Incidence of Parental Competencies on the Academic Performance of Students from Official Educational Institutions in Tunja, Colombia

Incidencia de las competencias parentales en el rendimiento académico de estudiantes de las instituciones educativas oficiales de Tunja, Colombia

The present study describes the relationship between parental competencies and the academic performance of students from transition grade to eleventh grade in official educational institutions in Tunja. A descriptive-correlational design was used. The sample included students from different educational institutions, together with their parents or caregivers. The questionnaires of the Positive Parentality Scale (EPP2) were applied to measure parental competencies, the family APGAR for family functionality and the academic reports of the last period for academic performance. The findings partially validate the hypothesis that competencies affect academic performance, based on significant correlations in formative competence, finding that parental support affects academic performance, especially in the first school years. The inculcating and protective competencies show variations in relation to academic areas and school levels. Reflective competence, on the other hand, shows generally low and non-significant correlations in most areas. The conclusions indicate that parental competencies, particularly in their formative dimension, have an impact on students’ academic performance. As a recommendation, it is proposed that educational strategies should be designed to strengthen the role of families in the school environment.