Relationship Between Parents’ Level of Education and Students’ Performance in

Physical Activities in Urban Area School

by

Heng Choon Meng

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

According to the U. S Department of Health and Human Service (1996, as cited

by Barr-Anderson et al, 2008), physical activity is an important component of a healthy

lifestyle, with numerous physical and psychological benefits for youth. Not only youth,

people from all walks of life, young and golden age people, who endevour with physical

activities in their daily life will have healthier body and always in optimal fitness. In

addition, physical activity and good physical fitness can reduce risk of illness and

contribute to optimal health and wellness (Corbin, Welk, Corbin & Welk 2008). Hence,

physical activities play a major role in the development and maintenance of a healthy

lifestyle.
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 Participation of students in physical activities is good for their health and

improves their overall wellness mentally and physically. Hence, there are factors

affecting students’ participating or unmotivated to involve in physical activities. Such as

physical education program delivery and the environment, may influence physical

activity participation (Barr-Anderson, Neumark-Sztainer, Schmitz, Conway, Pratt, et al,

2008). Intrapersonal, interpersonal, environment factors, enjoyment of class and

perceived school environment are also factors that influence students participating in

physical activities (Barr-Anderson et al, 2008).

Parents play an important role in early intervention services to have a significant

effect on children’s developmental and social-emotional well-being (Mahoney &

Wiggers, 2007). Parents have overwhelming opportunities than school and related

services professionals to influence their children’s learning and development as they

constant presence in their lives throughout the early childhood years. To illustrate this

point, parents have three time higher opportunities to interact and influence children’s

development compared with teachers even they have limited time with their children

because of works or other responsibilities (Mahoney & Wiggers, 2007).

According to Klebanov et al, (1994, as cited by Davis-Kean, 2005), it is important

to examined the process of how socioeconomic status, especially parents’ education,

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indirectly relates to children’s achievements. Children from families with high economic

and educational backgrounds often have high levels of achievements (Gonzalez, 2004).

Parents’ level of education and knowledge influence their children’s academic aspirations

and expectations, and engagement in school activities and academic success (Redding,

1991; Wallace & Walberg, 1991; Marjoribanks, 1994, as cited by Gonzalez, 2004).

Parents’ level of education influences students to achieve academically or non-

academically.

Hence, the question arises, as why some students can achieve well in physical

activities such as in sports and game activities, and some even ignore the physical

activities in their life and even do not know how to perform physical activities and play

games. Does their performance begin at home or at school? Does their parents’ education

influence their performance in physical activities whether in and after school? A research

done by Davis-Kean (2005) attributes children’s academic achievement to parent’

education. Can a similar co-relation exist between students performance in physical

activities and parents’ level of education?

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 Background of Study

Physical Activity and Parents’ Level of Education

Physical activity must be something that is a part of a person’s normal lifestyle

(Corbin et al, 2008) and many reasons that influence students to carry on physical

activities in their life. Teachers’ attitudes, behaviours and teaching styles; peers

influences; students personal attitudes and behaviours; environmental factors such as

activity areas (location, safety and equipment availability) and weather (hot and cold),

and parents influences also will affects students’ participation in physical activities.

Consequently, students’ performance of physical activities in and out of the school will be

affected.

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 Among factors that influence students’ performance in physical activities, parents’

influence is crucial and significant. Parents’ personal attitudes and behaviors, active or

sedentary lifestyle, socio-economic status, occupation and incomes will influence and

affect students’ performance in physical activities. This is because parents will be the role

models and the sources of motivations for students to continuing their performance in

physical activities. Among these factors, parents’ level of education, may or may not

influence students’ participation in physical activities. Parents’ level of education is the

level of education of father or mother (Martínez, Martínez & Pérez, 2004). Hence, this

research is to study the relationship between the parents’ level of education and students’

performance in physical activity.

Problem Statements

According to Klebanov et al (1997, as cited by Davis-Kean, 2005), the literature

on achievement consistently has shown that parents’ education is important in predicting

children’s achievement. Jimerson, Egeland & Teo et al (1999, as cited by Davis-Kean,

2005) also stated that the majority of the literature on parents’ education pertains to the

direct, positive influence on children’s achievement. However, does the parents’ level of

education can be used to predict students’ performance in non-academic achievement and

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performance, such as achievement and performance in physical activities? In addition,

most of the research in the past was only addressed the parents’ education will cause

effects to students’ academic achievements. There are indirect statements that parents’

education will influence or affect students’ performance and achievement in physical

activities especially in sports.

Parents’ levels of education are categorised into four different levels in this

research. “Tertiary” is the level of education higher than secondary school such as

matriculation, graduates from college and university who posses certificates, diploma,

degree, masters or doctor. “Secondary” is the level of education lower than higher

secondary who possess certificates of STPM, SPM and PMR. “Primary” is the primary

level of education and “Other” is not schooling before or schooling lower than primary

level. Do parents will tell their children if they did not have schooling before? How high

the influential of parents’ level of education to the students’ performance and

achievement in physical activities especially in sports? Do both variables have direct

relationship? Among two levels of parents’ educational background, which level of

parents’ education influence and affecting the most students’ performance and

achievements in physical activities?

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 In this research, quantitative investigation would be appropriate to provide detail

views of the relationship between parents’ level of education and students’ performance

in physical activities. This research will also reveal which levels of parents’ education

influence most students’ performance in physical activities. Parents’ level of education

will be the independent variable and students’ performance in physical activities will be

the dependent variable. Students and teachers will be the co-researchers as to identify the

relationship between parents’ level of education and students’ performance in physical

activities.

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 Objectives of Study

In this research, the objectives of the study are to:

1. Identify relationship between parents’ level of education and students’

performances in physical activities specifically in sports in urban area school.

2. Identify which level of parents’ education influences most the students’

performance in physical activities specifically in sports.

Research Questions

1. What is the relationship between parents’ level of education and students’

performances in physical activities specifically in sports in urban area school?

2. Which parents’ level of education influences the most students’ performance in

physical activities specifically in sports?

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 Significant of Studies

All the findings in this research will:

a) Increase and improves the awareness of parents, teachers and the society about

the important of physical activities to keep students’ body healthy, and assist on

increasing students academic and non-academic performances.

b) Increase and improve the awareness of parents, teachers and school management

to seriously look into parents’ level of education as factors to influence students’

performance in physical activities.

c) Increase and improve the awareness of parents, teachers and school management

to motivate and stimulate children to actively participating in physical activities

despite of their parents’ level of education.

d) Increase the awareness of parents to motivate and stimulate their children to

actively participating in physical activities despite of the children’ school is

located in the urban or rural area.

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 e) Increase the awareness of children that their performances and participation in

physical activities can continue without the influence of parents’ educational

background.

f) Increase and improve students’ attitudes to participate in physical activities.

Conceptual Definition

Below are the conceptual definitions for the keywords in the topic:

Relationship :- The way which two or more things are connected and

affect each other.

Parent :- Father or mother, male or female guardian of a

student.

Parents’ level of education :- Level of education attainment by parents.

Student :- Someone who is studying at a school. In this research

student is someone who is studying in Seri Kelana

Primary School (SK Seri Kelana).

Physical activities :- Physical activities are bodily movement of any type

and include recreational, fitness and sport activities

as well as daily activities. But according to

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 researcher, in this research, physical activity is

defined as sports and games such as football,

badminton, athletics, basketball and etc that students

can participate in school’s extra co-curricular

physical activities, or sports and games that students

can represent the team, group, class, school, district

or zone, state and national level to perform in the

competition.

Performance of physical :- How well students participate and represent the

activity school’s sport and games team in the school, district

or zone, district and national level competition.

Urban area :- An area connected with a town or city.

Limitation of Research

This research is a researched-based study where it mainly focuses on the

relationship between parents’ level of education and students’ performance in physical

activities in urban area school in Seri Kelana Primary School (Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri

Kelana). Family background, individual characteristics, personal outcomes

(Marjoribanks, 2004), environment availability and peer influences are limitation in this

study.

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 Family social status (education, incomes and occupation), ethnicity and races,

individual characteristics (beliefs, academic achievement, educational aspirations, self-

confidence), personal outcome (educational attainment, physical and mental well-being,

interest), environment availability (equipments, transportation, distance), peer influences

(peers’ interest and social capitals) and the popularity of games and sports (Marjoribanks,

2004) are limitations in this research as these factors are influencing students’

participation, performance and achievement of physical activity (sport and games) in

school. The home environments, where students’ physical activity behaviours are learned

and supported (Davidson & Campbell, 2005, as cited by Jackson, Crawford, Campbell &

Salmon, 2008), parents’ support or restrict students’ participation by providing

accessibility of facilities and programmes, equipments, encouraging and praising,

funding, transportation, and accessibility to items that may promote sedentary behaviours

(i.e., television, computer, electronic games) in home and rules at home (as cited by

Jackson et al, 2008) will affect students participation and performance in physical

activities during and after school.

Students’ academic and non-academic performances are also limitation in this

study. Students’ previous mid and final year examination results will be the model

analysis for academic achievement. Physical activities in this research are mainly

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described as sports. Only certain sports (i.e. badminton, football, athletics, volleyball and

etc) students can choose in their school’s extra co-curricular physical activities,

participate and represent (e.g. class, school, district or zone, state and national) to perform

in certain level of competition. Students who represents may not achieve medals in the

competition but they can perform in certain stage of competition. Besides, students

mostly are exposing to sports and games that television and newspaper reported such as

football, badminton and tennis. Hence, students’ performances in physical activities are

hardly to measure in this research unless students’ participation and performance in

school’ extra co-curricular physical activities and their performance in sports competition

are taken as physical activities performance in this research.

The other limitation is that only handful of resources is related to this topic of

research. Most of the researches are the relationship between parents’ education and

students’ academic performance or relationship between physical activity and academic

performance at school.

Limitations also occur before and during the administration of research. Teachers

and students may unwilling to participate and be the respondents in this research;

respondents forget to query their parents’ level of education, details of occupation and

incomes and they do not know how to answer the questionnaire correctly; respondents
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absent on the day researcher implement the research; respondents may answer only part

of the questionnaire and they may not answer the questionnaires honestly; respondents

are unequal number of boys and girls; respondents unable to understand the questions

that ask in the questionnaire and could not answer correctly.

Edited : 10.7.2009_9.30 am

Sir. The Yellow highlighted text is the text that I had been add and edited in my work.

After editing my work, I will start to finish my phase 1 analisis data (draft).

I will let u c my work as soon as possible.

Frm :Meng

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