Influence of Parental and Community Factors on Educational Achievement of Children in Kabong, Plateau State, Nigeria
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Abstract
This study examined parental and community factors influencing the educational achievement of children in Kabong, Plateau State, Nigeria. It specifically investigates how socioeconomic and environmental factors affect children’s academic achievement in underserved communities. The study was driven by the growing concern over poor academic outcomes in low-income settlements such as Kabong, Plateau State, Nigeria. The study was anchored on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. Bronfenbrenner’s emphasized that children’s academic achievement is influenced through direct and indirect interactions with the environment at these layers: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem, while Social Learning Theory laid emphasis on how observational learning, imitation, and modelling shape the child’s development. A qualitative and quantitative method was employed using structured questionnaires, interviews, and observation, respectively. Data from 352 respondents involving parents, community leaders, members and teachers, collected using Krejcie and Morgan’s formula, and analyzed using frequency tables and cross-tabulations through the aid of SPSS. Findings revealed that low parental income and the nature of parental occupations hinder children’s access to quality education, timely school enrollment, and academic support. In addition, community factors and/or environmental challenges such as poor infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, noise pollution, and a lack of positive role models in Kabong were found to negatively impact concentration, school attendance, and motivation. Based on these findings, recommendations include the provision of government-led conditional educational support, community sensitization programs for parents, and the establishment of after-school study centers by NGOs and faith-based organizations to mitigate the identified barriers to educational success.
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