Influence of Parental Involvement in Pupils Homework on Learning Outcomes in Public Junior Schools in Busia County, Kenya

Author

Hellen Wasike, Echaune Manasi & Peter Wamalwa Kijana

Abstract

 This study investigated the influence of parental involvement in pupils’ homework on learning outcomes in public junior schools in Busia County, Kenya. The study was grounded in Epstein’s Theory of Parental Involvement, which identifies six types of parental involvement that contribute to student success, one of which is learning at home. Homework support was examined as a practical expression of this home-based dimension. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. A census approach was used to include all 387 public junior schools in the county, and simple random sampling was applied to select one class teacher per school, yielding a sample of 387 teachers, or approximately 30% of the 1,237 class teachers in the target population. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire whose content validity was confirmed by academic peers and subject matter experts. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, were used to summarize the data, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between parental involvement in homework and learning outcomes. The findings revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between parental involvement in homework and learning outcomes. Pupils whose parents regularly assisted or monitored their homework performed better academically than those whose parents were less involved. The study concluded that parental involvement in homework is a key determinant of academic achievement in public junior schools. It recommends capacity-building initiatives for parents and teachers to raise awareness of the value of homework involvement and to equip stakeholders with practical strategies for supporting it. It also recommends that policymakers integrate parental engagement training into school-based programs to strengthen home-school partnerships under the Competency-Based Curriculum.

Keywords

parental involvement, homework, learning outcomes, junior schools, Busia County, Epstein’s theory

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References

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