ABSTRACT

This study investigated the role of parental contributions on students’ academic performance in some selected secondary schools in Ilala Municipality of Dar es Salaam region in Tanzania mainland. The study applied mixed research methods where the researcher employed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches in a single study. Exploratory research design was used in this study. Five public secondary schools were involved which included a sample of 120 among whom 100 were students, 15 parents and 5 heads of schools. Students were selected randomly while parents and teachers were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview guides. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 and content analysis was used in organizing information from qualitative tools whereas direct quotation form respondents were taped. The reliability of 0.8 was obtained through test-retest method of testing reliabilities. The above coefficient indicated that the information obtained was reliable. The study findings indicated that parental contributions are crucial for increasing students’ academic performance. Hence Ilala Municipal administration should invest much effort in making sure that there is a good parents-school association which ensures students are performing much better year after year. Also, the school administration should make sure that parents become part and parcel of the school activities. Furthermore, the study found out that, students who are coming from high income families perform much better compared to those from lower income families. This conveys a strong message to the government that, schools should be built in such a way that all students are receiving the same environment when they are at school. This includes building more boarding schools where all students are boarded at school hence receiving the same condition. The results further showed that parents have a tendency of influencing the future careers such as medical doctors and lawyer and dislike others including teaching which may be the interest of their children. Among major obstacles to effective school-parent association include time limit, ignorance and single-parent families. The study recommends that, policy makers should prepare a good policy which will ensure good parents-school association for better students’ performance. Heads of schools will help if they create a warm environment for incorporating parents in the school programs. Further studies need to be conducted on the specific issues which parents have to be involved in order to gear up students’ academic performance.