Impact of Parental Socioeconomic Status on Academic Performance of Students (a case study of Bahawalpur)

Mariam Abbas Soharwardi, Arooj

Abstract

The socioeconomic status of the parents plays a significant role in determining the academic performance of their offspring. The study is an effort to determine this impact empirically. Data is collected through a structured questionnaire from two hundred students of district Bahawalpur via interviews. We have tested the impact of some socio-economic factors such as family background, father education, mother education, number of children interested in education, facilities provided by the government for children's education and decision about a child’s future on the academic record of students. The findings of the study suggest that the income of father and education of both father & mother have a positive impact on the academic performance of the students. Mother education, however, has a greater impact on the academic outcomes of the students as compared to father education. Moreover, the strong family background and education facilities provided by the government also enhanced the performance of the students in the studied sample.