Parental Involvement and Academic Outcomes Nexus in Public Secondary Schools: A Focus on Nyamira County, Kenya

This study set out to examine how parental involvement impacts the academic achievement of secondary school students in standardized national examinations. The research specifically analyzed outcomes in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) within Nyamira County, which was selected due to its consistently below-average performance in KCSE outcomes over recent years. Several scholarly studies reviewed highlight growing concern over the persistently low academic performance observed in the County. This trend prompted critical inquiry into why student outcomes appeared disproportionately poor, even though the learning environments in neighboring counties are generally comparable. This study was grounded in the theory of performance in public secondary schools. The researchers employed the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sampling table to determine an appropriate sample size. A total of 889 respondents participated, including teachers, Parents Association (PA) members, school principals, and disciplinary masters from selected schools. Data were primarily collected using structured questionnaires. For data analysis, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used, incorporating both descriptive and inferential statistics within a multiple regression framework. To examine the relationships among the study variables, a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted. The study's findings affirmed that parental involvement plays a critical role in influencing student academic outcomes within the subject county. Notably, the educational level of parents was found to significantly impact learners’ academic outcomes. It was observed that parents of high-achieving students tend to be more engaged in their children’s academic lives, both at home and within the school environment, compared to parents of low-achieving students. Furthermore, students with strong intrinsic motivation were more likely to possess positive self-perceptions regarding their academic competence, while those driven primarily by extrinsic factors exhibited lower academic self- confidence. Overall, the research highlights the urgent need for strategies that promote greater parental engagement in the learning process. This is crucial, as the lack of well-structured engagement mechanisms was identified as a key barrier to effective parental participation, thereby hindering student academic progress in secondary schools.