Effect Of Family Socio-Economic Status On Students Academic Achievement In Nine-Year Basic Education (9ybe) Schools. A Case Of Rubavu District, Rwanda

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Effect of family socio-economic status on students’ Academic Achievement in Nine Year Basic Education (9YBE) schools located in Rubavu District. To this end, this study sought to investigate the effect of family socio-economic status on students’ academic achievement. The study used a mixed research design, involving quantitative and qualitative methods. The target population involved 9216 students, 13 head teachers, and 13 directors of studies. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the sample of 383 participants, including 357 students, 13 head teachers, and 13 directors of studies. This sample was calculated using Yamane’s simplified formula for determining a sample size.Questionnaires, documentary review, and interview guide were used to collect relevant data.. The interpretation referred to means, standard deviations, and regression analysis, complemented by results from interviews. The findings revealed that family socio-economic status has a significant effect on students’ academic achievement. This is obvious when we look at p and Beta values for dimensions of family socio-economic status such as family financial status, family size, and family headship, linked to the objectives of this study. The p and ß values of these variables are as follows: Family financial status (p-value=0.00, ß=.381), family size (p-value=0.00, ß=0.274), and family headship (p-value=0.00, ß=0.391). If students are to achieve academically, government, parents (guardians)/families, teachers, education officers, NGOs in education, and other stakeholders in education should put more efforts in addressing issues related to socio-economic status of families from which learners come from. Key words: Family socio-economic status, students’ academic achievement, family size, family headship, Nine-Year Basic Education