Socioeconomic Determinants of Academic Performance: The Influence of Parental Education, Occupation, and Income on Secondary School Students in Kasese District, Uganda

This study determined whether the socioeconomic background of parents leads to significant differences in students’ academic performance in the secondary schools of Kitswamba and Rugendabara-Kikongo town councils, Kasese District. Objectives were to: examine parental education, assess parents’ occupation, and establish how family income level influences academic performance. Social Darwinism and social conflict theories are what guided this study. The study adopted a cross-sectional design on 250 students and 5 head teachers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and an interview guide. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Table 5 suggests that mean scores for those with tertiary education (mean=2.15) were the highest while non-formal education (mean 1.42) had the lowest mean scores. The observed F=3.847 was large with a level of significance (p=0.010, p< 0.05). Therefore, hypothesis to the effect that parental educational level leads to significant differences. The mean scores for those in government civil service (mean=2.14) were highest followed by nongovernmental service (mean=2.13), and commercial and peasant farmers had the same mean (mean=2.11). However, the observed F=0.124 was low with the level of significance (p=0.946, p>0.05). Therefore, the hypothesis to the effect that parental occupation leads to significant differences was rejected. The results for guardians according to income showed that the income of the fathers has a more significant influence than that of the mothers. This is because the F=statistic (F=3.926) for the males was slightly higher (F=3.850) than that of females with a lower p-value (p=0.021) than that of females (p=0.023). Therefore, parental educational level is imperative for students’ academic performance. The study recommends that the government of Uganda and schools should promote the education of parents in the country, promote children’s education by emphasizing occupation of their parents, and promote the income of parents to support the education of children. Keywords: Socioeconomic Background, Parental Education, Academic Performance, Parental Occupation, Kasese District, Uganda