Parental Educational Levels and Occupations as Determinants of Their Children's Examination Integrity and Academic Performance

Abstract

This study examined the impact of parental levels of education and occupations on students’ examination integrity and academic performance. It was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Expost-facto and survey research designs were used in the study. Data was collected with an Academic Integrity Measurement Instrument from 3214 sampled students and their academic performance in their last school examination was collected from their school authorities. The two-way ANOVA was used to run the analysis for determining the association or differences between parental level of education and occupations as independent variables and examination integrity and academic performance as dependent variables. It was found that fathers who have master’s degrees and mothers who have bachelor’s degree/HND exerted the greatest impact on their children's examination integrity. Fathers who belong to the military/police occupations and Mothers who are unemployed have the greatest impact on their children's examination integrity while parents who belong to the civil service and military/police occupations have the greatest impact on their children's academic performance. It was, therefore, concluded that parental levels of education and occupations significantly impact students’ examination integrity and academic performance and implications of these findings for adoption of proactive strategies against examination malpractices were discussed.