RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN LOKOJA, KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between learning outcomes and parental involvement in early childhood education in Lokoja, Kogi State Three primary schools in Kogi State were selected for this research work: an elites private primary school, a low cost/affordable private primary school: and a public (Government UBE) primary school. Ex-post facto design was adopted for the study. A total sum of Four Hundred (400) Respondents were sampled for the study. Structured questionnaire title Family Involvement Questionnaire (FIQ) was used to collect data in the study data. The FIQ was confirmed to be validated with a reliability coefficient of 0.86. The first category was marked A for students with overall average 80% - 100%, B for students with overall average 79% - 50% and C for students with overall average 49% and below. The result indicated that most involved parents had children with A Grade and least involved parents had children with overall average 49% and below. Socio-economic characteristics such as Level of Education, Employment Status and parents who were married were equally analyzed and it was discovered that; A graders had the highest percent of welleducated parents, gainfully employed parents that stayed together in marriage, while C graders had the lowest percentages. The overall results show that children perform better in their early childhood education with adequate participation of parents.