Parental influence, teacher support and students’ academic resilience in universal secondary education schools in Luwero district, Uganda

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of parental influence on students’ academic resilience moderated by teacher support in Universal Secondary Education schools in Luwero District, Uganda. Specifically, the study examined the effect of parental influence on students’ academic resilience, assessed the influence of teacher support on students’ academic resilience, and tested the moderating role of teacher support on the effect of parental influence. Figure 1: Conceptual Framework on students’ academic resilience in Universal Secondary Education schools in Luwero District. Employing a quantitative approach, this study utilized a correlational research design. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 323 senior secondary school students, selected through simple random sampling. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), providing insights into the complex relationship between parental influence, teacher support, and students' academic resilience. The findings revealed that parental influence and teacher support had a positive and significant influence on academic resilience while parental influence moderated by teacher support had a positive but insignificant influence on academic resilience. The findings led to the conclusion that parental influence is crucial for students’ academic resilience, teacher support is essential for students’ academic resilience, and equal emphasis on parental support and teacher support does not necessarily lead to students’ academic resilience. The study recommends that Head teachers should establish programs aimed at sensitizing parents about the significant influence they have on their children's educational experiences, focusing on cultivating parental sensitivity and responsivity to learners needs, Head teachers should sensitize teachers to provide comprehensive support to learners by fostering a supportive learning environment, encouraging them to be invested in their students, showing positive regard, and be accessible, and Head teachers should prioritize parental influence over teacher support when promoting students' academic resilience, as parental influence may have a more profound impact on fostering resilience.