The purpose of this study was to investigate parents’ and educators’ perceptions of
factors influencing high rate of academic failure of learners in Clarke Estate primary
schools. A quantitative, descriptive study design was used in this study. A descriptive
study is used to gain information about characteristics within a particular field of study.
The instrument used was a research questionnaire as it is a quick and cheap instrument to
obtain a lot of information covering a large area within a relatively short time. The study
population was confined to two schools in Clarke Estate. The participants were randomly
selected. The sample from the two selected schools comprised twenty educators and two
hundred parents. The sample was heterogeneous, comprising both male and female.
The results revealed that there are not one or a few factors responsible for the high rate of
academic failure of learners in schools. Rather there are arrays of factors interacting
together to cause academic failure in schools. The participants of this study considered
major factors responsible for high rate of academic failure of learners in schools to be due
to learners themselves. Some of these factors are low level of interest in schoolwork,
absenteeism, too much time devoted to watching television, cellphone and internet, peer
pressure and idleness by learners. Some factors considered by participants as contributing
to high rate of academic failure of learners in schools were also found to be due to home.
For instance, participants considered low level of interest in children’s education by
parents, educational level of parents, poverty, living conditions at home and drug and
alcohol abuse by parents are all responsible for high rate of academic failure of learners in
schools.
Finally participants also considered those factors due to school, which includes school
environment not conducive to learning, lack of learning materials in school, irrelevant
curriculum, poorly trained and ill-prepared educators and poor educator attitude towards
learners. All of the above mentioned factors contribute to high rate of academic failure and
high drop out rates at schools. These learners who do not complete their formal school
education, are semi- or unskilled and has a negative impact on the economy of the country.