THE INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITY AND MARITAL QUALITY OF PARENTS AS A PREDICTOR OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THEIR WARDS. TABLE OF CONTENT

TOPIC IS SUITABLE FOR:

Department of Education

Department of Educational Psychology

Department of Guidance and Counselling

Department of Psychology

TOPIC: THE INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITY AND MARITAL QUALITY OF PARENTS AS A PREDICTOR OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THEIR WARDS.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Abstract

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

1.2 Statement of the Problem

1.3 Objective of the Study

1.4 Research Questions

1.5 Research Hypothesis

1.6 Significance of the Study

1.7 Scope of the Study

1.8 Definition of Terms

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 Conceptual Framework

2.2 Theoretical Review

2.3 Empirical Review

2.4 Theoretical Framework

2.5 Research Gaps

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design

3.2 Population of the Study

3.3 Sample Size Determination

3.4 Sample Size Selection Technique and Procedure

3.5 Research Instrument and Administration

3.6 Method of Data Collection

3.7 Method of Data Analysis

3.8 Validity of the Study

3.9 Reliability of the Study

3.10 Ethical Consideration

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Data Presentation

4.2 Analysis of Research Questions

4.3 Test of Hypotheses

4.4 Discussion of Findings

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Summary of the Study

5.3 Conclusion

5.4 Recommendations  

5.5 Limitations of the Study

 5.6 Suggestions for further studies

References

APPENDIX

ABSTRACT

This study examined the Personality and Marital Quality of Parents as a Predictor of the Academic Performance of their wards. The research had four aims, namely to ascertain the correlation between marital quality of parents and the educational performance of their wards, investigating the effects of individual personality traits of the parents on the educational performance of their wards, determination of effects of dysfunctional marital quality on the performance of the children, and identification of coping strategies that children in dysfunctional marital home use in their academic performance. A descriptive survey research design was employed in the study and the population used consisted of 20,000 parents and students in identified schools in the Bwari Area Council. A sample was selected using the formula by Taro Yamane and the sample size was 392, of which 372 correct responses were obtained (95 percent response rate). The sampling method used was the multistage random sampling that guaranteed equitable representation. The data were gathered using structured questionnaire, which was based on 4 point Likert scale, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the analysis. Descriptive analysis used the mean and standard deviation with a cut off mean of 2.50, Pearson correlation to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The results indicated that there was a substantial correlation between the quality of parent marriages and the academic success of their wards (r = 0.52, p less than 0.05), there was strong positive correlation between parental with personality traits and academic success (r = 0.49, p less than 0.05), and poor marital quality greatly negated academic performance of students (r = -0.44, p less than 0.05). Findings also indicated that the moderating role of coping mechanisms of students buffer the adverse impact of marital dysfunction (r = 0.41, p < 0.05). According to these results, the study advised that schools and other stakeholders in the community ought to incorporate counselling services, policymakers ought to enhance the training of parents on positive personality traits, teachers ought to assist the vulnerable students with mentorship programmes and the government and other non-governmental organisations ought to sensitise parents about the relationship between the quality of marriage and the educational level of children.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION (Preview)

1.1 Background of the Study

The successive layers of social interaction mediate human development and each one of them begins at the family level as the first site of socialization. Transcending cultures, family provides biological continuity and psychological anchor thus shaping the context through which people instill values, attitudes and behavioral orientations. The role of the parents cannot be overestimated, as besides their nurturing roles, they perform the roles of teacher, social expectations mediator, and a moral reasoning role model. Recent literature indicates that the developmental trajectory of the child is highly predetermined by the dynamics, values, and the stability of relationships among parents, with such implications affecting the well-being of the child directly or indirectly (Thomas et al., 2024; Zhu, 2025). These schools of thoughts emphasize the importance of investigating the interaction between parental characteristics and scholastic and psychosocial achievements of the children, thus giving parental factors centre stage.

In this context, the personality dimensions and marital quality of parents come out as key constructs that define home settings. Other personality traits like conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability have been found to determine parental engagement and inter-spousal interaction, which determine the developmental pathway of children (Brandt et al., 2021). At the same time, the quality of marriage, expressed through satisfaction, cohesion, and general functionality, is an essential indicator of family harmony, which is also transferred to the adjustment and learning process of children (Lui et al., 2020). Researchers argue that personalities determine marital stability whereas the quality of marriages determines the ways in which parents bargain in raising children (Ganiban et al., 2009 as cited by Brandt et al., 2021). Therefore, the recognition of the intersection of parent personality with the quality of marriage provides a sophisticated perspective to investigate their consequences on the education of the children.

In the wake of this development, academic performance has remained a focus of investigation in research that depicts adjustment and well-being of children. Academic performance cannot be reduced to grades or scores but is rather an expression of the cognitive, motivational, and behavioral involvement of a child in academic processes and serves as an indication of his/her aptitude to overcome academic difficulties in positive or negative home conditions (Collins & OConnor, 2016 as cited by Zhu, 2025). Modern research has proved that the performance of a school is strongly connected with the home related factors, such as parental influence, expectations, and relationships (Thomas et al., 2024; Zhu, 2025). This school of thought places a scholarly performance not as a singular result of intellectual ability but rather as a result of conjoined social and family conditions.

Prolonging this argumentation, the interaction between quality of marriage and academic performance is an important topic of research. It has been demonstrated that the emotional security of children is achieved through stable and satisfying marital relationships that result in concentration and resilience in academic endeavours (Lui et al., 2020). On the other hand, disturbed marital communication patterns can easily produce emotionally intense situations that can interfere with learning activities and school attendance (Orthner et al., 2009 as cited by Lui et al., 2020). Scientists also observe that the quality of marriage moderates parental investment, which puts parents in a healthy marriage to better dedicate their time and emotional resources to academic progress (Menon, 2017 as cited by Thomas et al., 2024). Such results suggest that marital dynamics are a root cause that determines scholastic outcomes mediated by the process of parenting and emotional support.

Similar to the quality of marriage, the personality of parents has independent but supplementary influences on the learning path of children. Responsible parents, such as conscientious ones, will tend to organize favorable learning conditions, but emotionally unstable ones can present children with mixed academic demands (Zupančič et al., 2016 as cited by Brandt et al., 2021). Furthermore, large and small personality dispositions have been identified to be able to predict academic success throughout the compulsory schooling, which demonstrates the extensive power of personality structures (Brandt et al., 2021). This kind of evidence shows that the individual dispositions of parents, in the context of positive marital dynamics, jointly determine the psychological scaffolding in which academic abilities of children are developed.

The consequences of this on the academic performance of children, however, can be really drastic in case of marital dysfunction. Those children who spent their childhood in the context of conflict, instability, or separation tend to be more stressed, which hurts their ability to stay focused, process information, or maintain academic motivation (Mutisya et al., 2018 as cited by Lui et al., 2020). Studies also indicate that these children are likely to internalize family conflict, which destroys self-efficacy and interest in school (Sunarti, 2005 as cited by Thomas et al., 2024). The above dynamics highlight how the marital dysfunction can not only compromise the emotional health of children, but also lead to poor academic results.

However, children in dysfunctional marital families do not lack coping style. Research shows that coping mechanisms vary between the outside support of peers and teachers as well as the self-regulation strategies that include minimizing the level of stress and maximizing concentration on academic activities (Thomas et al., 2024). The mediating role of prosocial behaviors has also been noted whereby children develop adaptive interactions away home to cushion against the influence of parental discord (Zhu, 2025; Thomas et al., 2024). These mechanisms reveal the ability to cope with difficult circumstances, which depicts the multifaceted processes of how children manage the instability in their family lives in order to achieve academic success.

It is against this backdrop that the current study explores how individual parental personality and marital quality put together determine the academic performance of the children as well as taking into account the coping behavior that the children engage in the case of dysfunctional marriages. Using a specific case study, the study aims at providing empirical data on the relational processes that guide academic careers of children. By doing so, it answers to current theoretical discussions about the interrelatedness of parental qualities, marital stability, and educational outcomes and offers a more intricate knowledge of how these processes work in the modern school environment.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Scholarly literature on the outcomes of the academic performance of children is still one of its key areas of research as the performance considerably determines the next educational and work-related results. The existing evidence suggests that parental factors, especially marital quality and personality traits, have a strong effect on the academic performance of children by shaping the emotional climate at home and quality of support offered to the learning (Lui et al., 2020; Brandt et al., 2021). Ideally, children are supposed to be learning in the stable family settings where the marital relationships between spouses and parental attitudes lead to the sense of emotional security, stability, and support. However, the present-day fact is that numerous children grow up in families where marital instability, disagreements, and differences in personality of parents develop the environment in which learning is discouraged. This disparity between anticipated results in supportive family set-ups and lived experiences in less coherent households begs the question of how such dynamics can be projected to determine the academic performance of the children (Thomas et al., 2024; Zhu, 2025).

Whereas the issue of parental involvement and overall influences of family on academic performance has been investigated in earlier studies, there is very little knowledge on how parental personality and marital quality interrelates to influence the academic performance of kids. Available literature usually approaches the analysis of these constructs individually, providing too narrow a picture that does not consider both individual and relationship parental variables (Brandt et al., 2021; Zhu, 2025). Besides, the coping mechanisms that children apply in the context of dysfunctional marriages have received little attention, even though there are signs that these strategies mediate the effects of family instability on academic performance (Basili et al., 2017 as cited by Thomas et al., 2024). This paper will attempt to address these gaps by taking a systematic procedure of investigating the predictive role of the combination of parental personality and marital quality in predicting academic performance, and at the same time it will reveal the coping strategies that children resort to in order to handle the consequences of dysfunctional family settings.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The primary objective of the study is to critically examine the individual Personality and Marital Quality of Parents as a Predictor of Academic Performance of their wards. Specifically, the study seeks:

i.To assess the relationship between marital quality of parents and the academic performance of their wards.

ii.To examine the impact of parents’ individual personality traits on the academic achievement of their wards.

iii.To assess the influence of dysfunctional marital quality of parents on the academic performance of their wards.

iv.To ascertain the coping mechanisms of children from dysfunctional marital homes.

OTHER PARTS OF CHAPTER ONE INCLUDE:

1.4 Research Questions

1.5 Research Hypotheses

1.6 Significance of the Study

1.7 Scope of the Study

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE (Preview)

This chapter critically examines relevant literature that would assist in explaining the research problem and, furthermore, recognizes the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps. This chapter, therefore, focuses on the concept of individual personality, the concept of marital quality, the concept of academic performance, individual personality of parents, marital quality of parents, and academic performance of their wards, etc. The chapter covers the following subheadings:

2.1 Conceptual Framework

2.2 Theoretical Review

2.3 Empirical Review

2.4 Theoretical Framework

2.5 Research Gaps

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (Preview)

Research Design: The study adopted a survey research design.

Population of the Study: The target population includes parents and their wards who attend schools in some of the schools within Bwari Area Council in Abuja, Nigeria.

Sample Size Determination: The study adopted the Taro Yamane formula to determine a sample size of 392 participants.

Sampling Technique: The study employed multistage sampling method to select the individual respondents.

Research Instrument: The study utilized a structured questionnaire as the instrument for data collection.

Methods of Data Analysis: The collected data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations to summarize and present the demographic characteristics of the respondents and their responses. Inferential statistics, particularly Pearson correlation, were used to test the hypothesis.

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

MAJOR FINDINGS (Preview)

The analysis results were presented in tables. Based on the results obtained from the analysis, the following findings are made:

i. The study found that marital quality of parents has a positive relationship with the academic performance of their wards, as evidenced by mean scores ranging from 3.10 to 3.26, all of which are above the acceptance benchmark of 2.50. The corresponding hypothesis test further showed a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.52, t-value of 11.56, and p-value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. This indicates that stable marital relationships, harmonious parental interactions, positive communication, mutual respect, and a supportive home environment are associated with improved academic performance among wards.

ii. The study found that parents’ individual personality traits positively influence the academic achievement of their wards, as evidenced by mean scores ranging from 3.05 to 3.20, all of which are above the acceptance benchmark of 2.50. The corresponding hypothesis test further showed a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.49, t-value of 10.47, and p-value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. This indicates that parental conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability, openness to new experiences, and extroversion are associated with children’s academic discipline, motivation, creativity, and engagement in school activities.

iii. The study found that dysfunctional marital quality negatively influences the academic performance of wards, as evidenced by mean scores ranging from 3.13 to 3.29, all of which are above the acceptance benchmark of 2.50. The corresponding hypothesis test further showed a negative correlation coefficient (r) of -0.44, t-value of -9.06, and p-value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. This indicates that frequent parental conflicts, unstable marital environments, lack of parental cooperation, and dysfunctional marital relationships are associated with reduced concentration, increased academic stress, lower motivation, and diminished academic self-esteem among wards.

iv. The study found that children from dysfunctional marital homes employ various coping mechanisms to manage academic challenges, as evidenced by mean scores ranging from 3.13 to 3.20, all of which are above the acceptance benchmark of 2.50. Guidance and counselling services recorded the highest mean score of 3.20, while peer support and teachers’ encouragement each recorded a mean score of 3.19. This indicates that school-based counselling, peer support, teachers’ encouragement, extracurricular activities, and personal study routines are important coping mechanisms that help children manage family-related difficulties and remain engaged in their academic pursuits.

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter covers the following outline:

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Summary of the Study

5.3 Conclusion

5.4 Recommendations  

5.5 Limitations of the Study

5.6 Suggestions for further studies

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