Many academic articles and research studies have tried to show the relevance of parents’ level of education as predictors of children’s academic achievement, Walker & Smrekar (2011). More recent research has shown that there are many factors and variables that influence children and their academic achievement other than their parent’s level of education, for example motivation for academic tasks; parental involvement and educational expectations and good old-fashioned peer competition. In 2004 and 2005 the Statistics Department of Anguilla undertook two surveys The Tertiary Education Survey Report 2004 and The Adult Population Tertiary Education Needs Survey 2005. In an attempt to prove the theory that parents’ level of education is a predictor of children’s academic achievement.
Anguilla’s rich history of battles, revolutions, mining and an enduring love affair with the sea contribute to the richness. The thirst for education to assist with upward mobility in society, which exists in some of its neighbouring islands, does not however seem to have historically taken root in Anguilla.
There may be several reasons for this. In 1796 men from French St. Martin attempted to invade Anguilla. The Anguillians with the help of a British frigate fought back and won, helping to build within the people a resilience that was more important than strategy. The naturally arid climate and the island’s location as the most northerly of the Leeward Islands, a perfect target for North Atlantic cyclones, ensured that the few plantations that were attempted were doomed to failure. The economy was therefore not a profitable one and in 1832 and again some 11 years later in 1843 an evacuation of the residents of Anguilla to Guyana and Trinidad respectively was ordered. The love of the people for this limestone rock island was such that they did not want to leave. This led them to turn to the sea for their livelihoods. Education was therefore not an important factor. Being part of the tri-island state of St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla with St. Kitts having the upper hand educationally for many years in that for a long time there was no high school in Anguilla (not until 1953), may be another reason.
Many of the early leaders of Anguilla did not attain any form of higher education due perhaps to the lack of opportunity or lack of a high school on the island; this may have led them to see little need for it in the population.
Yet a further reason may well be the fact that the land in Anguilla is mainly owned by its people. Persons felt that owning their land would be the gateway to prosperity; reading, writing and the need for further and higher education was not emphasized. Additionally, because of the focus on manual labour whether through mining or fishing, continuing education was not a necessity. The female population had limited career options besides entering the teaching profession upon completing high school. The emphasis, as was prevalent in most of the world, was to become a wife and mother or a housekeeper, taking care of homes and children which was not seen to require any further formal education.
Indeed anecdotal stories from several high school teachers today describe pupils’ response to being persuaded to focus on their school work with replies such as “Miss we have land—what we need with book learning for,” or “I can go to the hotel or construction field and make more money than you.” — with all your education.
There is evidence of class structure bias where certain families ruled the day and systematically kept out those whom they viewed as a threat. The threat being that they showed signs of capability beyond the preconceived levels put on them. Culturally, on a daily basis even today, people often tell you openly, “I don’t like to read.” This could perhaps be contributed to the lack of book stores and access to a library on Anguilla. Also in Anguilla there is a clearly defined class structure, therefore there is not a strong middle class with a sustained interest in the arts and literature. Upward mobility through education has not been emphasized to the same extent as in other islands.
The introduction of the comprehensive education system to Anguilla in 1986 sought to provide a more systematic and inclusive approach to education so that a wider section of the population could benefit from secondary level education. In 1991 The University of the West Indies established a “Challenge” outreach Programme which opened the door locally for tertiary level education. In 1994 the University established a formal presence on the island which continues today, offering tertiary level certificates and degrees in limited areas. In more recent years there has been a concerted effort to encourage educational advancement in the island with the establishment of the Anguilla Community College in 2009 as well as the recent efforts of the Ministry of Education in launching their ‘Literacy Campaign.’
Many of the Anguillians who achieved tertiary level education early and escaped St. Kitt’s stranglehold on the island’s development went abroad to study, specifically in the USA and UK and later Canada. It is not surprising therefore that the early generation of Anguillians with formal education in bachelors or higher degrees were educated outside of the region, particularly in these three countries. This has been both a blessing and a curse, in the sense that many of these trained Anguillians when they sought to return home to occupy a place in the administrative and to a lesser extent the professional fields were blocked out by those who had stayed behind without formal education and training, some were frankly told that their contribution was not welcome.
This paper refers to the findings of the following surveys conducted by the Statistics Department of Anguilla: The Tertiary Education Survey Report 2004 and The Adult Population Tertiary Education Needs Survey 2005. The students polled in these surveys are now aged between 22 and 24; it might be interesting to see where there are now on their educational journey.
(Adult Population Tertiary Education Needs Survey 2005, p. 8)
| Education Level | Sex | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | ||
| Completed Primary | 24% | 21% | 45% |
| Completed Secondary | 15% | 18% | 33% |
| Completed Tertiary | 7% | 8% | 15% |
| Other | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Did not complete primary or never started school | 2% | 2% | 4% |
| Total | 49% | 51% | 100% |
These two tables (Tabels 1.1 and 1.2) reflect the reality of the Anguillian population dynamics that is women emerging as a critical workforce component because of their willingness to seek secondary and higher education. Indeed this is a pattern emerging in many countries in the region. For example, admissions to professional schools are often oversubscribed by women.
Like the census data the population data reveals much the same information.
| Education Level | Sex | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | ||
| Primary | 15% | 13% | 27% |
| Secondary | 20% | 26% | 46% |
| Tertiary | 12% | 15% | 27% |
| Total | 47% | 53% | 100% |
The survey respondents were made up of 43% women and 57% men. A greater proportion of women than men are studying full-time. However the proportion of men and women not studying or working is virtually the same at 15% and 16% respectively. In other words, men have a greater tendency to do part-time work and also study part-time than women. In fact there is not one woman who is studying and working part-time whereas 3% of men are following this option. (Tertiary Education Survey Report August 26, 2004)
| Reasons for not studying | |
|---|---|
| Lack of financial resources | 3% |
| Never thought about it | 6% |
| Have sufficient work experience | 15% |
| Family commitments | 8% |
| Do not want to leave Anguilla | 1% |
| Not interested | 47% |
| Other | 21% |
| Total | 100% |
Table 2.1 sadly shows that 47% of persons in the Adult survey were not interested in pursuing further studies. Several explanations are possible. The first being easy access to funds due to the demand for labour without qualifications. The second is that many persons witnessed their peers with similar or less education than themselves advancing the occupational ladder and felt that they could do the same. In other words, longevity became the watchword rather than educational attainment. Thirdly, an early emphasis on education and associate skills was not stressed.
| Level of Training | |
|---|---|
| Doctorate | 8% |
| Masters | 23% |
| Bachelors | 26% |
| Associate Degree | 11% |
| Diploma | 14% |
| Certificate | 17% |
| Total | 100% |
Table 2.2 shows that 49% of respondents would like to obtain Bachelors/Masters degrees, whereas 42% aspire to obtaining Associate/Diploma/Certificate.
This is in contrast to the 47% who were not interested in wanting to study.
| Reason for not studying | |
|---|---|
| Not interested now | 39% |
| Lack of financial resources | 13% |
| Do not have educational requirements | 2% |
| Undecided as what to study | 5% |
| Not accepted to college as yet | 1% |
| Family commitments | 19% |
| Do not want to leave Anguilla | 2% |
| Course not available in Anguilla | 4% |
| Other | 15% |
| Total | 100% |
Table 2.3 confirms that our earlier observations that notwithstanding aspirations for higher degrees 39% of persons indicated that they were not willing to study when the survey was conducted.
Traditionally, parents’ level of education was believed to be an indicator of the level of education that their children would achieve. However research has shown that parent’s level of education is part of a bigger picture that takes into consideration psychological and sociological factors that may influence their children’s ambitions where schooling is concerned. Students whose parents have attained higher education qualifications may have a greater appreciation for learning and are better able to guide and support their children through the learning process than those whose parents have lower levels of education. However, educational achievement of parents is not the only criteria affecting their children’s educational achievement. Thomas Watkins (1997) found that parental involvement played a more critical role in their child’s educational aspirations than did the parents’ educational achievements.
| Mom’s level of education | Certificate | Diploma | University | Associate | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mom | Dad | Mom | Dad | Mom | Dad | Mom | Dad | ||
| 4 yrs or less of high school | 10% | 6% | 27% | 28% | 13% | 9% | 50% | 56% | 100% |
| 5 yrs of high school | 11% | 10% | 19% | 21% | 11% | 15% | 58% | 54% | 100% |
| College or some university | 5% | 0% | 19% | 0% | 5% | 11% | 71% | 89% | 100% |
| Degree | 0% | 13% | 8% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 92% | 88% | 100% |
| Don’t know | 18% | 15% | 21% | 22% | 25% | 15% | 36% | 48% | 100% |
The table indicates that the majority of school leavers regardless of their parents’ educational background desired to reach the associate degree level. Although an astonishing number of students did not know the highest level of education attained by their parents they were still interested in pursuing higher education from certificate to university level and more of them wanted to pursue university level programmes than those whose parents had attended universities and attained degrees. This evidence may suggest that education and its importance is not a topic discussed within the family circle. However, it suggests that the student’s polled want to achieve academically.
(Adult Population Tertiary Education Needs Survey 2005, Chapter)
| Relationship | Complete Higher Education |
|---|---|
| Father | 1% |
| Mother | 1% |
| Sister | 2% |
| Brother | 3% |
| Other | 21% |
| None | 71% |
Seventy-one percent (71%) of the people said that no one living in the household surveyed had completed university or has a degree. Twenty-one (21%) said that someone other than a parent or sibling had a degree, such as a spouse, uncle or anyone else outside the options listed living within the household. (Adult Population Tertiary Education Needs Survey 2005)
The data from these two surveys show that Anguillians are apparently interested in education, but are not focused in terms of how to direct their attention. It may well be that there is a culture of entitlement in which people assume that it is sufficient to be born in Anguilla and the required skills for jobs are only necessary for those persons who come from overseas to take up job appointments on the island.
This can be a double edged sword because when people come to the island that are more skilled it often leads to resentment and dis-contentment and may prevent organizations from functioning at optimum effectiveness. The rapid rate of globalization that exists in the world today ensures that education and knowledge management is a key ingredient for any person who wants to develop. The movement of labour throughout the region and internationally indicates that persons no longer have a job for life. Persons now develop themselves not for their immediate environment, but for a global environment. Therefore with the arrival of institutions such as the Anguilla Community College there should be ample opportunity for the College to offer a wide range of vocational, technical and academic programmes to meet the human resource needs of the island as well as the region. These courses must offer the flexibility of timeliness so that person’s can adjust their schedules accordingly to benefit from the course offerings. At the same time, the political and social establishments should speak with one voice regarding the essential role of education in nation building. In the words of John F. Kennedy “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education… The human mind is our fundamental source.”
Parental education has a significant impact on educational outcome. Although not represented in the data shown here is the role of “significant others” in a child’s life. Often these “others” are relations, extended family members as well as teachers with the experience and foresight to nourish a challenging mind.
Carty, D. (1997). "Nuttin Bafflin": The Story of the Anguilla Racing Boat. Anguilla.
Fahie, S. (2007) “Anguilla Country Report – Caribbean Symposium on Inclusive Education” presented at UNESCO International Buraeu of Education meeting in Kingston, Jamaica 5-7 December 2007.
Patel, N. and Stevens, S. (2010) Parent-Teacher-Student Discrepancies in Academic Ability beliefs: Influences on Parent Involvement, The School Community Journal 20 (2): 115-136.
Shepard, R. and Rose, H. (1995) The power of parents: and empowerment model for increasing parental involvement, Education, Spring 1995.
Statistics Department of Government of Anguilla (2005) Adult Population Tertiary Education Needs Survey 2005 – Analytical Report.
Statistics Department of Government of Anguilla (2004) Tertiary Education Survey Report.
Steinberg, L. (2011) Parenting – High-risk Neighborhoods, Influence of parents’ level of education, Influence on child’s educational aspirations and attainment – Overview [http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/231/Parenting.html accessed 21/2/2011.]
Walker, Joan M.T. and Smrekar, C. (2011) Parenting – Influence of Parents’ Level of Education [http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2311/Parenting accessed 21/2/2011.]
Walker, Joan M.T. and Smrekar, C. (2011) Parenting – Influence of Child’s Educational Aspirations and Attainment [http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2312/Parenting accessed 21/2/2011.]
Watkins, Thomas J. (1997) Teacher Communications, Child Achievement and Parent Traits in Parent Involvement Models, Journal of Educational Research 91 (1):3-14.
© Delroy Louden, Sharon Richardson, and Susan Hodge 2012
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