INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENTS AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY EDUCATION STUDENTS IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY IN NORTH WEST NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of parental involvement and socioeconomic status on the academic achievement of undergraduate Biology Education students in the Federal University of Education, Zaria, Nigeria. The study adopted an ex post facto survey research design. The population comprised undergraduate Biology Education students, from which a sample of 100 students was selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Parental Involvement and Socioeconomic Status Questionnaire (PISQ) and a Biology Education 300-Level CGPA Proforma. The questionnaire yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.82, indicating satisfactory internal consistency. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the research questions, while simple linear regression was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that undergraduate Biology Education students experienced a high level of parental involvement (Grand Mean = 4.36, SD = 0.61) and a high level of parental socioeconomic status (Grand Mean = 4.03, SD = 0.70). Students recorded a moderate mean academic achievement (Mean = 2.51, SD = 0.58). Regression analysis showed that parental involvement significantly influenced students' academic achievement (F(1,98) = 50.477, p < 0.05, β = 0.583, R² = 0.340), explaining 34.0% of the variance in academic achievement. Similarly, parental socioeconomic status significantly influenced students' academic achievement (F(1,98) = 51.069, p < 0.05, β = 0.585, R² = 0.343), accounting for 34.3% of the variance. The study concluded that both parental involvement and parental socioeconomic status are significant predictors of undergraduate Biology Education students' academic achievement. It was recommended that parents should be encouraged to participate actively in their children's academic activities, while governments and university authorities should strengthen scholarship, bursary, and financial support programmes to reduce socioeconomic barriers and improve students' academic outcomes.