Parents' Participation and Academic Performance in Target Community College, Luwero District, Uganda

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the effect of parents’ participation and academic performance at T.C.C. The objectives of the study were; to find out the role played by parents in the management of T.C.C, to investigate the influence of parents’ participation in school financing on students’ academic performance and to find out the influence of parents participation on the management of students’ discipline on the academic performance in T.C.C. The study was guided by McGregor’s theory X and Y which explains how different stakeholders, will participate towards the achievement of school set objectives. Relevant literature and documents on academic performance were reviewed. The study adopted a cross section survey design. A section of students, teachers, parents and administrators were involved. In the study, a sample of 33 students, 10 teachers.169parents and 3 administrators were selected out of which 33 students, 9 teachers, 113 parents and 3 administrators participated hence making a response rate of 73.5% Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected, analyzed, interpreted and presented. The findings of the study were; parental involvement in school’s planning has not been realized in T.C.C, that the parents in T.C.C have not been adequately involved in the financing of school activities, which has led to financial resources constraints and, consequently, impinged on the students’ academic performance. It was also established that parents’ involvement in students discipline has had no effect on academic performance in T.C.C. It was, therefore, concluded that parental involvement in the management of school discipline should be complemented with participation in planning/management and financing of the school if good academic performance is to be realised. The study recommendations that were suggested included; the need for government to make a policy on the specific roles parents should play in school management, government should increase funding of USE program managers of T.C.C devise non-tuition related means of financing the school and focus should not be on discipline alone but also on other variables like quality of students at the point of entry in senior one, quality of teaching, internal efficiency of the school and staff motivation.