Factors Influencing the Learning of Senior Secondary Students Separated from Their Parents

The role of parents is crucial in determining students' learning achievements. Parental separation significantly affects student performance. In the 1AB and 1C schools within the Trincomalee Education Division, the learning achievements of senior secondary students whose parents have recently separated are notably low. Therefore, this study aims to identify factors, aside from parental separation, that have influenced their learning achievements. This research, designed as a descriptive quantitative survey, 152 senior secondary students separated from their parents, studying in 10 schools in the area, selected through a stratified random sampling method. Quantitative data obtained from questionnaires and documents were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis techniques. This study has revealed the following findings. The analysis was interpreted using a Likert scale (very high 4 - very low 1). Individual (M = 2.5), family (M = 2.8), socioeconomic (M = 3.9), and school (M = 2.5) factors significantly influenced the learning of separated senior secondary students. However, socioeconomic factors exert a much greater influence on students' learning achievement than the other factors. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between students' learning achievement scores and these factors. In fact, socioeconomic factors (r = 0.674) show a very strong positive correlation with students' learning achievement compared to the other factors.

Students separated from their parents, learning achievement, influencing factors

1. Cole, S. A. (2017). The impact of parental involvement on academic achievement. Retrieved November 20, 2020, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED577825 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Gratz, M., & Harkonen, J. (2024). The effect of parental separation on educational achievement: An instrumental variable analysis. Social Science Research. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X24000620 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Herath, H. M. J. C., & Wedikandage, L. (2021, November). Educational achievements of female students in middle class and working-class families. In Proceedings of the 1st International Research Symposium-2021 (pp. 135-140). Retrieved: https://edu.cmb.ac.lk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Proceedings-IRS 2021.pdf#page=178 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Hornby, G., & Blackwell, I. (2018). Barriers to parental involvement in education: An update. Educational Review, 70(1), 109–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1388612 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Karunanithy, M. (2008). Educational activities and parents: Methods for improving teaching and learning. Semamadu Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Liu, X., Liu, J., Demmans Epp, C., & Cui, Y. (2024). Exploring the effect of parental involvement on student engagement and academic performance using process data from learning management system. Educational Technology Research and Development, 72(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-024-10000 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Nouferkhanth, M. U. (2022). Occupational movement of parents and its influence on children’s education. E-Journal of Social Work, 7(1), 61–73. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Ntekane, A. (2018). Parental involvement in education. Retrieved November 20, 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324497851 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Nwosu, K. C., & Okonkwo, J. N. (2021). Influence of parental separation on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in Nigeria. Journal of Education and Practice, 12(4), 134–141. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Sivananthan, P., (2021). Contribution of parents on students’ academic achievement. Proceedings of the 1st International Research Symposium - Faculty of Education, University of Colombo. (341 – 347). Retrieved from: https://edu.cmb.ac.lk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Proceedings-IRS-2021.pdf#page=384 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Sivananthan, P., & Wedikandage, L. (2023). The Impact of Community Contribution on the Academic Achievement of Students. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 7(10), 2392-2397. Retrieved from: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.701179 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Sivananthan, P., Philips Vijayaratnam, A., & Jamil, M. I.M., (2024). Factors Influencing Advanced Level Students' Choice of Technology Stream. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), VIII(IIIS), 3810-3819. Retrieved from: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803276S [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Smith, V. L., Smith, S. M., Bethell, D. S., & Lapa, A. (2021). Parent involvement factors during high school from the perspectives of academically successful Black male college students: Implications for school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 25(1_part_4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X211040040 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Tesfaw, G., & Minaye, A. (2022). Impact of parental migration on education and behavioural Outcomes of children left behind in Southern Wollo. International Journal of Education & Literacy Studies, 10(2), 1–8. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Wedikandage, L. N. P. (2021). Multicultural Practice in Secondary Schools with Multicultural Background. Cultural and religious studies, 9(3), 116-128. Retrieved: https://doi.org/10.17265/2328-2177/2021.03.003 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Impact of Ownership Structure on Dividend Payout Policy of Listed Plantation Companies in Sri Lanka
• Urban Sustainability in North-East India: A Study through the lens of NER-SDG index
• Performance Assessment of Predictive Forecasting Techniques for Enhancing Hospital Supply Chain Efficiency in Healthcare Logistics
• The Fractured Self in Julian Barnes' Postmodern Fiction: Identity Crisis and Deflation in Metroland and the Sense of an Ending
• Impact of Flood on the Employment, Labour Productivity and Migration of Agricultural Labour in North Bihar