The Impact of Parental Socioeconomic Status on Students’ Academic Achievement in Secondary Schools in Tanzania

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of parental socioeconomic status (SES) on students’ academic achievement in secondary schools. Two research objectives guided the study. They are: How does parents’ occupation, income, level of education and home environment affect students’ academic achievement in secondary schools? To what extent does parental involvement in education of their children enhance academic achievement? The study employed a qualitative research approach informed by a case study research design. A purposive sampling technique was used to obtain 60 informants drawn from amongst parents, teachers and students. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focused group discussions. Data were analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The study found that majority of the students from the selected secondary schools are from low SES. The study established that there is a close relationship between SES and academic achievement. The study further found that majority of the parents are not involved in the learning of their children as well as in the school improvement programmes. The study recommends that the government should review the policy of cost sharing and make it free to o-level students especially to low SES students. In addition, schools should have professional guidance and counsellors to help students with problems to reduce the gap between low and high SES.