The need to investigate the parental involvement arose from the new curriculum, as educators struggle to teach in the National Curriculum Statement, so I needed to know if parents are copying. The parental involvement I focus on is essentially teaching and learning that takes place at home and at school where learners need help from the parents with their school work. Parental involvement is strongly linked to socio-economic status which in itself is strongly linked to learners' progress and which is significant for parental involvement.
I want to see what the nature is like and how parental involvement is handled in these schools. Using the findings gathered from the study, I will approach parents' perspectives regarding their involvement in supporting students in teaching and learning in schools.
CHAPTER ONE SETTING THE SCENE
Introduction
Background and purpose of the study
In this research, it is argued that the home, through the parents, should play an important role in the education of their children. Parents undoubtedly want the best education for their children (Van Wyk & Lemmer, 2009) and can play a motivational role in their children wanting to follow in their parents' footsteps. Given that parents and schools want the same thing in education, it is logical that they should work together for the benefit of students.
Education is no longer viewed strictly as a set of managerial and pedagogical skills, but rather as a caring, collaborative profession that works with families and others to make pedagogical decisions for the needs of all students (Henry, 1996).
South African policy framework regarding parental involvement
Parents need to be part of established formal education in order to understand the social, moral and ethical issues of South African society (Fager & Brewster 1999). This partnership is in line with the mission of parents to educate their children in terms of the educational requirements of parental involvement in schools. As previously mentioned, the involvement of parents in supporting students in teaching and learning depends on the leadership style of the principal, regardless of whether it facilitates or hinders the participation of various stakeholders in the school (Harsley & Lauder, 1997).
Parents did not have the opportunity to be part of the planning of the school curriculum. The involvement of parents in the SGB was the first step for parents to participate in the planning of the school curriculum.
Parental involvement and obstacles
Parents need to be aware of their responsibilities in terms of NCS and SASA, as well as how to carry out their duties in terms of supporting pupils' schooling. My experience as an educator and member of a school governing body (SGB) shows that parental involvement in school affairs, especially in African communities, is generally poor. Van Wyk and Lemmer (2009) cited the fact that teachers only want to involve them when there are problems in the school as one of the main obstacles preventing the involvement of parents in the school.
As a member of the SBS, I felt that parental involvement in terms of parents taking initiative roles in curriculum needed attention, especially as many principals I know still complain about parents not taking initiatives in their children's education. All stakeholders seem to be aware of their duties as set out in the South African Schools Act and the NCS that parents must be involved in the curriculum planning of the schools.
Key research questions
How the chapters are structured
- Chapter one
- Chapter two
- Chapter three
- Chapter four
- Chapter five
This chapter outlined the problems to be investigated and the background to the study. It also looks at the key research questions as well as the significance of the study.
Introduction
Research done on parental involvement
These studies affirm that the contributions of parents are crucial in the development of the curriculum in schools. SASA No. 84 of (1996), the National Curriculum Statement (2002) mandates that parents participate in schooling activities and the Department of Education (2002) clearly defines the conditions that foster school-parent partnerships. There are arguments that schools and parents are inextricably linked and need each other if students are to grow up in a balanced environment.
The relationship between these two must be like that of the bee and the flower where both depend on the other for survival, in this case it will be the students' education. Educators are dependent on the parents getting their children to school on time, and the parents are dependent on the pedagogue for pedagogy and guidance.
The importance of parental involvement
There may be activities in the curriculum where parents can learn more, such as life skills and other knowledge gained. The Ministry of Education (through SASA and other policies) mandated parents to participate in school affairs, including curriculum planning; supporting students in teaching and learning. For educators, it is in their interest to ensure that parents take initiative in educating their children.
The SMTs in the schools can also play a significant role during the functioning of the schools because they are able to involve all stakeholders. Parents reported in (Berger, 1981; Bridgemohan, 2001; Biesta, 2002) that as a result of their participation in school curriculum programs they had learned new parenting and educational support skills that improved their communication with their children and schools.
Benefits of parental involvement
Narrain (2005), for example, conducted research in South Africa that established a positive relationship between parental involvement and student academic performance. Mashishi (1994), researched the education of students in Soweto, where her study determined the importance of parental involvement in students in village schools. These studies focused more on student perspectives and tended to ignore parents' views on curriculum issues, but there were many benefits of parent involvement that emerged from these studies.
The issue of parental involvement should be handled by the School Management Team (SMT). Mashishi, 1994; Mbatha, 2005 and Bhengu, 2005) support the policy of greater parental involvement. Few agree on what constitutes effective parental involvement.
Parental involvement in teaching and learning
A major source of this confusion is the lack of education in some cases and the rigor of the research that informs practice and policy. Kruger (1987) states that parents are the primary educators in the child's life, parents are responsible for the child's development and care. This is the reason for highlighting the matter in such a way that it cannot be just the leadership style of the principal that makes people understand why parents should be involved in the education of the children.
Small (2003) states that educators who love to involve parents in children's school work promote learning and create growth in students. This means that when the school involves parents in teaching, children's performance will develop, both in academic work and character, which might not otherwise be achieved.
The theories that frame the study .1 The alternative schools reform model
- Social Ecological Theory
The ecological theory explains both processes and results of development in the individual's environment. It also confirms that, in theory, individuals are able to exchange skills, abilities and interests between parents and children. It will be imperative for the children to assert what the parents like, in the case of this research it will be education.
Parents will take initiative and be part of the curriculum planning in the schools to be accountable for their work. Children must be studied in the context of the family environment and the family must be understood within the context of its community and the larger society.
Conclusion
There needs to be some form of collaboration between schools and homes that encourages students to do their best. An ecological perspective looks at human development from a human-environment context, emphasizing the principle that all growth and development takes place in the context of relationships. In terms of child development, goodness refers to the match between developmental needs.
This chapter provides the description of the research design and methodology used to collect data from parents, principals, HODs and post level one educators. The chapter also outlines the methods used to select participants; methods used to elicit data from the selected participants; methods used to analyze data, also to ensure reliability of the findings, as well as limitations and ethical issues dealt with in the research process.
The research objectives
Research design and methodology
- Methodology
- Selection of participants and sites .1 Participants
- Tables
I have mentioned in the previous sections that the study is based on the qualitative research methodology. Qualitative method is relevant to this study because it recognizes and confirms that the researcher is part of the reality she or he is inquiring about. At the three schools, the opinion was created through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observations of SGB's meetings and parents' evenings.
I was more interested in the deeper understanding of what parents and schools understand about parental involvement in teaching and learning. Cohen, Manion and Morrison claim that the strength of the interpretive paradigm lies in the fact that it provides the voices of the participants in their own voices and this is directly associated with qualitative research methodology.
Parents 2 Females 1 Male and 1 Female
- Sampling of schools for this research
- Methods of data collection
- The pilot phase
- Semi-structured interviews
- Participants observations
- Document Analysis
- Recording the data
- Data analysis
- Ensuring trustworthiness
- Ethical issues
- Coding of schools and participants
- The schools
- Conclusion
- The profiles of three sites .1 School-A
- School-B
- School-C
- Themes that emerged from the data collected
- Schools confuse the policy on parental involvement in teaching and learning As per requirement of the NCS, Education White Paper 2, (1996) and the South African
- Parents and educators have different ideologies about parental involvement in teaching and learning
- Parents have difficulties in understanding school curriculum
- Socio-economic challenges have a negative effect on teaching and learning in the school
- Data analysis
- Similarities and differences between the schools
- Similarities and difference between principals
- Similarities and differences between the parents studied
- Research questions restated
- What are parents’ perspectives and expectations on parental involvement?
- How are educators and parents’ interactions on parental involvement in teaching and learning?
- What support do parents receive from SMT’s in schools to help the learners with their work?
- Recommendations for school principals
- Recommendations for HODs
- Conclusion
Only the reachable parents who were in the School Governing Body (SGB) meeting were selected for the interviews. The lack of infrastructure in the school affects the smooth flow of teaching and learning. There was a feeding scheme in the school and the educators stated that it attracted learners to the school.
The principal praised those parents who were able to help with school matters. It was reported that most of the parents at the school were also midwives, most of whom were illiterate. The principal and SGB emphasize that parents are part of teaching and learning at school.
In some schools, the parent involvement policy only takes place in the school because it is supported by the principal. The headmaster and SGB make it possible for all parents to be in the parents' office. Some of the main participants in the study are working parents who also help manage the school.
Some of the students at the school were raised by grandmothers and some were orphans. She said that she would like all the parents of students in the school to be part of the development of the school. The principal of school B is making sure that the poor students at the school get food before going to class.
The principal at School C allowed 6th grade and 7th grade students to help struggling students after school hours. This is seen when they come to support their children on sports days at school. Ordinary parents who play no role in the school's SGB seem to have no voice.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature and level of parental involvement in teaching and learning at school.
Observation Schedule
Section A
Gender
Occupation
Your relationship with the learner
Do you live in the
What is your home language?
Your Race
PARENTS
Does the school/educator provide support in dealing with your child's work? What do you think parents should do more about parental involvement?
Interview Guide for Principals, HODs and Post Level One Educators
