Influence of Parental Background on Secondary School Students‟ Academic Achievement

This study was aimed at investigating the family background factors that can influence students’ academic achievement in Senior Secondary School in Umuahia Education Zone in Abia State. Four research purpose and four research questions were formulated. The design adopted for this study was Ex-post Facto design. The population of the study consists of all senior Secondary students in the three local government areas in Umuahia Education Zone. From the findings of the study, it was concluded that family background factor influence academic achievement of students in schools. Prominent among the family background factors include parental educational level, parental income and parental motivation. Educational statuses of the parents and students’ academic achievement have a close relationship between them. This is because parents themselves having being to school realized the importance of being educated. They stand better chance to support their children for better academic achievement.