Open AccessPREDICTORS OF SCHOOL CHOICE: THE CASE OF PARENTS IN CAPE COAST, GHANA
Author(s) -
Abdul-Jaleel Saani,
James Amonoo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of education studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2501-1111
DOI - 10.46827/ejes.v8i8.3880
Subject(s) - snowball sampling , popularity , psychology , quality (philosophy) , descriptive statistics , social psychology , developmental psychology , medical education , medicine , mathematics , philosophy , statistics , epistemology , pathology
We identified the pertinent factors affecting parents’ choice of a particular senior high school (SHS) in Ghana, focusing on parents with at least one child in a SHS in Ghana and are residents of Cape Coast. The approach and design used were quantitative and descriptive survey design respectively. A sample of 637 of the parents, made up of 349 women and 288 men, was used. The parents were selected using convenience and snowball sampling techniques. A questionnaire, with a reliability coefficient ranging from 0.735 – 0.829, was the instrument used to collect the data. Out of the 637 parents sampled, we were able to retrieve 588 completed questionnaires, representing 92.3 percent response rate. The data were analysed using cross tabulation and linear multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that parents preferred public boarding SHS which is single-sex education. Also, parents preferred schools with excellent academic record, quality instruction, and positive school values. Similarly, family/parental related factors such as family moral and religious values, and parents’ income and education levels, and also social related factors such as school popularity and brand, peer influence, and social network predict significantly and positively parents’ choice of a particular SHS. We conclude that school, family and social related factors are able to influence parents’ school choice. It is recommended to heads of SHSs to be attentive to the various institutional factors and create schools that address the needs of the parents in their communities in order to attract and retain students. Article visualizations: