Home factors related to poor academic performance in North West primary schools

Abstract

A literature and an empirical study were undertaken to investigate home factors affecting the academic performance of a group of learners in three primary schools in the Brits district.

From the literature it became evident that the early years of an individual's life are critical for development, especially cognitive development. Parents, as a child's primary educators have an important role to play in their child's cognitive development. By establishing a challenging and stimulating environment in which the child is exposed to a variety of experiences, the parents can enhance their child's cognitive development and by implication his/her later academic performance. Various other factors such as parental involvement, expectations, parenting style and home background were found to affect a child's academic performance.

In the empirical study a group of academic achievers and underachievers were compared with regards to early cognitive stimulation received, degree of parental involvement and the quality of their homes.