Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Advanced Research in Education, Teaching and Learning
Year: 2025
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Academic Achievement and Parental Involvement in Rwanda’s Muhanga District Public Secondary Schools
Simona Lunina, Asso. Prof.Dr. Vaida Jurgilė
ABSTRACT:
Though Rwanda’s education sector has advanced, many students are still lagging in terms of education in public secondary schools in Muhanga district. Parental involvement in education is a critical component that should is not paid enough attention to. Although research demonstrates that students do better when their parents get involved, there is little known regarding how they are involved and what type of effect that has in the Rwandan context. This study examines the role of parental involvement in improving students’ academic performance through the forms of support, like supervision, communicating with school officials, and interaction, and socio economic, cultural and social class factors. A mixed methods approach was used to collect data with a structured disciplined questionnaire to three hundred students and two interviews from six parents. Statistical analysis (ANOVA, t-test, chi square) was done on SPSS, and NVivo helped in thematic analysis of interview data. Quantitative findings showed that there is a significant relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement, there were higher grades among those students in whose parents were involved more. Findings related to qualitative issues pointed to gaps in awareness and socio-economic barriers coupled with inability of effective school parent’s communication.
The conclusion of the study is that when parents are included in their children’s education, provided that inclusive school practices and policy frameworks are in place, student outcomes are enhanced. Recommendations are delivered to educators, parents, and education policymakers to strengthen family-school partnership.
Keywords: academic achievement, educational outcomes, parental involvement, public secondary school, student performance