The Impact of Parental Socioeconomic Status on Academic Performance of the GCE A/L Students

Abstract

Education is a powerful tool to trigger the economic development of the country. As a developing country, Sri Lanka faces many issues due to the lack of educational facilities in the rural areas. Therefore, the study demonstrates how the parental socioeconomic status affects the academic performance of the GCE A/L students. The data have collected through a structured questionnaire from 50 Students by using the stratified random sampling method. The findings show that 76% of the sample units belonged to the poor income group. According to the regression analysis, the education level of parents is positively affects their child's education. The R squared value of the model is 79.97%, which represents the high explanatory power of independent variables. However, the education level of the mother is compulsory for children's performance in academics. Moreover, the coefficient of family income is 0.319 and it is positively correlated with the calculated A/L score. Family income and available facilities at home also positively impact student's performance. Moreover, public education facilities and student's interest in academics lead to better academic performance. The study suggests that parents should improve their economic and social support for their children to improve their child's academic performance. The government should make public policies and plans to improve education facilities. Public policies should be oriented more towards providing cheaper, more widespread, and better educational opportunities.