Parental Choice of Islamic Private Secondary School

This study investigated factors that affect parental choice of Islamic secondary private schooling in Kulim. There must be reasons behind the parental rejection of free public schools in favour of private schools. The major areas of investigation include: (a) family characteristics (gender, level of income, level of education attainment and history of school attendance- private or public) (b) parents’ attitude and satisfaction toward characteristics of private school ( student achievement, teacher quality, discipline, academic standards, class size, curriculum, and physical facilities) The study utilised a questionnaire for parents which measured 20 demographic traits, as well as 10 attitude variables and 10 satisfaction variables. The parent questionnaire was sent to 320 parents in the 3 Islamic private secondary schools in Kulim who had children enrolled in Form One, Two, Three, Four and Five. A return rate of 74.06 percent was achieved. Statistics involved frequencies, percent, mean score, correlation, t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Bivariate correlation was used to determine the significance of relationship between choice made and demographic traits. The t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to find the difference between the means of attitude and level of satisfaction. The results were: 1. Islamic teaching, strict rules of discipline and hardworking teachers were variables that exerted strong influence on the parental attitude and level of satisfaction. 2. There was a relationship between the parental attitude and parent’s satisfaction on private Islamic schooling. 3. Demographic traits such as father’s occupation, mother’s working status, household income, financial burden and distance of home from school were variables that had an impact on parental attitude and satisfaction. This research gave an insight in the contribution of the private Islamic schools in the effort of nation building. The finding of the survey can be used as an opportunity to examine the attitude and needs of the parents. This information enables educators to better develop schools which are able to meet the needs and expectations of their clients, the students and parents.