Single parenting and students’ academic performance

Abstract

The need for strength-based research that highlights the way forward on the phenomenon of single parenting and its antecedent effect on students’ academic performance was the motivation for this study. With this study we addressed the direct effect of single parenting on students’ academic performance, while also accounting for the indirect effect of personal achievement motivation and the moderating role of perceived community support. A sample of 379 secondary students from 12 schools in 6 states in Nigeria participated in the survey. The partial least square structural equation model was used for the analysis of the study data through the aid of SmartPLS. We found that single parenting does not have a significant negative effect on students’ academic performance. We also found that personal achievement motivation mediates the relation between single parenting and students’ academic performance; community support was also found to moderate this relationship. When compared to 2-parent homes, single parenting has the greatest effect on students’ academic performance. We support the Self-determination Theory as a contribution to knowledge.