A COMPARATIVE STUDY: EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY ENVIRONMENT ON ACADEMIC SUCCESS AMONG CHILDREN IN SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES AND FOSTER CARE HOMES. A CASE STUDY AT LILONGWE REHABILITATION CENTER AND LILONGWE PRIMARY SCHOOL.

This study examines the impact of family environment on the academic success of children in single-parent households and foster care settings, focusing on the Lilongwe Rehabilitation Centre and Lilongwe Primary School in Malawi. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with children, teachers, and caregivers, alongside quantitative data from structured questionnaires and academic records such as grades and attendance. Grounded in Attachment Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the study explores how caregiver relationships influence emotional security, stress management, and academic performance, emphasizing the role of secure attachment in fostering resilience. Existing scholarship highlights that consistent parental involvement even brief but regular engagement in schoolwork positively correlates with academic outcomes in single-parent households (Lee, 2019; Jeynes, 2012), while research on foster care emphasizes that placement instability and frequent school transfers disrupt learning continuity and weaken peer and teacher relationships, leading to lower achievement (Konijn, 2019; Scherr, 2017). Key findings reveal that children in single-parent families reported stronger emotional support (56.2%) compared to foster care peers (20.0%), alongside higher levels of perceived academic monitoring, while foster care children faced greater instability, with frequent caregiver changes cited as the most significant barrier to sustained academic progress. Financial hardship was more prevalent in single-parent households, yet emotional encouragement and stable caregiver bonds fostered resilience and school engagement. Overall, parental involvement and secure attachment emerged as protective factors across both groups, while instability and trauma were the strongest risk factors in foster care. By comparing single-parent and foster care environments, this research addresses a gap in the Malawian context, where such comparative studies are limited, and provides valuable insights for developing targeted educational policies, social support programs, and family interventions to enhance academic resilience and achievement for children in non-traditional family settings, contributing to the broader discourse on educational equity by highlighting protective factors such as supportive caregiving and school-based interventions that can mitigate challenges and promote academic success in vulnerable populations in Malawi and similar global contexts.