70

Chapter 5

Factors Factors Factors Factors AffectingAffectingAffectingAffecting Adolescents’ Academic Performance Adolescents’ Academic Performance Adolescents’ Academic Performance Adolescents’ Academic Performance

Chamorro-Premuzic (2005) defined academic performance as performance in

academic settings. It refers to how the students deal with their studies and how they

cope with or accomplish different tasks given to them. Academic performance is a

key mechanism through which adolescents learn about their talents, abilities and

competencies which are important in developing career aspirations

(Lent et al. 2000). Academic performance refers to the level of performance in

school, accomplishment or success in school. Academic performance is the

immediate outcome of schooling – the extent to which a student has achieved his

educational goals. In the words of Baharudin et al. (2010) educational attainment is

perhaps the most imperative issue of adolescents’ general adaptation to life. In fact,

school performance and career aspirations in adolescence are often correlated with

supportive parents as Bourdieu and Passeron stated in their work

Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture (1977).

71

In an increasingly demanding and competitive world, academic performance of

adolescents is an important aspect of their overall development because it prepares

them for the challenges which they are likely to face in their future, in general, and

in their occupation, in particular (Abesha 2012). Educators, trainers, and researchers

have long been interested in exploring factors contributing effectively for the quality

of academic performance of adolescents. Generally these factors include age,

gender, geographical belongingness, ethnicity, religious affiliations, socioeconomic

status, parents’ education level, parental profession and income etc.

(Farooq et al. 2011).

One of the main objectives of the study is to identify the factors that influence the

academic performance of adolescents. For better understanding, the factors are

divided into three sections. First, an attempt is made to find out the influence of

Personal profile of adolescents which includes stream of study, school category,

region and religion, on their academic performance. Secondly, the study tries to find

out whether gender influences the academic performance of adolescents and thirdly,

the role of family in the academic performance is ascertained. In order to find out

the academic performance of the adolescents, the present study depends on the

72

annual marks of XI class. To get the clarity in analysis, using Standard Score, total

marks are converted into ‘Grade’ and it is classified into three divisions: A Grade

(80 and above), B Grade (marks 60-79) and C Grade (less than 60).

5.1. Personal Profile and Academic Performance

There is consensus across studies that the academic performance is influenced by

the personal profile such as study streams, school categories, regions and religions.

The greater academic success of Asians’ reflects the internalised cultural values

concerning the importance of hard work and academic achievement

(Asakawa and Csikszentmihalyi 2000). Basant (2012) perceived that fairness of

Hindu participants is higher than of others in education and employment areas,

followed by Christians and Muslims. The environment and the personal

characteristics of adolescents play an important role in their academic performance.

Based on these observations of earlier researchers, a hypothesis is made that

personal profile (streams of study, school category, region and religion) of the

adolescents influences their academic performance. To assess the influence of these

factors on academic performance, the respondents are classified according to their

streams of study, school categories, regions and religions in relation to their

academic performance. A chi - square test was conducted to find out whether there

is any association between academic performance and the personal profile of the

respondents.

73

Table 5. 1. Personal profile and Academic Performance

Personal profile

Academic Performance

Total

A

(80 & above)

B (60 & less

than 80%)

C

(Below 60)

F % F % F %

Streams

Science 64 45.4 107 35.4 29 23.8 200

Commerce 58 41.1 106 35.1 36 29.5 200

Humanities 19 13.5 89 29.5 57 46.7 165

XXXX2 2 2 2

= 35.922 p<<<< 0.001

School

Categories

CBSE 42 29.8 54 17.9 14 11.5 110

ISC 28 19.9 62 20.6 5 4.1 95

GHSS 21 14.9 81 26.8 18 14.8 120

Aided HSS 35 24.8 43 14.2 42 34.4 120

Unaided HSS 15 10.6 62 20.5 43 35.2 120

XXXX2 2 2 2

= 73.226 p<<<< 0.001

Regions

Thrissur 41 29.1 90 29.8 19 15.6 150

Malappuram 24 17.0 74 24.5 32 26.2 130

Ernakulam 30 21.3 71 23.5 39 32.0 140

Thiruvananthap

uram 46 32.6 67 22.2 32 26.2 145

XXXX2 2 2 2

= 17.657 p<<<< 0.01

Religions

Hindu 66 46.8 136 45.0 48 39.3 250

Muslim 26 18.4 87 28.8 44 36.1 157

Christian 49 34.8 79 26.2 30 24.6 158

XXXX2 2 2 2

= 11.641 p<<<<0.05

Total 141 25.0 302 53.5 122 21.5 565

74

The analysis of academic performance shows that more Science students (45.4%)

have A Grade whereas more Humanities students (46.7%) have C Grade. From the

study conducted by Chatterji (1983) by taking the sample of students studying in

four academic groups, arts, science, commerce and agriculture of class XII, of the

Varanasi region, it was found that Science students significantly achieved superior

position with respect to all factors of intelligence and are higher in achievement

motivation, followed by Commerce, in comparison with various groups.

The study of Shashidhar et al. (2009) in Kerala revealed that high achievers are

more in private schools and significant number of low achievers belonged to

Corporation schools. In this study also it is found that more CBSE students (29.8%)

have A Grade followed by Aided HSS students (24.8%). The C Grade scorers are

less among the respondents from ISC schools (4.1%) and CBSE (11.5%). As per the

study of Ahluwalia (1985) in Agra, children from Central Schools were most

achievement motivated, next in order, were those from public and government

schools.

Joshi and Srivastava (2009) reported in their study in Varnasi that urban

adolescents are significantly higher on academic performance than rural adolescents.

This indicates that the place of residence has some influence on the academic

performance of adolescents. Here also influence of place of residence can be seen.

Compared to various regions, more respondents from Thiruvananthapuram (32.6%)

75

score A Grade; while it is only 17% in Malappuram. C Grade scorers are more in

Ernakulam district (32.0%).

Fig.5.1 Religions and academic Performance

A Grade

H

47%

M

18%

C

35%

B Grade

H

45%

M

29%

C

26%

C Grade

H

39%

M

36%

C

25%

There is variation in the academic performance among the respondents from

various religious groups also. Among the A Grade scorers, Hindus are more (46.8%)

than the respondents from other religious groups. The percentage analysis shows

that the personal profile - the academic stream, school category, region and religion

influence the academic performance of adolescents. The chi - square test also shows

that there is statistical association between academic performance and academic

stream and school category at 0.001 level, region at 0.01level and religion at 0.05

level. This means that there is statistical association between the academic

performance and the personal profile - study stream, school category, region and

religion of the adolescents. Thus the hypothesis that personal profile of the

adolescents influences the academic performance of the adolescents is proved.

76

5.2. Gender and Academic Performance

The relationship between gender and the academic achievement of students has

been discussed for decades (Eitle 2005). A gap between the achievement of boys

and girls has been found, with girls showing better performance than boys in certain

instances (Chambers and Schreiber 2004). A study made by Farooq et al. (2011)

among the secondary school students in Pakistan found that girls perform better than

the boys in various subjects as well as in the overall achievement scores. Among the

students who wrote the Kerala Medical entrance examination, 2011 (KEAM 2011),

68.57% of girls have found their names in the total rank list of qualified. Based on

this information the present study tries to find out whether there is any association

between the Academic performance and the Gender of adolescents.

Table 5. 2. Gender and Academic Performance

Gender

Academic Performance

Total

A

(80 & above)

B (60 & less

than 80%)

C

(Below 60)

F % F % F %

Boys 53 37.6 155 51.3 77 63.1 285

Girls 88 62.4 147 48.7 45 36.9 280

XXXX2 2 2 2 = 17.250 p<<<< 0.001

77

Among the A Grade scorers, majority is girls (62.4%), and among the C Graders

majority is boys (63.1%). As per the chi - square test, there is significant association

between academic performance and gender of adolescents at 0.001 level. This

makes the hypothesis that there is association between academic performance and

gender accepted. This study is again showing that gender influence the academic

performance of adolescents. A similar pattern has been reported by Directorate of

Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthapuram, 2011, among the students who

got ‘A’ Grade in all subjects in Higher Secondary Education in the year 2010-2011,

67% were girls. Joshi and Srivastava (2009) studying in Varanasi also found girls

are better academic achievers than boys.

5.3. Role of Family and Academic Performance

The role of family in the academic performance of the adolescents has its roots in

the study of Coleman (1997) and Bourdieu (1998). Coleman in his book Family,

School and Social Capital (1997) states that parent’s involvement in academic

activities have important emotional and intellectual outcomes for children.

He observes that strong supportive families are significant for academic success.

According to him, the ‘connectedness’ between a child and his/her family could lead

to achieving higher academic performance. This connectedness, a product of social

relationship and social involvement of family members generates social capital.

Similarly, Bourdieu in the book Practical Reason: On the Theory of Action (1998)

suggests that children in families from various social status and ethnic/racial groups

78

have differing degrees of access to those forms of cultural capital that support

academic success. The ‘Cultural Capital’ of Bourdieu and ‘Social Capital’ of

Coleman are said to be very important factors in determining the adolescents’

academic performance.

According to Purang and Sharma (2000), society and parents lay strong emphasis

on educational accomplishment. The family environment can be a strong source of

support for adolescents in their academic field. As per the study of

Aufseeser et al. (2006) among adolescents, the influence of peer group take on

greater importance, but the study clearly demonstrates the continued significance of

parents in their academic field. The family forms the first and foremost crucial

socialising agent in any person's life.

The result of the study of Zook and Repinski (2004) revealed that parents’

academic involvement is associated with academic performance of their children,

and this performance is related to their career and educational aspirations. The study

of Whitehead and Deborah (1991) indicated that best predictor of Grade Point

Average (GPA) was the intellectual and cultural orientation of the family

environment.

Studies have shown that peers may become an equally or more important

socialising agent for adolescents, but, family interaction still has an impact and

occupies an important place in their life. According to Fehrmann et al. (1987), home

79

influence can be identified as a very important variable that has potential for

promoting directly or indirectly student academic achievements. Parental attitudes

and practices provide the foundation for children’s development, especially, school

performance (Taylor et al. 2004). The study of Shaljan (2010) in Canada revealed

the substantial positive predictive effects of family socioeconomic status, parental

expectations, parental involvement, and parental encouragement on children’s

school achievement. Based on all these information in order to bring out the

influence of family on the respondents’ academic performance, first, an analysis is

carried out on the socio economic background of adolescents and secondly, the

parental involvement and parental expectations is analysed in relation to the

academic performance of the adolescent children.

5. 3. 1. Socio Economic Background and Academic Performance

The socio economic background here indicates the educational background of

parents, occupation of father and the number of siblings. Parental education and

occupation are the two determinants of a child’s well beings rooted in a long

tradition of sociological research (Meier 1999). The works of Bourdieu especially

about cultural capital have gained unique prominence in the sociology of education

(Bourdieu 1973; Bourdieu and Passeron 1977). According to Bourdieu (1973, 1986)

cultural capital which is convertible in certain conditions into economic capital and

may be institutionalised in the form of educational qualifications, here the

educational qualifications of parents are beneficial for school success. Bourdieu

80

argued that cultural capital is acquired primarily at an early age within the family,

where children develop specific ‘cultural competencies’ and ‘familiarity with

culture’.

Children from upper-class families who possess the appropriate cultural

resources will perform well and take advantage of educational opportunities.

Working class children, who lack cultural capital, on the other hand, will not be as

successful, since family is the key site of the transmission of cultural capital.

The literature on achievement consistently has shown that parent’s education is

important in predicting children’s achievement (Klebanov et al. 1994).

Stevenson and Baker (1987) found that the relation between parent education and

school performance was mediated almost entirely by parents' level of involvement.

Shashidhar et al. (2009) studied adolescents in Thiruvananthapuram and found that

adolescents who are high achievers had increased percentage of parents with higher

education. The study of Nair et al. (2003) among the adolescents of 13 to 19 years

age group belonging to different category of schools in Thiruvananthapuram, proved

that one of the main variables for poor scholastic performance of adolescents was

lower education status of father. Based on these studies, the present study attempts

to find the relation between parents’ education and academic performance of

adolescents.

81

Table 5. 3. Educational Background of Parents and Academic Performance

The above table shows that more respondents whose parents are highly educated

(P.G and Professional) have A Grade. ‘C’ Grade scorers are very less in highly

educated families, while they are more in low educated families. Here an attempt

was made to find out whether there is any association between parents’ education

and the academic performance of adolescents, with the help of a chi - square test.

It was found that there is association between these two variables and it is significant

at 0.001 level.

Ac

ad

em

ic

Perf

orm

an

ce

Parents’ Educational Qualification

Father Mother

Le

ss

th

an

S

.S.L

.C

S.S

.L.C

& P

.D.C

De

gre

e

P.G

. &

P

rofe

ss

ion

al

Le

ss

th

an

S

.S.L

.C

S.S

.L.C

&

P.D

.C

De

gre

e

P.G

.

&

Pro

fes

sio

nal

on

al

A 16 11%

15%

51 36%

19%

28 20%

26%

46 33%

55%

10 7%

13%

55 39%

20%

35 25%

33%

41 29%

43%

B 54 18%

50%

158 52%

60%

61 20%

56%

29 10%

35%

42 14%

53%

156 52%

55%

56 18%

52%

48 16%

50%

C 38 31%

35%

55 45%

21%

20 16%

18%

9 8%

10%

28 23%

34%

71 58%

25%

16 13%

15%

7 6%

7%

Tota

l 108 19% 100%

264 47% 100%

109 19% 100%

84 15% 100%

80 14% 100%

282 50% 100%

107 19% 100%

96 17% 100%

XXXX2222

=60.206 p<<<< 0.001 XXXX2 2 2 2

= 43.086 p<<<< 0.001

82

Figure 5.2. Parents’ Education and Academic performance

Fathers' Education and Acdemic

performance of adolescents

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

A B C

Below SSLCBelow SSLCBelow SSLCBelow SSLC SSLC & PDCSSLC & PDCSSLC & PDCSSLC & PDC

DCDCDCDC PG & ProfessPG & ProfessPG & ProfessPG & Profess

Mothers' Education and Academic

performance of Adolescents

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

A B C

Below SSLCBelow SSLCBelow SSLCBelow SSLC SSLC & PDCSSLC & PDCSSLC & PDCSSLC & PDC

DCDCDCDC PG & ProfessPG & ProfessPG & ProfessPG & Profess

Suleman et al. (2012) in their studies on ‘Effects of Parental Socio Economic

Status on Adolescents’ Academic Achievement’ in Pakistan found that father’s

occupation has significant effect on academic achievement of adolescents. Similarly,

Bala (2011) in his study on ‘the Influence of Parental Education and Parental

Occupation on Academic Achievement’ of students in Punjab found that father’s

occupation has positively influenced the academic achievement of students.

According to McCoy (2005) gender, ethnicity, and father’s occupation are

significant contributors to student achievement. In the present study, earlier analysis

has shown that 72% of mothers are not employed. Fathers (93%) are employed.

Hence, the study made an analysis of the relationship between father’s occupation

and adolescent’s academic performance.

83

Table 5. 4. Fathers’ Occupation and Academic Performance

The data indicates that the fathers’ occupation has influence on the Grade of

adolescent. Among the A grade scorers, 38% of their fathers are working in

professional and non professional fields. Only 20% of adolescents of professional

and non professional fathers score C grade. As Bala (2011) found in his study, here

also it is found that there is direct relation with father’s occupation and adolescent’s

academic performance. The chi - square test shows that there is significant

association between academic performance and father’s occupation at 0.05 level.

It means that the academic performance of adolescents vary with their fathers’

occupation. Men who have better status jobs are able to provide their children with

Ac

ad

em

ic

Perf

orm

an

ce

Fathers’ Occupation

To

tal

Un

em

plo

ye

d

Me

nia

l jo

b

Bu

sin

es

s

Gu

lf e

mig

ran

t

Pro

fes

sio

nal a

nd

No

n P

rofe

ss

ion

al

A 9 6%

22%

20 14%

17%

28 20%

21%

31 22%

28%

53 38%

33%

141

B 21 7%

51%

60 20%

51%

79 26%

58%

57 19%

52%

85 28%

52%

302

C 11 9%

27%

37 30%

32%

29 24%

21%

21 17%

20%

24 20%

15%

122

Total 41 7%

100%

117 21%

100%

136 24%

100%

109 19%

100%

162 29%

100%

565

XXXX2 2 2 2

= 18.967 p < 0.05

84

more quality education than others. According to Barnard (2004), the family

provides help and support to students for achieving quality in their academic

performance. The academic performance of students heavily depends upon the

parental involvement in their academic activities to attain the higher level of quality

in academic success. Educated parents can provide such an environment that suits

best for the academic success of their children.

Just like education and occupation of parents, another factor that is found to be

influencing the academic performance of the adolescents is the size of the family.

Sibling relationship is a very vital and intimate one. Within the same family,

brothers and sisters share the same facilities and compete for what the family offers

including privileges and affection. According to Iacovou (2001), children from

larger families are found to be weak in the academic performance than children from

smaller families. But, the findings from the study of Joseph (2009) in Nigeria

showed that there is no significant difference between family size and academic

performance of students in higher institutions. Therefore, an attempt is made here to

find whether there is any relation between the number of siblings and the academic

performance of respondents.

85

Table 5. 5. Family Size and Academic Performance

From the table, it can be seen that the respondents who have one sibling are

performing better compared to others. 63.1% of A Grade scorers have one sibling.

Only 12.1% of the A Grade respondents are the single child of their parents. There is

more chance to get support from sibling relation, but conversely, if there are several

children in the family, there is a tendency for parents to make comparisons and to

club all the children together rather than provide individual attention. The data

projects that academic performance is low for the respondents who have more

siblings. The chi - square test shows that there is no significant association between

the academic performance of adolescents and the number of siblings or family size.

Academic

Grade

Family Size

Single child One sibling Two siblings 3 or more Total

A 17 12.1%

24.6%

89 63.1%

28.3%

24 17.0%

20.7%

11 7.8%

16.9%

141

B 42 13.9%

60.9%

162 53.6%

51.4%

66 21.9%

56.9%

32 10.6%

49.2%

302

C 10 8.2%

14.5%

64 52.5%

20.3%

26 21.3%

22.4%

22 18.0%

33.9%

122

Total 69 315 116 65 565

XXXX2222 = 11.732 p>0.05

86

Shaljan (2010) in his study on ‘Parenting Practices, Parenting Style and Children’s

School Achievement’ found that, the variations in academic performance are due to

the differences in socio economic status of the children, the different treatments

given by parents, parents’ educational levels, influences of earnings and so on. The

percentage analysis of the data shows that the hypothesis, there is association

between socio economic background of the adolescents and academic performance

is true. The chi - square test shows that it is significant with regard to education of

parents and occupation of father, but it is not significant with regard to the size of

the family.

5. 3. 2. Parental Involvement and Academic Performance

The competition, emphasis on high Grade, parental expectations and the desire

for admission to professional courses especially in reputed institutions puts a great

challenge on adolescents (Latha and Reddy 2006). One's perception about the

expectation is very much a matter of cultural conditioning, demands, and social

pressures. The children strive to live up to what is expected from them

(Resnick 1953).

The work of Coleman ‘Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital’ (1988)

represents a broader theoretical perspective within which to view the effects of

family and other relationships on child wellbeing. According to him, the

connectedness between a child and his/her family could translate into higher

academic achievement. This connectedness, a product of social relationships and

87

social involvement, generates social capital. Coleman extended the concept of social

capital to transmit the effects of family human capital from parents to children.

Parents with high levels of human capital but low levels of interaction with their

children (a source of social capital within families) have fewer opportunities to

transmit their human capital to their child than families who have high levels of

interaction between parent and their children. This is because human capital is

transferred, at least in part, through interaction. Thus, in Coleman’s conception, the

transmission of human capital from parents to children is contingent upon the level

of social capital available within the family.

Families have different expectations about the likely outcomes of education of

boys and girls. Parent’s expectations and aspirations of their children influence the

children not only for attaining better education in life, but also to make them aware

of the importance of a good education that will help them to attain a good job in the

future. Generally, in Kerala, the life goal of the parents is to give the best education

to their children and to help them to hold high status job. By analysing more than a

decade of studies, Dornbusch (1989) suggests that adolescents and their parents have

very similar values and goals, particularly with regard to educational, career and

major life concerns. According to Muuss (1975), adolescents at this stage hold

glamorized and idealized conceptions of their vocational dreams.

During the pilot study, the adolescents mentioned that some of their life dreams

are to become professionals, scientists, sports stars, Govt. employees, Businessmen,

88

teachers and for some extent an easy going life. These dreams were given in the

interview schedule and the respondents were asked to identify their life dreams and

also to mention the dreams of their parents, both mother and father, about them,

Based on their response, an attempt is made to find out whether there is any

association between the life expectation of adolescents and of their parents and the

academic performance of adolescents.

Table 5. 6. Life Expectation and Academic Performance

Life Expectation

Academic Performance

Self Father Mother

A B C Tot A B C Tot A B c Tot

1

Professional 97 161 40 298 97 159 41 297 97 154 44 295

2

Scientist 7 4 0 11 3 2 0 5 3 4 0 7

3

Govt. employee, Teacher, Business

8 50 41 99 9 41 28 78 13 47 27 87

4

Sports, Police, Fashion Designer

2 19 13 34 2 12 5 19 4 7 3 14

5 Easy going life 4 7 5 16 2 11 10 23 2 15 13 30

6

Any other 11 27 11 49 7 18 7 32 6 20 6 32

7

No mention 12 34 12 58 21 59 31 111 16 55 29 100

The data shows that the expectations of parents about their children and the life

dream of children are almost same. More than 50% of the parents and the

adolescents want to be professionals. Among them, more children score ‘A’ grade

compared to all other groups. Parents’ academic involvement, their dreams and

89

ambitions regarding their children, encourage and motivate children to achieve high

Grade.

Halle et al. (1997), in their study among African American adolescents found

that mothers with higher education had higher expectations about their children’s

academic achievement and that these expectations were related to their children’s

subsequent achievement. Catsambis (2001) also reported that the high educational

expectations constitute a powerful way through which parents can encourage

continuously the educational attainment of their adolescent children.

The selection of the study stream is a highly influencing factor in order to fulfil

the life dream of parents and of adolescents. From the cross cultural study among

Indian and American parents Takur et al. (2007) found that today, children have

more autonomy and decision - making power in their academic matters than the

previous generations. It is found that selecting the stream combined with parental

support is to be positively related to higher adolescent self-esteem, higher GPAs

(Grade Point Averages) in school, and greater academic success

(Aufseeser et al. 2006). Here an attempt is made to find out whether there is any

90

relation between parental involvement in the selection of the study streams of their

children and their academic performance.

Table 5. 7. Selection of Study Stream and Academic Performance

The table 5.7 indicates that with regard to the selection of the study stream, 60%

of the respondents select their own study streams. It means that adolescents have a

major role in the selection of study stream. Even then, rest of them wanted (32%+

8%) the parents’ involvement in selection of the study stream. 29% of the

respondents who select the study stream in consultation with parents have

‘A’ Grade, and ‘C’ Grade scorers are less (17.5%). This indicates that the parents’

Academic

Performance

Selection of Study Stream Total

Parents Self Together

A 6

13.0%

82

24.4%

53

29.0%

141

25.0%

B 24

52.2%

180

53.6%

98

53.5%

302

53.5%

C 16

34.8%

74

22.0%

32

17.5%

122

21.5%

Total

46 (8%)

336 (60%)

183 (32%)

565

91

involvement influences the academic performance of adolescents. Nyarko (2010)

observed in his study on ‘Parental Home Involvement Among the Adolescents’ in

Ghana that parental involvement in learning activities of the children has high

impact on the academic success of children. Moderately high levels of parental input

and guidance in career decisions were positively related to educational achievement

(Lease and Dahlwack 2009).

5.4. Summary

The education of young people and adolescents has been an issue of major

concern all over the world. Academic performance and achievement is valued more

in Asian countries. The researchers Chao and Sue (1996) have noted an extremely

high degree of involvement of Chinese parents in their children's school work.

Results of the Higher Secondary Examination are vital for individuals since this is

the main determining criteria for future admission to a high quality education in

Higher Education. There is fierce competition among students since the number of

places in these educational institutions is fewer than the number of students. One of

the objectives of the present study was to identify the factors which influence the

academic performance of the adolescents. The result of annual examination of

XI class is used to analyse the academic performance of the respondents. In order to

get clarity regarding the influencing factors, in the first section of the chapter

92

an attempt is made whether there is any association between the personal profile of

the adolescents and their academic performance. The second section dealt with

gender and academic performance and the third section explains the role of family in

their academic performance.

The analysis of the personal profile like study streams, school categories, regions

and religions shows that the academic performance varies with study streams, school

categories, regions and religions. Compared to various streams, more Science

students have scored A Grade (45.4%) and more Humanities students have scored

C Grade (46.7%). More CBSE students (29.8%) have A Grade, and C Grade scorers

are less among ISC students (4.1%). When considering the regions, the students of

the southern region, Thiruvananthapuram (32.6%) perform better. Similarly, religion

also has a great influence in the academic performance of adolescents. More Hindu

respondents are among the A Graders (46.8%).

Chi - square test shows that there is significant association between academic

performance and study streams and school categories at 0.001 level and regions is at

0.01 level of significance. The association between academic performance and

religions is at 0.05 level. Thus, the hypothesis that there is significant association

between academic performance and personal profile is proved. Gender is found to

be another influencing factor in the academic performance of adolescents. In the

present study, more girls (62.4%) score A Grade. Thus the hypothesis that there is

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association between academic performance and gender is accepted. Chi - square test

shows that the association between academic performances and gender is significant

at 0.001 level. In the present study, one of the objectives was to find out the role of

family in the academic performance of the adolescents. In order to understand the

role of family, first the socio economic background of the adolescent which includes

the parental education, the occupation of father and the number of siblings of

adolescents is analysed.

The analysis of socio economic background and academic performance of

adolescent proved that a highly educated family motivates the children to achieve

high. The chi - square test shows that there is association between parental education

and academic performance of adolescents at 0.001 level of significance. Similarly,

father’s occupation is one of the main determining factors in the academic outcomes

of their children. Statistical analysis shows that there is association between the

occupation of father and the academic performance of adolescents at 0.05 level of

significance. The analysis of the number of siblings and the academic performance

of adolescents found that ‘A’ Grade scorers are more among those who have one

sibling (63.1%). It indicates the sibling influence in the family. But chi - square test

shows that there is no significant association between the number of siblings and the

academic performance of adolescents. The percentage analysis of the data shows

that the hypothesis, there is association between socio economic background of the

adolescents and academic performance of adolescents can be accepted. But the

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chi - square test shows that it is significant with regard to education of parents and

occupation of father, but it is not significant with regard to the size of the family.

The findings of the study reveal that Bourdieu’s ‘Cultural Capital’ and

Coleman’s theory on ‘Social Capital’ are applicable in this present study. As

Coleman states, the strong supportive families are significant for better academic

performance of their children. Family background and upbringing play a major role

in the status attainment of adolescents. The parent's occupations and levels of

education are highly correlated with status attainment. The further probe about the

influence of the family based on parental expectation and parental involvement on

academic performance shows that almost 50% of parents and adolescents desire to

become a professional. Among them more children score A Grade. The selection of

the study stream which is very vital in the present study is dealt it by 60%

respondents themselves. For the rest, parents are involved in the selection of the

study stream. Among the respondents who select the study stream in consultation

with parents, A Grade scorers are more (29%) and C Grade scorers are less (17.5%).

Parents’ academic involvement, their dreams and ambitions regarding their children,

encourage and motivate children to achieve high Grade.