Dissertation submitted to the Faculty Of Education in Fulfilment Of the Requirements for the Degree Of Master of Education in the Department of Philosophy of Education at the university of zululand, 1999. / The study on "an analysis of the educational role of single parents" was aimed at: * investigating the role of single parenthood in education. * investigating the educational role of single parents in and out of school. * establishing problems encountered by single parents in performing their educational role. * establishing the effects of single parenthood on the academic performance of children. * deterroining the extent to which single parents can be helped to improve their parenting skills. The above are some of the aims of this study which are stated in Chapter one. The method of investigation was described and major concepts were clarified in Chapter one. Chapter two discussed the family in relation to socialization and education. It also discussed the functions of the family and the family rektionships. Chapter three dealt with the impact that living in a single parent family had on the academic performance of children. Chapter four dealt with single parents' involvement in education. Chapter five dealt with the research technique, analysis, evaluation and interpretation of data gathered by means of questionnaires. Chapter six focused on the further statement of the programme of study, findings and conclusions, suggestions and recommendations. This study bas revealed that single parents are unable to adequately participate in their children's education mainly due to time and resource constraints. Issues related to child upbringing for lone parenting were a matter of concern. A plethora of pressures and challenges caused conflict and stress for single parents. Some of the recommendations are that schools should help single parents and their children by:- * encouraging single parents to organise their own single parents' groups at school through which parents can create their own support network, receive practical single parenting advice and share child care duties. * educating the public on the importance of accepting single parents. * organising single parents' family support and children's support groups on school's premises and linking these support groups with comrminity agencies that help single parent families in crises. * organising parenting education courses through Parent Teacher Association (PTA's) which offer child care, car pools or other transportation assistance, and a sliding fee or scholarship and fund for low-income single parents. * frequently reviewing children's progress with single parents through the telephone or in-person conferences. * providing single parents with the school's year plan so that parents can make prior arrangements with employers to attend some of the school's important activities/events. * opening therapy and counseling centres for single parents. * updating those single parents who are unable to attend parents meetings by making minutes for meetings available for them. * educating single parents on strategies of coping with stress and resolving conflict. The researcher hopes that future research suggested in chapter six will help reveal some of the important issues on single parenthood.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY OF THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2007 / This study is about rural parents who are expected to participate in some of the activities and programmes of rural secondary schools. This is a questionable expectation because rural parents are mostly illiterate, i.e. they cannot read and write. This study revealed that the Department of Education is not doing enough to empower and enlighten rural parents in terms of skills investment This lack of support to rural communities is difficult to understand, as their plight and predicament is known to the Department of Education. Rural secondary learners have suffered a tremendous loss due to this lack of commitment. Rural secondary schools do not have sufficient teaching and learning aids that can enhance the teaching and learning process in rural secondary schools. It is recommended that the Department of Education's officials should visit rural secondary schools more often in order to address issues pertaining to these schools' infrastructures and parental involvement. Parental supervision should be established in each rural secondary school to optimise the learners' academic achievement. The school management teams (SMTs) should also welcome and assist with parental involvement. This study further revealed that subject advisors seldom visit rural secondary schools to review and monitor the learning and teaching process. It is recommended that subject advisors should visit each rural secondary school quarterly, i.e. once in every three months. Simultaneously, Superintendents of Education Management (SEMs) should workshop the school governing bodies (SGBs) of their duties at schools. Superintendents of Education Management are recommended to often visit rural secondary schools as "developers" and not as "judges". They should not only visit schools when there are problems, but also on ad hoc basis to ensure that the culture of teaching and learning is intact.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.