Academic Performance and Socio-Economic Status

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2025 in the subject Sociology, grade: final year, University of Nigeria (Bauchi State University), course: Sociology, language: English, abstract: This study investigated the influence of parents' socio-economic status (SES) on the academic performance of students at St. Philips Secondary School in Tina Junction, Plateau State, Nigeria. Grounded in Human Capital and Cultural Capital theories, the research aimed to investigate the relationship between parents' income level, educational attainment, and occupational status, and students' academic performance. A specific objective also explored whether the influence of parental SES on academic achievement in Biology differed significantly between male and female students. A descriptive correlational research design was adopted to examine these relationships. The study's target population comprised all secondary school students at St. Philips Secondary School. While the initial calculated sample size for the student population was 248, the actual achieved sample for data collection totaled 129 respondents. This sample included 100 students, 25 Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) members (as parents), and 4 school principals (as parents). Data were primarily collected using structured questionnaires administered to students and parents, supplemented by students' academic performance records obtained from the school. Quantitative data analysis involved both descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) to summarize demographic characteristics and variable distributions, and inferential statistics (including correlation analysis and Analysis of Variance - ANOVA) to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed significant insights into the research questions. Firstly, the analysis indicated a statistically significant influence of parental socio-economic status on students' academic performance. Furthermore, this influence is not uniform across genders, suggesting specific considerations for male and female students. The study recommends that school administrations, parents, and educational policymakers in Plateau State develop targeted strategies such as parental engagement programs, resource support initiatives, and enhanced guidance and counseling services.