvements. To perform is to produce valve results.
Performer can be an individual or a group of people engaging in a collaborative effort.
Developing performance is a journey and level of performance depends holistically on six
components: context, level of knowledge, level of skills, level of identity, personal factors,
and fixed factors. Three axioms are proposed for effective performance improvements. These
involves a Performers mindset, immersion in an enriching environment and engagement in
reflective practice.
The theory of performance is a challenge to educators; by improving our own
performance we empower ourselves to help others learn and grow. As an advocated by
Harvard Project Zero, performance is closely related to learning-for-understanding (Wiske,
1998). When people learn and grow, they are empowered to create results that make a
difference. Working and learning together in ways that make the world better has been a
primary goals of higher education throughout ages.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
In view of the theoretical discussions, the following conceptual framework was developed.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE
Parental Involvement in terms of: Academic Performance of Grade
11 Students in terms of:
1.1 Financial
2.1 Students Achievements
1.2 Emotional
2.2 Attendances
1.3 Moral
2.3 Behavior
Figure 2. Conceptual Framework
Figure 2 shows the hypothesized relationship between the independent and dependent
variable. The independent variable talks about the parental involvement in terms of financial,
emotional, and moral where this variable affect academic performances of grade 11 students.
The one-tailed arrow is presented to show the hypothesized relationship between the
variables.
Statement of the Problem
The study aims to know the impact of parental involvement in the academic
performances of grade 11 students of President Diosdado Macapagal Memorial National
High School.
The following research question guided this study.
1. What is the current employment status of senior high school parents:
a. financial
b. emotional
c. moral
2. What is the average grade of the Senior High School students:
a. students achievements
b. attendances
c. behavior
3. Is there any relationship between the parental involvement and academic
performance of the grade 11 students?
Statement of the Hypothesis
There is no relationship between the employment status of parents and the academic
performance of the Senior High School Students.
Significance of this Study
It is envisaged that the findings of this study may expose some factors that might be
responsible for performance of students in school. The identified areas where government at
different levels could come in will be brought into focus in other to bridge the gap of
educational attainment of children of low and high income earners in the society. The
importance of achieving the objectives of education program among the general populace
cannot be over emphasized. A researcher, Laosa, (2005) had posted as follows: "The
educational achievement gap has deep root; it is evident very early in child's lives; even
before they enter schools. Socio–economic differences – such as health and nutrition status,
home environments that provide access to academically related experiences, mobility rates,
and financial assets can certainly influence academic achievements" (Laosa, 2005). The
responsibility of training a child always lies in the hand of the parents. This is congruent with
the common assertion sociologist that education can be an instrument of cultural change
which is being taught from home is relevant in this discuss. It is not out of place to imagine
that parental socio–economic background can have possible effects on the academic
achievement of children in school. Whatsoever affect the development environment of
children would possibly affect their education or disposition to it. The outcome of this study
will no doubt serve as a means of enlightening on the relevance of employment status of
parents and the academic performance of the senior high school.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
This study determines the impact of parental involvement on academic performances
of grade 11 students. This focuses on the variable of the study which are financial, emotional,
and moral for the independent variable and students achievements, attendances, and behavior
for the dependent variable.
Some respondents might have answered all the questions thoughtfully and some
might have answered quickly providing little (most especially the student) information about
the processes used in their school.
Definition of Terms
For better clarification and understanding of terms related to this study, the following terms
are defined conceptually and operationally.
Employment Status. This refers to the rights and protections that employees are entitled to at
work.
Academic Performance. This refers to the measurement of student achievement across
various academic subjects.
Parents. For the purpose of this study, parents include family members, siblings, guardians,
aunt's and uncles, and grandparents who are involved in school for the benefit of a specific
student.
Performance. Performance refers to students' academic efforts and is measured using test
scores.
Chapter II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
Related Literature
A characteristic that may affect the value of the parent's status involvement in the
Academic performance of the senior high school students. The literary review on students
performance has reviewed the importance of the employment status of parents. Many studies
describe that parent's employment status has a huge impact on the academic performance of
the senior high school students. More findings describe that underemployment or
unemployment by adult in household may subsequently decrease student's performance as
evidence suggests children perform worse in school following parental job loss (Kalil & Ziol-
Guest, 2008). This research is only with the senior high school students.
The academic performance of students relies heavily on parental involvement in their
academic activities if they are to attain higher levels of academic success; this assists in the
outcomes of examinations, both internal and external. Parents' occupation and efforts enable
children to become more productive in life. Numerous parents come from a variety of
professional backgrounds, which can have an impact on how they approach, prepare for, and
allocate time and money for meeting their children's educational needs. Many working
parents do not have enough time to go over their children's schoolwork and monitor their
educational progress Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's (1995, 1997) model suggests that
parents' involvement is motivated by two belief systems: role construction for involvement,
and sense of efficacy for helping the child succeed in school authors add that parental
occupation is thus considered to guarantee or determine access to learning opportunities and
resources. In the same study, it was discovered that students with high academic performance
often come from families with high occupational status .In 1995 and 1997 Hoover ‐Dempsey
and Sandler proposed a theoretical model of the parental involvement process. Taking a
psychological perspective, the model explained why parents become involved in their
children's education and how their involvement makes a difference in student outcomes.
Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's (1995, 1997) model suggests that parents' involvement is
motivated by two belief systems: role construction for involvement, and sense of efficacy for
helping the child succeed in school. “What makes a perfect parent?” asks chapter five of best-
selling book “Freakonomics” (Levitt & Dubner [2005, p. 147-176]). Parenting, as an art and
science, has a number of attractive characteristics to an economist like Steve Levitt, who sees
economics as a discipline “with excellent tools for gaining answers but a serious shortage of
interesting questions”. People spend huge amounts of time and money seeking for advice on
parenting, as reflected by the blooming media industry devoted to the subject. Today,
“parenting theories” are gaining influence into shaping childhood and education policies.
Still, much of what is believed in this field rests on experts’ opinions, and there is few solid
evidence on the benefits of parental investments.
Disappointingly, Levitt’s answer to how much parents matter for a child’s success is –
to quote Freakonomics (Levitt & Dubner [2005, p. 175]).“It isn’t so much a matter of what
you do as a parent; it’s who you are.” The reason is that much of what parents do can be
traced back to who they are: parental attitudes are strongly shaped by their own background
and environment. And in standard regression analysis, once background characteristics are
factored in, a lot of the correlation of parental behavior with the child’s outcomes disappears.
If Levitt’s answer was correct, then parental involvement in school would be a waste
of parental time. Yet in many countries, the general climate in the education community has
pushed schools to reform, giving a more important role to parents [1]. Plans to foster parental
involvement have been already scaled up to the national level, and include in some respects
the “No Child Left Behind” Act (2001) for the US, and the “Every Child Matters” Green
Paper (2003) for the UK. But even before federal or national funding became available, there
has been a huge development of local initiatives to enhance the dialogue between parents,
local communities, and schools. What is more, researchers have taken an active part in
organizing this effort in the US, where a National Network of Partnership Schools based at
the John Hopkins University has been established since 1996 [2]. In this article we review
what we know about levels, determinants and effects of parental involvement in school, and
what we could learn from the current wave of reforms.
Parental involvement, from an economist’s perspective, can be defined as direct
effort, provided by the parent, in order to increase educational outcomes of their children.
This definition implicitly refers to an education production function, and makes parental
involvement one of its arguments. The broad perspective adopted here mirrors the definition
of family involvement by the Harvard Family Research Project, one of the leading research
groups into family involvement outside economics: their definition includes all activities by
parents that are intentionally “linked to learning” (Bouffard & Weiss [2008]). This review is
concerned with parental involvement in school, defined as the efforts delivered by parents
while their child is in school age. Traditionally, however, sociologists and practitioners in
education have defined family involvement from the school’s perspective.
There are other attempts at defining parental involvement in school. Traditional
definitions are limited to school-related activities, and sociologists have made the distinction
between home-based activities (e.g. helping children with homework, discussing their
children’s experiences at school) and school-based activities (e.g., communication with the
school and participation in school-based activities) (Sui-Chu & Willms [1996]; Deslandes &
Bertrand [2004]; Walker et al. [2005]; Green et al. [2007]).The motivation of better
educational outcomes for the child is common to most attempts at defining parental
involvement by education scholars. Parental involvement is therefore instrumental to
achievement, which in this view is what parents care about.
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the research design, research respondents, sampling techniques,
research instruments, scaling and quantification, validation of research instrument, reliability
of the instrument and data gathering procedure.
Research Design
Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the statistical,
mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and
surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques.
Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups
of people or to explain a particular phenomenon.
In addition, quantitative research study is to determine the relationship between one
thing (an independent variable) and another (a dependent or outcome variable) within a
population.
A descriptive study is governed by the following rules: subjects are generally
measured once; the intention is to only establish associations between variables; and, the
study may include a sample population of hundreds or thousands of subjects to ensure that a
valid estimate of a generalized relationship between variables has been obtained
In this study, the researcher used correlational research as the design because this
study was aimed to investigate the correlation between Parental Involvement and Academic
Performance of Grade 11 Students.
According to (Creswell, 2012), correlational research is a non-experimental
quantitative design in which the researcher applies correlational statistics to measure and
describe the degree of association among variables or sets of scores.
Respondents of the Study
The respondents of the study were the grade 11 students of President Diosdado Macapagal
Memorial National High School. One hundred eighty-one (181) out of three hundred twenty-
nine (329) grade 11 students were randomly selected as a respondent of the study.
Sections Populations Sample size Percent
SOCRATES (HUMMS A) 50 28 16 %
MACHIAVELLI (HUMMS B) 48 26 14 %
PYTHAGORAS (ABM) 28 15 8%
AUGOSTO COMPE (HUMMS D) 54 3O 17 %
FERRIOLS (HUMMS E) 57 31 17 %
ERIK ERIKSON (HUMMS C) 53 29 16 %
BAVAGE (ICT) 39 22 12 %
TOTAL N=329 n=181 100%
Table 1. Respondents of the Study
Sampling techniques
Stratified Random Sampling was used in selecting the respondents of this study. To
determine the sample size, the Slovin’s formula was used to identify how many respondents
would get for each sections. The grade 11 students of President Diosdado Macapagal
Memorial National High School were clustered using the following sections: a) Socrates, b)
Machiavellli, c) Pythagoras, d) Augosto Compe, e) Ferriols, f) Erik Erikson, and g) Bavage.
Then, the respondents for each stratum were carefully chosen using the simple random
sampling to represent their sections.
The following is the Slovin’s formula for getting the sample size.
N
n=
1+ N ( e ² )
Where:
n = sample size
e = margin of error at 5%
1 = constant number
Research Instrument
To determine the relationship of parental involvement to the academic performances
of grade 11 students, the researcher made a descriptive questionnaire which was given thru
hardcopies in order to determine the relationship between parental involvement and academic
performances of grade 11 students in President Diosdado Macapagal Memorial Natonal High
School.
The questionnaire was divided into two parts. Part 1 was composed of independent
variables of parental involvement in terms of financial, emotional, and moral while Part 2
was composed of dependent variables of academic performances of grade 11 students in
terms of: students achievements, attendance, and behavior.
Scaling and Quantification
This is used to describe the responses of the respondents towards the focus of the
study which is parental involvement and academic performances of grade 11 students using
the given scale below.
Table 2
Parental Involvement and Academic Performances
Numerical scale, Statistical Limit and Verbal Interpretation
Verbal Interpretation
Numerical scale Statistical Limit Parental Academic
Involvement Performances
5 4.50-5.00 Always Always
4 3.50-4.49 Often Often
3 2.50-3.49 Sometimes Sometimes
2 1.50-2.49 Seldom Seldom
1 1.0-2.49 Never Never
