The effect of parental school involvement on student academic achievement in Somalia: moderating role of parental education

The study aimed to examine the effect of parental school involvement on student academic achievement in Somalia, with a focus on the moderating role of parental education. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected from 104 parents of students in Benadir schools using a structured questionnaire assessing home-based involvement, school-based involvement, home–school communication, parental education, and student academic achievement. Independent-samples t-tests revealed that mothers demonstrated significantly higher home-based involvement than fathers (t(101.99) = -3.771, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 0.634). One-way ANOVA analyses indicated statistically significant differences in student academic achievement across low, moderate, and high levels of home-based involvement (F(2, 101) = 30.292, p < .001), school-based involvement (F(2, 101) = 23.262, p < .001), and home–school communication (F(2, 101) = 19.863, p < .001). Multiple regression analyses showed that home-based involvement (β = 0.327, p = .001) and parental education (β = 0.336, p < .001) were significant positive predictors of student academic achievement, while school-based involvement and home–school communication were not statistically significant. Moderation analysis indicated that parental education significantly moderated the relationship between home-based involvement and student academic achievement (β = -0.424, p = .023), suggesting that home-based involvement has a stronger positive effect on students whose parents have lower education levels. These findings highlight the critical role of home-based parental engagement and parental education in supporting student academic outcomes in Somalia. The study recommends targeted programs to encourage parental involvement and address educational disparities in the family context.