Students' Academic Achievements as a Function of Gender, Parents' Educational Background and Learning Strategies in Dessie Town High Schools
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Date
2005-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The major concem of this study was to examine how far gender, parents'
educational background and leaming strategy components predicted students'
academic achievement. A total of 380 s ubjects, (188 males and 192 females)
were involved in the study from Dessie Town high schools. A Likert type five
point scale self-report measures and a s hort supplementary questionnaire,
which used to obtain demographic data, were administered. The overall
academic achievement, Mathematics achievement and Language achievement
scores were obtained from school records. Correlation, t-test, analysis of
variance and multiple regressions we re used for analysis. Results obtained
through Correlation analysis portrayed that except gender, both parents'
educational background and leaming strategy components indicated
significant association with academic achievement. The t-test revealed that
the re existed significant average difference in mathematics achievement in
favor of males and language achievement favoring females, but there was no
statistically significant difference between male and female students in the
overall academic achievement. Moreover, statistically s ignificant gender
difference was observed in self- regulating strategy in favor of males but no
s ignificant d~rerence was revealed in cognitive strategy use. The ANOVA
results indicated significant students' academic achievement differences due
to their parents' educational level differences. 'Students who corne form
educated Parents perform better in school than their counterparts who come
from uneducated parents. Similar students' academic achievement results
were also observed with their patemal or male guardian and matemal or
female guardian educational levels. The multiple regression analysis
displayed that both parents' educational background & leaming s trategy
components had statistically significant contribution on students' academic
achievement, explaining 88% of the variation in academic achievement. 'Of the
variables treated in the study, parents' educational background was the best
predictor variable in students academic achievement.
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Students' Academic Achievements as a Function