2.4 Parental involvement in schooling in South Africa 25
2.4.5 The need for effective communication between parents and the school 37
local school to the local community in an effort to establish a collaborative working relationship where it does not exist, or to consolidate an existing working relationship.
While ‘partnership’ is part of the rhetoric of school reform and has become the buzz-word in various aspects of governance, it is seldom part of the action agenda (Naidu et al., 2008, p. 132).
However, Michael et al. (2012) warn that language difficulties could result in parents not understanding the participation opportunities given to them, which often leads to educators labelling such parents as uninterested. Key in getting parents involved in supporting schools towards the achievement of educational goals is effective communication between the school and home. Van Wyk (2009) asserts that parents will share their ideas and skills freely when they believe their inputs are appreciated.
According to Van Wyk and Lemmer (2009), parents wish to be kept informed of developments taking place at school regarding their children’s progress. Meier et al. (2006) warn that parents come from different backgrounds with different values, traditions, languages and communication styles. Since a person’s cultural background can create a barrier through which a message has to penetrate, schools need to devise effective forms of school-to-home and home-to-school communication strategies to secure parents’ support. A school has the responsibility of informing the parent community about the school’s needs and creating an enabling environment for effective teaching and learning.
Educators need to be know the parents in order to communicate effectively and to be able to work together to achieve set goals. The creation of effective communication links is therefore essential to ensure that stakeholders share common objectives.
2.4.5.2 Communication link with parents
Cochran and Dean (1991, p. 265) warn that schools “…tend to involve parents in one-way communication rather than [in] a partnership where each partner is truly respected as having something valuable to contribute. Where parents and educators do know each other or talk to each other about matters concerning their children, they may wrongfully see each other as uncompromising and not even try to discover mutually beneficial options.”
Lemmer et al. (2006) advise that communication between the school and the home can take various forms such as open days (which can be held on a regular basis), providing parents with the opportunity to visit the school, and talking to parents and allowing them to peruse their children’s schoolwork. When necessary, regular informal contact between parents and educators - written or face-to-face - is a valuable means of monitoring learners’ progress on a regular basis.
Meier et al. (2006) warn that if parents and educators don’t talk, they may mistakenly see each other as uncompromising and fail to see mutually beneficial options.
Van Wyk and Lemmer (2009) propagate that educators visit learners’ homes. They believe parents speak more freely in the safe and familiar environment of their own homes. An educator who is interested enough in the child to take the trouble to visit the home is deeply appreciated by both the child and the parent. A home visit with a child’s parent(s) does wonders in breaking
38
down the barriers of class and ethnicity which may exist between home and school (Van Wyk and Lemmer, 2009).
2.4.5.3 Verbal communication
According to Prinsloo (2005), verbal communication is most convenient and invites immediate feedback. It is usually quicker and cheaper than written communication. It is more personal, less formal and can be an accurate way of conveying information. Where necessary, questions need to be asked to clear misconceptions. Verbal communication goes a long way to ensuring that parents and educators understand one another. The possibility of conflict is minimised and the possibility of creating a friendly atmosphere is enhanced.
However, to communicate effectively, one has to listen. Listening provides teachers with the feedback they need in order to respond and it is a skill that must be developed (Van Wyk &
Lemmer, 2009). Schools should also devise methods of communicating decisions taken at meetings with those parents who could not attend planned meetings for reasons that were beyond their control. Parents need to be aware of developments taking place at the school. Where possible, a regular meeting with parents will help ensure that parents are kept abreast of developments taking place at the school and of where additional support is needed.
2.4.5.4 Written communication
According to Prinsloo (2005), written communication is the second most important medium of communication where simplicity and clarity are of utmost importance. Some advantages of this form of communication are that it can be kept as evidence and be duplicated to reach many people. Clarke (2007) advises that schools write notes to update parents on developments concerning the school or their children. However, he warns of the risk that letters get lost in the bottom of a school bag “...with a mouldy sandwich or an old football sock”. Letters are often mislaid which means schools have to do follow-ups to ensure that messages reach parents.
Academic reports are regarded as the most crucial form of communication as they contain messages about the core function of the school. Chetty (2003, p. 121) posits that “...reports need to inform parents about the child’s academic potential and what the parent and the child can and should do to ensure that he/she realizes his/her potential.” A challenge for the school will be to
39
ensure that written messages are understood by illiterate parents who may not be able to read as this is common among rural parents. Lemmer and Van Wyk (2004, p. 183) advise that home- school communication needs to aim at giving parents a voice and should avoid patronizing them.
Effective communication between the school and parents is essential if set educational goals are to be achieved. Meier et al. (2006) posit that where effective communication is established and sustained in a comprehensive parent involvement programme, there are many positive outcomes for learners, parents and educators. However, there are several challenges that stifle the level of parental involvement in the life of the school attended by their children.
2.5 Impact of parental involvement on learner achievement
Epstein et al. (1997, p. 121) argue that, “when parent involvement is viewed broadly, it is possible to involve virtually all parents in the education of their children, including parents of low income status and those who are illiterate or have a very limited proficiency in English.”
Most authors share a common view that when parents are involved the education of their children, there are positive academic, social and cultural outcomes. The Countryside Agency Report (2005, p. 51) found that the educational performance in England since 2005 showed that pupils from rural areas “…generally performed well” in national tests and public examinations.
According to the report, this was in part due to the support schools received from parents.
Kyriakides (2007) cites Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1995) and Watkins (1997) who posit that parent involvement in teaching activities at school would influence students’ achievements. This would be possible due to parents’ ability to offer modelling reinforcement and instruction that support the development of attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours associated with successful school performance. Dauber and Epstein (1993), Dixon (1992), Loucks (1992) and Prinsloo (1996) concur that children are more successful students at all grade levels if their parents participate in school activities and that they go on to do well later in life.
Anderson (2007) posits that parental involvement in education has been associated with a variety of positive academic outcomes. These include higher achievement or grade points in reading, writing and mathematics, and homework completion. Other benefits include lower dropout rates, fewer retentions, and special education placements. Positive behavioural outcomes
40
associated with parental involvement include increased ability to self-regulate behaviour, higher levels of social skills, and evidence of casual relationships. Further, when families participate in specific programmes aimed at increasing their involvement, improvements are seen in overall achievement (Anderson, 2007).
According to Kyriankides (2005), an attempt by a primary school in Cyprus to implement a policy on partnerships that would encourage parents to work with their children in school proved most beneficial. Before the introduction of the school policy, student attainment was similar to that of students at a primary school that had not introduced a partnership policy. Six months after the partnership policy had been implemented, students at the experimental school achieved higher attainment in each core subject. Moreover, parents claimed that their classroom visits contributed significantly to improved teacher communication and to student behaviour at home.
Anderson (2007) contends that the ability of families to comply with educators’ expectations differs because of varying educational levels and available resources. Middle class families tend to have more flexible work schedules and easier access to transportation than do working-class families, making it easier for them to actively participate in the life of the school. They visited the school regularly to check on children’s progress and attended planned empowerment programmes. Parents provided invaluable support when they participated in the school extramural and co-curriculum programmes.
In the South African context it has also been shown that parental participation greatly improves learner performance, as I had the opportunity to observe in my own school. However, Middlewood et al. (2005) concede that schools have traditionally been poor at acknowledging what parents can bring to the learning partnership. They posit that the emotional support that parents can give to children can be very significant, yet the only time schools contact them is when there is a problem. Parents need not fear ignorance of content, but help the child cope with getting something wrong; sticking to something instead of giving up; and be willing to seek help and finding out where to get it from.
Lemmer and Van Wyk (2007) posit that students are the key to a successful school and family partnership as the child is the reason for the connection between the home and the school. They
41
agree that increased parental and community involvement can bring multiple benefits to educators and the school: the educators’ work will be made more manageable; parents who are involved will have more positive views of the teacher and the school; and the parents and others who participate are likely to be supportive of the school, as alluded to by Davies (1993).
Middlewood et al. (2005) advise that parents should realise the importance of providing a quiet place of study for their children to carry out their schools tasks. They contend that some people learn best when surrounded by noise and activity, some need quiet isolation; while some learn by chatting to others. They cite Briggs (2001) who emphasises that the environment needs to enable learners to ‘tune in to’ learning; in this way learners feel respected and sense that their needs have been assessed and attended to.
Middlewood et al. (2005) posit that parents are also able to learn from their children. They cite the example of the advent of new technologies such as cell phones and digital cameras, which are a normal part of the modern child’s life. They argue that in most families adolescent children can demonstrate to at least one parent how a new technological development operates. The patience and instructional skills needed for a child to do this are in themselves invaluable. The difference between the child and the parent is their mindset. To children, the newest technology is not something to be consciously learned, it is just there! To many adults, it requires a conscious learning exercise.