Parental Supervision of Homework and Learners’ Academic Performance in Public Junior Schools in Keiyo South Sub-County, Kenya

Author: Catherine Jepchumba Kiptoo, Celestine Ndanu, Jenifer Munyua

Date: 2026

Abstract: Homework is the main bridge between classroom instruction and the home, yet little is known about how parents in rural Kenya supervise it under the Competency-Based Curriculum and whether such supervision improves learners’ outcomes in the new junior school tier. This study examined the influence of parental supervision of homework on learners’ academic performance in public junior schools in Keiyo South Sub-County, Kenya. Guided by Epstein’s framework of parental engagement, specifically the “learning at home” dimension, the study adopted a convergent mixed method design that combined a descriptive survey with a phenomenological strand. Quantitative data were collected from 202 junior school teachers (response rate 87.45%) using a structured questionnaire, while qualitative data were collected through interviews with 12 heads of institutions and 12 parents. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression, and thematic analysis. Parental homework supervision was practised often (item means 3.71–4.01 on a five-point scale), with provision of learning materials rated highest (M = 4.01) and learners’ ability to explain their homework lowest (M = 3.71). Homework supervision had a moderate, positive and significant relationship with academic performance (r = .524, p < .001), accounting for 27.5% of its variance on its own. When participation in school meetings, parent–teacher communication and engagement in school governance were held constant, the effect remained positive and significant but smaller (B = 0.121, β = .130, p = .047), and the null hypothesis was rejected. Interviews showed that signing exercise books, buying materials, evening routines and referring learners back to teachers were the main supervision practices. The study concludes that homework supervision is a significant but partly shared pathway to achievement, and recommends that schools train parents in supportive, low-literacy-friendly supervision strategies and link homework to regular parent–teacher contact.

View Full Text