Parental Aspiration and Academic Achievement of Xhosa Children

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between parents' aspirations for the education of their children and children's academic achievement. The sample included 1021 Xhosa pupils (369 boys and 652 girls) in the age range of 13 to 17 yr., with a mean of 15.6 yr., and they were chosen at random from the Standard 7/Year 9 population of Transkei, South Africa. A questionnaire to measure parental aspiration, education, occupation, and income of parents was administered to the parents. The marks obtained by the pupils in the Standard 7 external examination conducted by the Department of Education of the government of Transkei in seven subject areas were aggregated as the criterion measure. Analysis of variance showed a significant positive association between parents' aspirations and their children's academic achievement.