Impact of parental socio-economic status on academic performance of students: A case study of Island Educational Zone, Jaffna

Abstract

Education is one of the important factors for development. As a developing country, Sri Lanka faces many issues due to the lack of educational facilities in the rural areas. Sri Lanka has faced 30 years of civil war. The Jaffna district is very vulnerable in educational achievements after the civil war. Particularly, the educational achievements of the island educational zone are low compared to other educational zones of the Jaffna district and at the country level. Therefore, the lack of educational achievement in the island educational zone is a problem of high significance in the research area. The objective of this study is to analyze how the parental socioeconomic status affects the academic performance of the students. Several studies related to the issues such as educational qualifications of teachers, class environment, gender differences and teaching methods have been conducted. However, research regarding the impact of parental socioeconomic status on students‘ academic performance is scarce. This study attempts to fill this research gap. The data was collected through structured questionnaires from 50 students and various socioeconomic factors were used for analysis. The findings show that 76% of the sample units belonged to the poor income group. The results of the regression analysis show that the education level of parents affects their child‘s education positively and significantly. However, the education level of the mother is more vital for children‘s performance in academics. Moreover, family income and the facilities available at home also impact student‘s performance positively and significantly. Further, public education facilities and student‘s personal interest in academics lead to better academic performance. The study suggests that the parents should improve their economic and social status to support their children. The government should make public policies and plans to improve education facilities. Public policies should be oriented more towards providing cheaper, more widespread, and better educational opportunities.