Nigerian School Health Journal Vol. 13 No. 1 & 2, 2001
THE IMPACTS OF FAMILY STRUCTURE, PARENTAL
PRACTICES AND FAMILY SIZE ON CHILDREN'S ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE
BY
Oyerinde, O.O.
Department of Physical and Health Education. University of llorin, llorin, Kwara Nigeria.
Abstract
This paper presents the impacts of family structure, parental practices and family size on the
academic attainment and performance of children. It briefly stated the types of family structure
available: Single-parent families, two- parent families (intact families) and step-parent families. The
roles of both the father and the mother in the general up-bringing and maintenance of a congenial
home environment are clearly identified in the write up. The impacts or effects of one -parent family
structure on the educational attainment of the children were said to be inimical to the academic
achievement of children. Likewise the effects of step-parent families and two-parents families on
Children's academic achievement were discussed while the differentials were highlighted. Finally, the
impacts of parental practices and family size on the academic achievement of children were also
discussed.
Introduction
Clark, (1983) defines a family as any group of people that are related by blood or
marriage especially a group of two grown-up people and their children. Usually, there are
two major types or family: Nuclear family and extended family. Nuclear family consists of
only the husband and his wife together with their children while Extended family consists of
the husband, the wife, the children and other relations living together in a large family
compound.
Nuclear family type is mostly practiced in Europe, America and some other parts of the
world where a young man and his wife atone start to live separately from their parents and
start giving birth to children. The extended family type is common in Africa where groups of
blood related people live together.
Amato (1987) posited that the nature of family from which a child belongs has lot o|
influence on the general life pattern of the child. There are many studies carried out to
determine the effect of the nature of family on the academic work of the children and these
studies have shown positive results
which are being applied by classroom teachers and educational counselors or psychologists to guide
children's learning. For example, studies of Johnson in 1978, Lolade 1980, Joel 1981 at the guidance and
counselling department, University of florin indicate that the smaller a family structure is, the more
success recorded by the children as regards the academic pursuit. The reason for this is that more
concentrations are given by parents to fewer children than the families where the children are many.
Nigerian School Health Journal Vol. 13 No. 1 & 2, 2001
These studies include those on single-parent families, both parents families, step-parent
families, father involved In parental training and father absent in parental training of the children and the
overall consequences on the general academic achievement and behavioral attitudes in life,
Family Structure
There are different types of family structures. The structures are based on whether both
parents are involved in children's training or whether only one of the parents is involved in the training
of the children.
In the light of the above assumption, the following family structure types have been
identified (Cofornan, 1988):
(1) Single parent families in which either of the father or mother is engaged in the training of the
children. This situation could arise as a result of death of either of the parents, divorce or as a
result of pregnancy arising from irresponsible sex or sex before marriages.
(2) Both-parent families: Here, the fathers and the mothers are involved, in the training of the children.
However the type of relationships that exist between the fathers and the mothers go a long way in
determining the performance of the children in school. Amato (1987) is of the view that
both parents may be living together but not intact in their engagements or commitments towards
child general training of children.
(3) Step-parent families:- This situation could arise from instances where either of the parents dies
and the remaining partner remarried so that the children are being taken care of by the new
partner. This is common where the mother dies and the father remarries. The new wife now acts
as the mother to the children of the first wife. It is the same when a father dies and the wife remarries. The new husband now acts as the father to the children of the first husband.
The Rotes of Father In A Family
Apart from being the bread-winner for the family, the father is the head and semi-god of the family. His
impacts on each member of the family go beyond emphasis.
Bamisaiye and Ojo (1978) stated that the father plays a major role in concerning the
health care of the family. In societies, such as the Urban Communities of Northern Nigeria, where
seclusion after marriage is customary of women any physical departure from the home requires
the permission of husband (Smith, 1965).
In societies which have patrilineal descent patterns, the father tends to be
unquestionable authority regarding his children. In descent terms, the "belong8 to him and he
sanctions all relating to their care and upbringing. However. in cities such as Lagos where there is
a strong tradition of female independence, decision making within the family will tend towards
Nigerian School Health Journal Vol. 13 No. 1 & 2, 2001
the model (Oppong, 1970).
Yoruba women will take decisions regarding their own business or trade, husbands will
take decision on issues relating to their children. Abasiekong (1981} wrote that reports from CrossRiver State of Nigeria that family-decision-making as relating to medical or health care matters
and education of the children dominated by the husbands.
From East Africa, Bomstein and Kreysler (1072) and Bennett and Jeiliffe (1965; both reported
that the permission of the father was necessary before a child is to a doctor or hospital and educational
institution. Throughout Africa, husbands to be older, better educated and more likely to be employed In
the modem sector of the economic than their wives. Accordingly, wives tend to look at their husbands
to interpret the complexities of the family problems which include health care and children education.
He decides on the level to use for a particular problem to bear the economic cost involved in solving
the various family problems.
It is common to find a child at the paediatric emergency room accompanied by the mother
and the father who is invariably present to handle the crisis - situation for the family. The role of the
lather is also extended to his presence in the educational institution being attended by the children.
A research conducted by Webster (1985) of father involvement in parent for conduct problem,
children indicated that there was a significant difference between father-involved families and
father-absent families in terms of treatment maintenance one year later. Analysis showed that
most of the families responded favorably to the treatment in terms of mother and child
improvements significantly came from father - involved families.
Thus from the above positions, it is safe to conclusively state that the father is the binder of the
family. He holds the key to the family decision-making as It education of the children, the health care
measures of ail the family members, the feeding and general welfare measures of the family.
The Roles of Mother in A Family
In most societies or communities, the roles of the mothers are complementary to that of the fathers.
However, their influence on children's general upbringing unquantifiable.
Ekwealo in Sunday Punch (November 5, 2000} summed it up that women's function and roles are
complementary, not inferior. A house wife who stays at home is not idle, she combines a fot of roles in her
capacity as housewife. An interior decorator who organizes the home and makes it homely, a culinary expert
who prepares food to be consumed by members of the household, a manager/accountant who controls the domestic
purse, a psychologist, a teacher and character molder who trains the children and brings them into responsible
positions and citizens. Toynbee (1996) explained that the mother in the home environment is irreplaceable as the
educator of her children in the early years of life, during which a child's character and temperaments are
Nigerian School Health Journal Vol. 13 No. 1 & 2, 2001
formed. The mother is the major environmental agency for character formation under normal conditions.
Babalofa in Sunday Punch (November 5, 2000) described a woman as the sole originator of a congenial,
peaceful and lovely relationship among the members of the family. She does this by being sincere to both the
husband and the children. Her advice and concern about what the children and husband's wear, her ability to satisfy
her husband's sexual ends, the physical attraction on to her husband through proper adjustment, her ability as being
the source of strength of her husband, her love to the husband and the siblings and her ability to equitable share her
attention to her kids and her husband bring her sincerity into focus.
Conclusively, in an ideal and intact family structure where the father and the mother (husband and
wife) play (heir roles as expected and where there is a genuine cooperation and congenial relationship among the
members of the family, the children will genuinely perform well in their academic engagements and general
development. !n families where the husbands and the wives are not in good accord or always in disagreements,
there will be little or no Attention to the children and this will definitely affect their academic performances
adversely.
The Impact of Family Structure on Children's Academic Performances
Many studies have revealed that children who grow up in single-parent families are less likely to complete
high school or even attend college than the children who grow up with both parents (Amato 1987).
Bumpass (1984) posited that this relationship has aroused considerable concern among policymakers and
scholars. Especially in light of recent projections that half of all children born in the last decade will spend some
time living in a single-parent family before reaching age 18. Education is a key factor which determines Jong-time
economic success, and the association between family disruption and tower educational attainment raises the
question of the sharp increase in a family instability during the past two decades will have lasting negative
consequences on educational attainment of next generation (Chase-landale; Lindsey and E. Mavis;
Hetherington, 1988).
Garfinkel and Melanahan (1986) asserted that one reason why children from single-parent families are
less likely to finish high school is the precarious economic position of their families. Mother-only families are
more likely than other families to be poor, and their poverty is more extreme than that of other groups (Bane
David 1983).
Buncan and Hoffman (1985) posited that even among single-parent families living above the poverty line,
income insecurity is a common place. Previous research into the intergenerational effects of family disruption
indicates that income account for between 30 and 50 percent of the difference in high school among children
from intact and non-intact families (Bumpass 1984).
Sociologists have to ask how child rearing practices and parent-child relationship are affected by family
position and single parenthood and how these affect the longtime time well-being of children. Children growing up
in a non-intact family are more likely to drop out of school (high school). This disengagement from school is
associated with the low education aspirations, since high aspirations are a critical factor predicting education
achievement (Sewell and Shah, 1968). A good measure of behavioural disengagement is the student's
attendance record; attitude towards working hard in school and going to college are good indicators of the
Nigerian School Health Journal Vol. 13 No. 1 & 2, 2001
effective aspect of disengagement.
Meanwhile Sandefur, Melanahan, and Wojtkiewies (1989) noted that the average income of step-parentfamilies is substantially higher than the income of step-parent families, but somewhat lower than that of twoparent intact families. The quality of parent-child relationship in single-parent and step-parent-families may be
lower than in intact families because of the stress associated with divorces. remarriage, or both, because of
conflict between children and step-parents for" mother's male- partners). Children in step-parent-families
also share corner experiences with children in single parent families in that they live apart from a natural
parent and may be exposed to conflict between their biological parents.
Parental Practices And Schooling
In most parts of the world, the process of educational attainment involves coordinating
decisions on many dimensions e.g. curriculum placement, curriculum choice, participation in
extracurricular activities and post secondary school choice. Successful passage through or navigation of
this complicates system is partly dependent on parental assistance (Baker and Stevenson, 1986).
Ineffective or inadequate parental assistance may lead a child to feel overwhelmed consequently to
withdraw from school.
Researches on status attainment have shown that high educati onal" aspirations of parents
are associated with high aspirations in children, and that this association account for a significant part
of the association father's and son's educational attainment (Sewell and Shah, 1968).
Similarly, results from studies have revealed that children in single-parent families report less
parental involvement in school work and less supervision outside the home than children in two-parent
families. Children in step-parent families report lower educational aspiration on the part of thes'r parents
and less parental involvement with school work. However, stepparent families resemble two-parent
families with respect to general supervision.
The difference between single-parent and two-parent families is limited to variables that reflect
differences in the amount of time parents have available monitoring school work and general
supervision, whereas the contrast between step-parent and two-parent families extends to
educational aspirations as well.
The fatter suggests that the financial commitments to children may be weaker in step-parent
families as compared with other families. The differences in family effects on supervision suggest that
number of parents is the key factor determining outside supervision.
Interestingly, children of single parents' are more likeiy than other children to spend time talking
to their parents. !t is assumed that single parents make confidants of their children. The absence of a
significant relationship between "talking with a parent" and living in a stepparent-family is also consistent
with this reasoning. Once the step-parent (usually a stepfather) moves in, the level of interaction between
the mother and the child declines, probable because the mother devotes more of her time to her new
Nigerian School Health Journal Vol. 13 No. 1 & 2, 2001
spouse (Sewell and Shah, 1968).
Parenting Practices and School Achievements
Studies have shown that, without taking parental practices into account, growing up i a single-parent
family has negative consequences for a student's grade-point average, school attendance and both indicators
of educational attainment, in the same way growing up in a step-parent-family has negative consequences for
grade-DC not average, attendance, student's college expectations, and both measures of attainment (Amato,
1987).
LITerature
have also indicated that parental practices exert important effects on the :> dren's
educational outcomes. Parental structure and parental practices have s grrficant effects on such educational
outcomes as:
(a)
Maintenance of grades
(b)
Wanting college
(c)
School attendance
(d)
Attitudes towards school
(e)
Never dropped out
(f)
Diploma certification etc.
Two of the parenting variables, aspirations and general supervision are Associated with all the six
outcome enumerated above. Monitoring of school-work is related to most of the outcomes: and relatively frequent
communication is related to positive attitudes towards school and grade-point average. The direct effects on
school completion of family structure, parent practices, and engagement with school on educational attainment are
significantly worth identifying. All the four indicators of engagement with school: grade aspirations, attendance
and attitudes have positive effects on both staying in school and obtaining Diploma certificate. Disengagement
from school accounts for all of the effects of parental monitoring and for over all parental supervision on
educational attainment (Anderson 1987).
Consequences Of Changes In Family Structure
Review of literature by Bumpass (1984) on the effects of family disruption leading to changes in parental
practices and school attachment indicate that children who experience family disruption experienced negative
changes in four of five measures of parenting practices. Marital disruption leads to reductions in the amount of
time parents spend monitoring schoolwork and supervising their children, and reductions in parent -child
communication. The change in parenting practices is strongest for father's monitoring of schoolwork, which
reflects the fact that most children live with their mothers after a divorce. Marital disruption is accompanied by
increases in truancy and more negative attitudes toward school. Marital disruption appears associated with
behavioral and effective changes, rather than with changes in more cognitive phenomena like aspirations and
grades.
Nigerian School Health Journal Vol. 13 No. 1 & 2, 2001
Effects of Family Size on Educational Attainment of Children
Students conducted on educational attainment of children and the size of the family indicated that children from
large families attain less schooling on the average than those children with few brothers and sisters. This
negative effect of family size on educational attainment persists after the socioeconomic characteristics of the
families are statistically controlled (Slake, 1989).
These studies assumed that large families spread their resources:-economic, cultural and
effectiveness more thinly than do families with fewer children. This suggests that parents who have many
children invest less money, time, emotional and psychic energy, and attention on each child (Blake, 1989
and Golemen, 1988).
Blake (1989) hypothesizes that the negative effect of sibship size on educational attainment in U. S.
is weaker among Catholics than among Protestants because the Catholic community extend various kinds of
support to its members such as family-based tuition in its parochial school & and parish network that distribute used
clothing for children. Community support reduces the negative effect of sibship size because the dilution of
resources from the nuclear family is countered by resources from an external source (i.e. the community). Cole
and Hoffer, (1987) reported that among students attending Catholic schools, family size is only weakly
related to school achievement. Blake also found that among U.S. Jews, the effect of family size on educational
attainment is weak. She attributed this to the value orthodox Judaism placed on large families and extended
periods of schooling.
Conclusions
From the full discussions and revelations from studies carried out on family structure, parental practices, family
size and children academic or educational attainment and health, it is obvious that children who live with singleparents or step-parents receive less parental encouragement and attention with respect to educational activities than
children who live with both biological parents. This also means that children from non-intact families report
lower educational expectations on the part of their parents, less monitoring of schoolwork by mothers and fathers
and less over all supervision of social activities than children from intact families.
It was also discovered that children from large families attain less school on the average than children with
fewer brothers and sisters.
Based on the conclusions made, it is recommended that the National Women Commission and the Women
League should mount family support programme that will promote family life, enhance parental practices and
plan families.
Nigerian School Health Journal Vol. 13 No. 1 & 2, 2001
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