Examining the Relationship between Parental Bonding and Academic Performance among Secondary School Students in Mbarara Municipality, Uganda

Abstract

Academic performance refers to a complex student behavior which underlies several abilities. like memory, previous knowledge or aptitude as well as psychological factors such as motivation, interests, temperaments or emotions. It is always in the interest of educators to measure academic performance because it allows them to evaluate not only students’ knowledge levels but also the effectiveness of their own teaching process and perhaps, provide a gauge of students’ satisfaction. In Uganda, excellence in the national external examination has become the top priority of teachers and school administrators and, all the teaching and learning is centered on passing final examination. This study examined the relationship between Bonding and Academic Performance among Secondary School Students in Mbarara Municipality, Uganda. The study adopted both qualitative and qualitative methods. The study used a cross- sectional survey research design to collect data from different schools. The design also helped the researcher to collect data from different categories of respondents. Ten schools participated in the study which were selected randomly. Data was collected through questionnaires and focus groups. Statistical package for social scientists (SPSS) Version 20.0 was used to analyze the study data. Percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviation were used to describe bonding and academic performance. The findings show that majority of the participants in the mother and father bonding who belonged to neglectful parenting style performed poorly.