Parents` Background and Children`s Educational Attainment in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

The research employed a correlational design to examine the interrelationships between parental background and children's educational attainment in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria. It specifically examined parents` socioeconomic variables such as level of income and education that influence children's educational attainment. The population of the study comprised households from 15 electoral wards in Maiduguri, from which five wards were randomly selected, representing 20% of the total. Following Smith's (1975) guidelines for small populations, purposive sampling was utilized to identify 200 households. Data collection was facilitated through a self-constructed questionnaire titled Parental Background, and Educational Attainment (PBEA), which was validated by experts with an emphasis on face and content validity. A pilot study was also conducted in two wards excluded from the main sample to test the reliability of the instrument. The reliability was determined using the Pearson correlation coefficient at a significance level of 0.05. Data analysis involved the Pearson moment correlation coefficient and multiple regression to evaluate the relationships between educational attainment and parents` socioeconomic variables. The findings indicated a significant correlation amongst children's educational attainment and parents` income and level of education. Therefore, it was recommended that government should invest hugely on free education to school age children. This will enable economically disadvantaged children to acquire free education in spite of their socioeconomic background.

Keywords: Parents` Income, Parents` Educational Background & Educational Attainment.