Factors Influencing the Learning of Senior Secondary Students Separated from Their Parents

Abstract

The role of parents is crucial in determining students' learning achievements. Parental separation significantly affects student performance. In the 1AB and 1C schools within the Trincomalee Education Division, the learning achievements of senior secondary students whose parents have recently separated are notably low. Therefore, this study aims to identify factors, aside from parental separation, that have influenced their learning achievements. This research, designed as a descriptive quantitative survey, 152 senior secondary students separated from their parents, studying in 10 schools in the area, selected through a stratified random sampling method. Quantitative data obtained from questionnaires and documents were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis techniques. This study has revealed the following findings. The analysis was interpreted using a Likert scale (very high 4 - very low 1). Individual (M = 2.5), family (M = 2.8), socioeconomic (M = 3.9), and school (M = 2.5) factors significantly influenced the learning of separated senior secondary students. However, socioeconomic factors exert a much greater influence on students' learning achievement than the other factors. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between students' learning achievement scores and these factors. In fact, socioeconomic factors (r = 0.674) show a very strong positive correlation with students' learning achievement compared to the other factors.