ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to find out the influence that family socioeconomic status has on students‟ academic performance. The independent variable for the study was socioeconomic status (SES) of the family, and would be measured by the family income and education level of the parents. The dependent variable was students‟ academic performance in examinations. The study adopted an ex-post factor survey design, and was conducted in public secondary schools in Igembe South District, from which ten schools were randomly selected for the study using stratified random sampling. All the headteachers from the ten schools participated in the study. The study employed a questionnaire and an interview schedule for data collection. A pilot study was conducted in one school in order to improve validity and reliability of the instruments. Questionnaires were administered to the students, while an interview schedule was used to guide interviews to be held with headteachers. Data was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative techniques involved use of descriptive statistics such as frequencies, modes, mean and percentages. Qualitative data was analysed by organizing them in similar themes and tallying the number of similar responses, after which the data was reported thematically in line with the objectives of the study. The study established that most of the students came from stable families, as both their parents were alive. Students from low economic status were more likely to drop out of school. The study recommended that parents should ensure that their children received all the financial support they need in order to improve their performance in school and that school heads should come up with ways of bridging the socio-economic gap between students by channeling CDF funds and bursaries to the needy students and ensure that all students feel adequate in school among other recommendations