Influence of perceived parent involvement on girls’ attitudes towards chemistry learning at o’ level in selected ‘use’ schools in Kampala City

Abstract

This study determined the influence of perceived parent involvement on girls' attitudes towards chemistry at O’ level in selected ‘USE’ Schools in Kampala City. The study was guided by Epstein’s theory of Parent Involvement and considered three key dimensions of the theory that were important in the study which included; career guidance, provision of scholastic materials, and monitoring of students' learning that were believed influence girls’ attitudes towards chemistry learning. The study was guided by three objectives that is to; 1. find out the influence of perceived parent involvement through career guidance on girls’ attitudes towards Chemistry learning, 2. determine the influence of perceived parent involvement through provision of scholastic materials on girls’ attitude towards chemistry learning and lastly 3. find the influence of perceived parent involvement through monitoring of students learning on girls’ attitudes towards chemistry learning. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted for this study. The study employed a quantitative approach. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire from a total of 500 girls in five different ‘USE’ schools across Kampala. The questionnaire assessed the girls' attitudes towards chemistry and their perceived parental involvement in various aspects of their academic lives. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Correlation. The findings revealed that parent involvement through career guidance was statistically significant in influencing girls’ attitudes towards chemistry with p. value of 0.008<0.05 and r = 0.378. It was further found that parent involvement through provision of scholastic materials was statistically significant in influencing girls’ attitude towards chemistry with a p. value of 0.000<0.05 and r = 0.873. There was also a significant relationship between parent involvement through monitoring of girls learning and girl’s attitudes towards chemistry learning with a p. value of 0.001<0.05 and r = 0.663. The study concluded that active parent involvement is crucial for improving girls' attitudes towards chemistry, ultimately contributing to their academic success. It is recommended that schools should develop programs to educate parents about their role in promoting positive attitudes towards science, emphasize the importance of open communication about career options, and ensure provision of necessary scholastic materials.