Low Parental Involvement Research Articles

Family functioning and mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-cohort comparison of emerging adults

The aim of the present study was to analyze how family relationships changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine whether the health crisis modified the association between family dimensions and emerging adult children’s mental health. A large sample of 1732 emerging adults was recruited at two different moments. In 2015, 755 emerging adults were recruited, 201 from campus A (sample 1) and 554 from campus B (sample 2). In 2020, a new sample was recruited and 977 emerging adults completed the questionnaire, 198 from campus A (sample 1 / “Pre-pandemic sample”, recruited before the lockdown) and 779 from campus B (sample 2 / “COVID-19 sample” / recruited after the lockdown. The results reveal that the COVID-19 sample of emerging adults perceived poorer parent-child relationships (lower parental involvement and warmth) and reported poorer mental health (lower flourishing and higher psychological distress) than their counterparts in Cohort 1. For their part, the Pre-pandemic sample reported higher levels of psychological distress than their counterparts in Cohort 1. In all samples (Cohort 1 and Cohort 2, both Pre-pandemic and COVID-19), parenting functions were positively associated with children’s flourishing and negatively associated with their psychological distress. However, these associations were stronger in Cohort 2 than in Cohort 1, both when assessed before and when assessed during the pandemic. The results of the study support the increasingly important role played by the family as a protective factor for mental health, even in stressful situations when family relationships tend to deteriorate. Study limitations include the use of a sample composed mainly of young emerging adult university students. Future studies should strive to include more emerging adults from the entire age range encompassed by emerging adulthood, as well as members of the non-university-going emerging adult population. Investing in public programs focused on family functions during emerging adulthood is an essential strategy for protecting and improving young adults’ mental health and promoting positive family relationships in stressful situations.

Isu Dan Masalah Dalam Analisis Kebijakan Pendidikan Di MAS PAB 1 Sampali

This research discusses several educational problems at MAS PAB I Sampali and analyzes policies that can be implemented to improve the quality of education. The main focus of research includes curriculum, educational infrastructure, parental involvement, and policy implementation challenges. First, inappropriate curricula are a concern, requiring thorough evaluation and adjustments to include 21st century skills. Second, limited educational infrastructure requires evaluation and improvement to ensure the availability of facilities that are conducive to effective learning. Third, low parental involvement can be overcome through special programs such as regular meetings and parent training. Fourth, policy implementation challenges, such as resistance to change, require identification of barriers and effective implementation strategies. This solution can be the basis for improving the quality of education at MAS PAB I Sampali and making it more responsive to today's demands. This transformation is not only to meet current educational needs but also to face future challenges with confidence and readiness.

Foundation Phase Educators’ Views on the Management of Professional Development in Historically Disadvantaged Schools

Foundation Phase (FP) educators are deemed productive when cohorts of learners who pass through their hands cope well with learning beyond the initial three grades of schooling. In South Africa, despite empirical evidence showing that FP educators in historically disadvantaged schools contend with overcrowded classes, low parental involvement and a shortage of teaching and learning resources, are still perceived as the primary source of poor learner achievement. The other point of view is that teacher underperformance and poor learner achievement are a legacy of the apartheid-engineered Bantu education policies that left the schooling system with poorly trained Black educators. To reverse these challenges, post-apartheid educational policies mandate that every school continuously conduct teacher professional development (TPD). Situated in the theory of change (ToC), this qualitative interpretivist study used interviews of a semi-structured nature to purposefully interact with a sample of six FP educators. They each characterised their HoDs’ management of TPD in two primary schools in Emalahleni Circuit 2, Mpumalanga Province. The second method of data collection entailed the analysis of a range of documents, namely the educators’ files, school performance improvement plans, and national education policy documents, to cross-check the findings of the thematic analysis. The findings revealed that HoDs were sufficiently collegial towards educators, showed commitment towards rendering professional support to educators, and adhered to a tight schedule of class visits to develop and appraise educators and monitor their implementation of inclusive education practices. Barriers stemmed from educators’ apprehension towards HoD’s class visits, especially the randomly conducted ones. The second barrier was the school management teams’ (SMTs’) inefficiency of professionalism, support for HoDs and understanding of curriculum leadership policy. The study recommends that communication around HODs’ scheduled and random class visits needs to take a more inclusive approach to scale down the panic caused by them, and SMTs must be equally prioritised for continuous professional development.

The protective role of parental support in links between adolescents’ weight-based bullying and psychological adjustment problems

ABSTRACT In the United States, weight-based peer victimization (herein “bullying”) is prevalent and has been shown to have short- and long-term detrimental effects on adolescents’ mental health. We utilized secondary data analysis to explore associations between adolescents’ weight-based bullying, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and parental involvement. Moderated mediation models found depressive symptoms mediated the relation between weight-based bullying and both callousness and social anxiety symptoms, but only in the context of low parent involvement. This study highlights parental involvement as a potential protective factor and demonstrates the need for mental health screening and intervention for adolescents who experience weight-based bullying.

Parental involvement affects parent-adolescents brain-to-brain synchrony when experiencing different emotions together: An EEG-based hyperscanning study

Parental involvement (PI) is a broad and multifaceted construct, which refers to the parental demonstration of interest in their child, caring, and warmth (Davis et al., 2021). Parental involvement affects parent-adolescent’s relationship and communication. However, there was little research to examine the underlying neural mechanism. The present study aimed to explore how parental involvement is associated with the brain-to-brain synchronous activation between parent-adolescent dyads when sharing emotional experience together by using the electroencephalograph (EEG) hyperscanning. EEG was recorded simultaneously in a sample of 26 parent-adolescent dyads (Mparents’age=43.312, SD=5.468; Madolescents’ age=12.077, SD=1.412) when completing the picture processing task. Phase locking values (PLVs) in beta band and gamma band were used to compare the differences in the parent-adolescent dyads’ induced brain-to-brain synchrony between the high parental involvement group (HPI) and the low parental involvement group (LPI). Results showed that greater beta brain-to-brain synchrony was observed in the HPIs than in the LPIs when experiencing positive emotions together in the central region. However, there was no significant difference between the HPIs and the LPIs in the negative and neutral condition. Moreover, greater gamma brain-to-brain synchrony was observed when viewing negative emotional stimuli together than viewing positive emotional stimuli together in the LPIs in the central region. However, there was no significant difference between different emotional conditions in the HPIs. Findings of the present study provide neuroscientific evidence that parental involvement may strengthen parent-adolescent’s emotional interaction and communication.

Socioeconomic status and school adjustment trajectories among academically at-risk students: The mediating role of parental school-based involvement

This study examined whether and how parental school-based involvement mediated the effect of early family socioeconomic status (SES) on the development of four dimensions of school adjustment, namely academic achievement, classroom engagement, teacher-student relationship, and peer relationship. Latent growth modeling and longitudinal mediation analyses were conducted with a sample of 784 academically at-risk students from Grades 1 to 5. Results revealed that higher SES predicted higher levels of each of the four dimensions of school adjustment in Grade 1, effects that were mediated by Grade 1 parental school-based involvement. SES did not predict growth in parental involvement and school adjustment outcomes. These findings highlight the negative cascading processes by which low SES predicts low parental school-based involvement in early elementary school, which heightens the developmental risks in school adjustment in both the academic and social domains in academically at-risk students.

The Influence of Different Dimensions of the Parent–Child Relationship in Childhood as Longitudinal Predictors of Substance Use in Late Adolescence. The Mediating Role of Self-Control

Abstract This study examined longitudinal links between several dimensions of parent–child relationship and adolescent substance use, and tested the role of self-control in mediating these. Data came from the Zurich Project on the Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood. Validated questionnaires were used to measure parent–child domains at age 11, self-control at age 13, and substance use at ages 13, 15, 17, and 20. Low positive parenting and parental supervision, as well as aversive parenting, correlated with substance use. Linear regression model revealed that aversive parenting, low child disclosure, low positive parenting, and low parental involvement at age 11 predicted substance use at different stages of adolescence. These associations were mediated by low self-control at age 13. Involving parents and increasing their knowledge about desirable parental practices and ways to help their children to develop adequate self-control could be an effective element in substance use prevention strategies.

The Role of Parental Pressure and Warmth in the Relationship Between Parental Involvement, Parental Expectations, and Child Academic Success

The purpose of this study was to investigate both parent and child perceptions of parental involvement, parental expectations, parental pressure, and parental warmth, and the relationship of these variables with GPA. It was hypothesized that each of the independent variables would be positively correlated with GPA, excluding parental pressure, which would be negatively correlated with GPA. It was also hypothesized that the combination of high parental expectations and low parental involvement would have a positive relationship with parental pressure and a negative relationship with parental warmth. Parents (n = 158) of children in 6th–8th grade and 70 6th–8th grade children completed an online survey measuring these factors. Results from the parent survey demonstrated a positive correlation between parental expectations and child GPA (p = .047). Results from the child survey showed a negative correlation between parental pressure and GPA (p = .003), and that parental involvement can predict scores for the child’s sense of parental warmth. These findings provide a better understanding of various factors related to academic success, and they can lead to effective interventions for both parents and the educational system to increase academic achievement in youth.

EFFECTS OF POLYGAMY ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN TOWNSHIP WARD, TURKANA CENTRAL SUBCOUNTY, KENYA

Polygamy is considered both in developing and developed countries as a determinant of child schooling performance. Empirical findings from developed countries consistently confirm that the trade-off between reduced parental involvement and education exerts negative pressure on academic performance. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of parental involvement in polygamous families on the academic performance of public primary pupils in the Township Ward of Turkana Central Sub County. The study was anchored on Structural Functionalism Theory because of its explicit exposure to how family socialization as a basic social unit builds on the well-being of the future of the individuals in society. The study adopted mixed methods research design. The target population was 42763 comprising 21374 primary school pupils, their 21374 parents, and 15 head teachers in the Township Ward of Turkana Central Sub County. The researcher adopted a purposive sampling technique in selecting the pupils and the head teachers who participated in the study. Quantitative data was collected using close-ended questionnaires from pupils and polygamous parents while qualitative data was collected from the headteachers using interview schedules. Quantitative data analysis techniques included percentages and mean. Study findings were presented using frequency distribution tables. Qualitative data was analyzed through categorical themes. The study revealed that reduced parental involvement affects negatively the academic performance of pupils in Turkana. The study also revealed that the percentage of educated mothers and fathers from polygamous families is as low consequently leading to a low parental involvement in the child’s academic work. In light of the findings, the study proposed recommendations to various stakeholders to formulate policies that will ensure local leaders unite and launch a robust community sensitization campaign on the importance of parental involvement in the studies of their children.

Insights from a Catholic school’s transition to distance learning during Covid-19

ABSTRACT Drawing upon 15 semi-structured interviews with teachers at a Catholic school in the British city of Hull, we offer new qualitative insights on the effects of students’ unequal access to digital tools when switching to distance learning in the context of COVID-19 school closures. During the 2020–2021 academic year, this school serving pupils from highly dissimilar socioeconomic backgrounds distributed 300 laptops to students who did not own any digital learning device. It emerges that students with limited access to devices suffered negative impacts on their academic performance, and that this effect also applied to students who had access to a mobile device and hence did not receive a laptop. Our interviews also suggest that having to share a device with another family member leads to more absenteeism and a fall in academic attainment. Low parental involvement is shown to have negative effects on students’ attainment, particularly for children from deprived backgrounds. Finally, poorer students are seen to become isolated from peers, with diminishing social skills throughout lockdowns due to their lack of access to digital tools.

Longitudinal analysis of cognitive development across childhood and adolescence: evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

BackgroundPoor cognitive ability in childhood may lead to poor outcomes across the life course. Thus, isolating clusters of children who share similar trajectories of cognitive development across the childhood developmental stages will facilitate the development of more precise interventions. This study sought to identify trajectories of cognitive development across childhood and early-adolescence. We then aimed to assess associations of these trajectories with demographic factors, socioeconomic circumstances, parenting and school environment. MethodWe used data from the UK Millennium Cohort study on 11564 children aged between 3 and 14 years. Cognitive development was assessed through standard cognition tests administered individually to cohort members at ages 3, 5, 7, 11, and 14 years. The British Ability Scales II tests were used at ages 3–11 years and a word activity test at age 14 years. Standardised test scores were used to classify children into two groups to create a binary measure with children classified as having cognitive problems if they scored –1·25 SDs below the cohort mean. We used a group-based trajectory model to identify trajectories of cognitive development for children. Multinomial regression models were used to assess associations. FindingsFour trajectories were identified: early childhood cognitive problems (719 [6·2%] of sample), late childhood cognitive problems (1084 [9·4%]), persistent cognitive problems (498 [4·3%]) and low cognitive problems (9263 [80·1%]). In the multivariable regression analysis increasing deprivation, low maternal education and low parental involvement with school increased the risk of being in all of the problem groups compared with children with low cognitive problems. Males, being bullied and those of non-White ethnicity had an increased risk of being in the persistent problems group. Males, not being read to and those of non-White ethnicity had an increased risk of being in the early problems group. Females, being bullied and not enjoying school had an increased risk of being in the late problems group. InterpretationDeprivation is associated with cognitive problems throughout childhood. Gender, ethnicity, the school environment, and aspects of parenting are associated with cognitive problems at different stages of childhood. These findings highlight possible targets for interventions. Using a contemporary nationally representative UK cohort, to identify characteristics of children with similar trajectories of cognitive development, strengthens generalisability of findings to inform UK policy. FundingUK National Institute for Health Research Doctoral Research Fellowship Programme.

Challenges Experienced by Teachers in Implementing the Pre-Primary Education in Zanzibar

This study examined challenges experienced by teachers while implementing PPE in Zanzibar. The study employed qualitative methodology and a case study design. A total number of 18 respondents participated in the study where by nine were pre-primary school teachers, six were pre-primary school head teachers and three were quality assurance officers from the Ministry of Education. Data was collected by using a focus group discussion, semi structured interviews and documents. The study concluded that inadequate teaching and learning materials, low parental involvement, in-adequate training, shortage of qualified teachers, low parental economic status, shortage of play grounds, learners’ disciplinary and behavioral issues and overcrowded classrooms were key challenges encountered by teachers in the implementation of the PPE curriculum. The study recommends that government authorities that oversee PPE in Zanzibar should provide in-service training opportunities for teachers to be well prepared to handle the PPE more effectively. Relevant authorities should ensure construction of more classrooms to match with the enrollment ratios. Furthermore, there is a need to sensitize parents to get involved in their children’s school affairs for better outcomes to be realized.

Family Environment and Rural Child Development in Shanxi, China

The family environment in rural Northwest China has undergone significant changes as a result of the accelerated migration of rural populations. We constructed an indicator system for measuring the development of rural children in northwest China and use Shanxi as an example to conduct field research on the effects of family structure on children’s education. We constructed a children’s comprehensive development index for regression analysis using the principal component method. We also built a mediating effect model based on the importance of parents’ involvement in their children’s development. Then, we examined the influence mechanism between family structure and children’s development in northwest rural areas. Finally, we found that family structure significantly affects the development of rural children in Shanxi Province, especially two-parent families. Furthermore, parental emotional involvement has a significant mediating effect on rural children’s development. Due to low parental emotional involvement, children from absent families are less developed than children from intact families. Moreover, parental behavior plays a significant role in mediating the relationship between family structure and child development. Due to a lower level of parental behavioral involvement, children from absent families are less likely to achieve comprehensive development than children from intact families. Consequently, we should set up a comprehensive management system that integrates family, schools, and local communities for the sustainable development of children.

Different families, diverse strengths: Long-term implications of early childhood family processes on adolescent positive functioning.

With studies primarily focusing on family risk factors on adolescent maladjustment, less is known about positive family processes that facilitate adolescent positive development. This study aimed to identify different configurations of parental involvement and interparental affection during early childhood from a person-centered approach and examine their long-term implications on adolescent positive functioning at age 15. In a sample of 495 2-parent families (53.3% boys; mothers: 42.0% White, 24.7% Black, 27.4% Hispanic, 5.9% other; family income: Median = $42,500), both parents reported interparental affection and their involvement with the child at the child's age 1 and 5, respectively. Adolescents reported their engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness at age 15. Six profiles of early family processes were identified via the latent profile analysis, including Child-Centered (13.3%; average to high parental involvement and low interparental affection), Distressed Mother (14.5%; low mother involvement and mothers perceiving less affection from fathers), Collaborative (9.9%; relatively more mother involvement with the child and relatively more fathers' affection toward mothers), Cohesive (36.0%; high parental involvement and high interparental affection), Couple-Centered (19.6%; low parental involvement and high interparental affection), and Disengaged (6.7%; low parental involvement and low interparental affection) families. At age 15 (after controlling for family demographics), adolescents in Child-Centered families reported more engagement, adolescents in Cohesive families reported more happiness, adolescents in Cohesive and Collaborative families reported more perseverance and connectedness, and adolescents in Disengaged families reported the lowest optimism. Results highlight that different family configurations during early childhood have differentiated implications on adolescent positive functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigating routine care non-pharmacological treatment for adolescents with ADHD.

To characterize routine non-pharmacological care for youth with ADHD. 76 audio-recorded work-samples were collected from community mental health therapists in a large metropolitan area in the United States and were analyzed for operationally defined practice elements commonly included in evidence-based non-pharmacological treatment for ADHD. Analyses characterized community provider practices and examined predictors of using evidence-based (vs.low-value) practices. Individually delivered social skills training was the most commonly detected practice element (31.6% of practice samples). Parent involvement in routine care was uncommon (53.9% of sessions had no parental presence). Core elements of evidence-based practices were rarely delivered (e.g., organization skills training: 18.4% of tapes; operant reinforcement: 13.2%); when evidence-based content was introduced, it was typically implemented at a very low intensity. Patient and provider characteristics did not predict use of evidence-based practices. Routine non-pharmacological care for adolescent ADHD primarily consisted of low value practices such as youth-directed treatment and social skills training with low parent involvement and only occasional therapy homework. To improve quality of care, efforts to de-implement low value practices should be coupled with efforts to implement evidence-based practices (i.e., parent involvement, measurement-based care, organization skills training, use of operant reinforcement).

Risk factors in adolescence as predictors of trajectories of somatic symptoms over 27 years.

BackgroundSomatic symptoms among adolescents are common, yet little is known about long-term trajectories of somatic symptoms and the factors in adolescence that shape them. We examined individual, family and school-based factors at age 16 as predictors of trajectories of somatic symptoms over 27 years.MethodsParticipants from the Northern Swedish Cohort (n = 1001) responded to questions about individual factors (e.g. health behaviours), family factors (e.g. contact with parents, social and material adversity) and school satisfaction at age 16; as well as 10 somatic symptoms at ages 16, 18, 21, 30 and 43. Teacher assessments at age 16 included overall ability at school and peer relations. Age 16 predictors of somatic symptom trajectory group membership were analysed using multinomial logistic regression.ResultsPoor contact with mother and poor school satisfaction were significant predictors of adverse symptom trajectories among both men and women. Low birth weight and low parental academic involvement were contributing factors for women, while smoking and social adversity were more relevant factors for men.ConclusionsOur findings emphasize the importance of a holistic approach that considers the unique contributions of individual, family and school-based factors in the development of trajectories of somatic symptoms from adolescence to middle age.

Latent profiles of the feeding practices of caregivers of rural children with overweight and obesity and associations with child eating behaviors

Previous research has shown that food parenting practices, which vary within the context of sociocultural factors, are associated with child weight, eating behaviors, and body dissatisfaction. While parents typically engage in multiple food parenting practices, few studies have examined what subgroups or combinations of food parenting practices are associated with child health outcomes and sociocultural factors. The current study examined profiles of food parenting practices among school-age children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) from rural communities and examined how they may be associated with sociocultural factors, child-eating habits, and health outcomes. The study included 270 children with OW/OB aged 8–12 (Mage = 10.36 years) and their caregivers. Caregivers completed a measure assessing perceptions of their feeding practices and sociocultural questionnaires. Children completed measures assessing disordered eating habits, weight control behaviors, and body dissatisfaction. Weight status was measured for caregivers and children with height and weight measurements. Latent variable mixture modeling (LVMM) was conducted. Three profiles emerged: (a) Lower Parental Involvement, (b) Higher Parental Involvement, and (c) Mixed Parental Involvement. Lower family income and non-White child race were related to membership in the “Higher Parental Involvement” profile. After controlling for income and child race, children in the “Mixed Parental Involvement” profile reported significantly higher body dissatisfaction than children in the “Lower Parental Involvement” profile. There are subgroups of caregivers of rural children with OW/OB that demonstrate various patterns of parent feeding practices, and these subgroups differ by income, race, and child body dissatisfaction. Future research should consider how caregiver-specific feeding practices may impact child eating behaviors and their body image development, as well as the impact cultural factors may have on parent feeding practices.

Prof K C Dube Poster Award

Introduction:The role of the family in the context of substance use among adolescents has been documented both as a risk and protective factor. However, Indian studies on parenting and family dynamics in adolescent substance use are limited. This is despite the difference between Western and Indian family systems, that emphasise collectivism and interdependence with limited individualism and autonomy. Our study aimed to assess family functioning and parenting practices in adolescents who used substances and to compare them with families of healthy adolescents.Methodology:This study employed a cross-sectional, comparative design. Forty adolescent-parent dyads were selected from adolescents registered for substance use treatment and compared with 40 healthy adolescent-parent dyads of matching age and socio-economic statusBoth adolescents and parents were screened for symptoms of psychiatric illnesses and detailed assessment was done by applying the following instruments: Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD), Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), Family Assessment Device (FAD) and Parenting Style 4 factor questionnaire.Results:Both groups had mostly nuclear families of upper-lower socio-economic status. Adolescents who used substances perceived a significantly poor functioning in their families in terms of problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, behavioral control and general functioning along with lower parental involvement, lesser positive parenting, poorer monitoring and greater inconsistency in discipline. Significantly greater number of parents of healthy adolescents were authoritative as compared to substance users, who were more permissive and neglectful. Substance use severity had a significant positive correlation with dysfunction in role-setting, affective involvement and general family functioning and negative correlation with positive parenting.Conclusion:Our findings indicate that several domains of parenting and family functioning bear significant effect on substance use in adolescents, and further in-depth research is required from similar family systems in order to call for inclusivity and trans-cultural applicability for existing family interventions.

Multiple Facets of Parental Involvement and the Homework Performance of Primary Level Students

This study examined the influence of multiple facets of parental involvement on the homework performance of primary school students. The research was quantitative in nature. We used survey method to investigate the influence of different facets of parental involvement on the homework performance of their children with the help of self-constructed questionnaire. We collected data from primary level students (n= 120) and their teachers (n=20) from 10 primary school. Self-constructed Parental Involvement Questionnaire (PIQ, 17 items) was used to collect data from students and Homework Performance Questionnaire (HPQ, items 13) was used to collect data from teachers. Parental involvement was determined with respect to three facets i.e., 1) administrative, 2) emotional and 3) cognitive. Inferential statistics were applied to analyze data. Independent sample t-test was conducted to assess the high and low parental involvement on the homework performance of students which was found significant (p <.05) for the administrative involvement (p=.049) and cognitive involvement (p=.005). The findings indicate the role of parents intellectual and organizational input on the homework performance of their children at primary level.

Issues and Challenges that Students from Single-Parent Households Face in Their Academic Performance at Senior Secondary Level

An increase in single-parent households is noticeable in modern society and the academic performance of the senior school students living in single-parent households is affected negatively at large. Therefore, this study aims to discover the issues and challenges that single-parented students face in their academic performance at the senior secondary level. This study involved a hundred senior secondary students (Grades 10 & 11) from single-parent households, fifty of their parents, and fifty class teachers from the Moratuwa Educational Division. The sampling method was stratified random sampling and the strata are three school types. Primary data was acquired through three structured questionnaires and the secondary data was collected through test scores and school-based assessments. Only descriptive statistics were used to derive the inferences. The analysis found that the students from single-parent households experience low parental involvement in their academic activities for many reasons, confirming that 24% of single parents rarely attended parent-teacher meetings, and 38% never attended. The three main causes are stressful responsibilities (92%), lack of finance (88%) and no external help at home (82%). About 70% of students have expressed their dislikein attending school as well as engaging in academic work. Furthermore, 88% of the students have claimed that they have lost confidence in their single parents as well as their class teachers. 76% and 68% of grades ten and eleven students have obtained the class positions between (31-50) while only 4% and 2% of grade ten and eleven respectively have acquired the class positions between (1-10). It was revealed that psychological, social and economic aspects contribute to the achievement levels of the students. This study recommends that ground-level stakeholders in school management pay more attention to and help single parents and their children cope with their situations and enhance their academic performance.