AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE FAMILY BASED FACTORS INFLUENCING STUDENTS’ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MACHAKOS SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Kenya Vision 2030 points out education and training as an instrument to develop Kenya to be a middle-income economy. Family backgrounds have been highlighted as of great importance in molding the performance of children in schools worldwide. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of family based factors on the academic performance of students in Machakos sub-county, Machakos County. The study employed a descriptive research design. The study useda proportionate stratified random sampling method to settle on the sample size. Data was collected by use of questionnaires for students. The data wasanalyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as regression and the Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient were used. The analysed data was presented using frequency tables, charts and figures. The findings were that family socio-economic status, parent's marital status and parent's level of education influenced students' academic performance in that order. The information obtained from the study would be of great importance to parents, school management and the researcher doing research on a similar field.