Family background and student achievement

bibliographic database
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Periodical article

Title:	Family background and student achievement
Author:	Maundu, J.N.
Year:	1988
Periodical:	Kenya Journal of Education
Volume:	4
Issue:	1
Pages:	53-87
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Kenya
Subjects:	academic achievement vocational education
Abstract:	Studies conducted in Britain and the USA during the 1960s and 1970s indicated that a student's socioeconomic background is more important in explaining his or her academic achievement than school characteristics and experiences. Research undertaken in African countries, however, has revealed that school variables tend to have greater influence on academic achievement than the socioeconomic background of students. This article examines the relationship between family background, as represented by parental education and occupation, and student achievement in the Certificate of Primary Education and the Kenya Certificate of Education examinations in Kenya. The information presented indicates that in Kenya, the level of education and type of occupation of parents are becoming increasingly important in determining their children's achievement at both the primary and secondary school levels. Bibliogr.