Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The practice of partnership to the benefit of education is as old as education itself: Partners of education were involved in the most primitive societies. Partners are still of indispensable importance in postmodern societies. This study points out that the conventional partners to education (parent, church and state) have been of importance through the centuries and that partnership involvement should be of increasing importance in times to come. Concurrently, it has become necessary to involve new up-to-date supplementary education partners to address the numerous challenges in the field of education. The parent comes to light as the first and foremost partner in education and is therefore worthy of the connotation primary education partner. History illustrates how certain communities, due to specific perspectives on wond and life, ideologies and educational institutions, tried to scale down the functions of this partner. Nowhere, however, could it be achieved successfully, without serious harmful consequences for the child who is to be educated. The safety and security that the child experiences in the parental home and within the family structure is of the utmost importance for the young child. The proliferation in the number of parentiess children as a result of an increase in the divorce rate, family murders and especially the pandemic MI virus is alarming in this respect. Additional partners will have to be found to address the child's need of security. The anchor provided by participation in religious activities is likewise for the developing child of importance. In addition, the church, in the widest sense of its meaning, emphasizes certain norms and moral values. It provides programmes, which ensure to prevent the youths from derailment along dangerous and destructive routes. The church needs to be admitted and invited to be an essential partner. The state is justly being viewed as a chief partner to education and training, on account of its functions such as the funding of formal education, the provision of a general curriculum and the making of legislation governing education. This important position in the education partnership does not mean that the state should play the dominant role. It does not qualify the state to prescribe to the other partners how they should perform their roles. Partnership presupposes c0- operation and stringent prescriptions by the state would be unacceptable and counter-productive to the respective partners. The conventional partners will have to realise that each has a meaningful contribution to make, which cannot be substituted. by anyone of the others, A comparative study of partnership in Kenya, Cuba and Germany serves as a background study. In an ever-fast changing wortd in which extremely heavy demands are made to education and its partners, it is clear that new education partners have to be found to assist the school. The conventional partners are just not able to fulfit the task by themselves. This study identifies a number of supplementary partners that could, on account of the particular challenges facing· education in South Africa, make a valuable contribution. Partners deserve their position as partners due to the functional role that they could play at a specific stage in the ongoing process of education development. As times change, and new needs come into existence, other partners will have to be identified to support the existing, conventional partners. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gebruik van vennote wat vir die opvoeding van waarde kan wees, is so oud soos die opvoeding self. Opvoedingsvennote het in die mees primitiewe samelewings voorgekom en is in die postmoderne samelewings steeds van onmisbare belang. Hierdie studie dui aan dat die konvensionele opvoedingsvennote (ouer, kerk, staat) deur die eeue van belang was en dat hul vennootskaplike deelname in die toekoms verhoog behoort te word. Terselfdertyd het dit nodig geword om nuwerwetse, supplementêre opvoedingsvennote te betrek om die talle uitdagings op onderwysgebied die hoof te bied. Die ouer tree na vore as die eerste en vernaamste opvoedingsvennoot en is as sodanig die benaming primêre opvoedingsvennoot waardig. Die geskiedenis toon aan hoedat sekere gemeenskappe op grond van bepaalde partikuliere wêreld- en lewensbeskouings, ideologieë en opvoedingsdoelstellings die rol van hierdie vennoot wou afskaal, maar dat dit nêrens sonder nadelige gevolge vir die opvoedeling gedoen kon word nie. Die veiligheid, sekuriteit en geborgenheid wat die kind in die ouerhuis en binne die gesinstruktuur beleef, is veral vir die jong kind van allergrootse belang. Die groter wordende getalouerlose kinders as gevolg van 'n toename in egskeidings, gesinsmoorde en veral die pandemiese MI-virus, is in hierdie verband kommerwekkend. Supptementêre vennote sal daarom gevind moet word om die kind se behoefte aan geborgenheid aan te spreek. Die verankerdheid wat deelname aan religieuse aktiwiteite bied, is eweneens vir die ontwikkelende kind van belang. Daarbenewens beklemtoon die kerk, in die wydste sin gedefinieer, sekere norme en morele waardes en voorsien hy programme wat verseker dat die jeug se vryetydsbesteding en drang na plesier nie op gevaarlike, afbrekende roetes ontspoor nie. Die kerk sal steeds as noodsaaklike opvoedingsvennoot toegelaat en uitgenooi moet word. Die staat word vanweë funksies soos die befondsing van formele onderwys, die daarstelling van 'n algemene kurrikulum en die neerlê van onderwyswetgewing met reg as hoofvennoot van die opvoeding, onderwys en opleiding beskou. Hierdie posisie in die vennootskap beteken nie dat die staat die oorheersende rol speel en aan ander vennote kan voorskryf hoedanig hul rolle sal wees nie. Vennootskap veronderstel samewerking en streng voorskriftelikhede sal vir medevennote onaanvaarbaar wees. Die konvensionele vennote sal moet besef dat elkeen se bydrae tot die opvoeding belangrik is en nie deur ander vennote vervang kan word nie. 'n Vergelykende studie van vennootskaplikheid in Kenia, Kuba en Duitsland dien as agtergrond tot die studie. In 'n wêreld wat vinnig en voortdurend verander en waar hoë eise aan die opvoeding en sy vennote gestel word, is dit duidelik dat nuwe opvoedingsvennote gevind sal moet word om bystand te ver1een. Die konvensionele vennote is gewoon nie in staat om die mas alleen op te kom nie. Hierdie studie identifiseer 'n aantal supplementêre vennote wat, op grond van die eiesoortige probleme wat in die Suid-Afrikaanse opvoeding ondervind word, van waarde sal kan wees. Soos tye verander en nuwe behoeftes ontstaan, sal ander vennote geïdentifiseer moet word om die konvensienete opvoedingsvennote te ondersteun.

This study explores the factors that promote parental involvement at a secondary school in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The study was conducted with twelve learners from grades 10 to grade 12, six educators and six parents. The theories on parental involvement that guided the study were the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner and the role theory. The methodology used to obtain data were interviews with learners, teachers and parents. The literature review looked at the extent of parental involvement, the barriers experienced by parents and the benefits of parental involvement. The literature also looked at views of how parents can be encouraged to become more active in schools. The qualitative method was utilized to determine the factors promoting parental involvement. The focus group was used with the learners and the semi structured interviews was used with the teachers and parents. Themes were formed using the collected data that was organized and analyzed The findings of the data showed that there is a need for greater parental involvement. Parents and teachers agreed that there are certain barriers that prevent parents from becoming more involved in the education of their children. There is a need for a concerted effort amongst parents and teachers to communicate and work as a team for effective teaching and learning to take place. Schools need to consider that parents face problems and they need to work with parents to overcome these barriers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Recent factors identified as contributory to poor mathematics performance in South Africa include lack of parental involvement coupled by the divorce of mathematics education to children’s everyday lives. This exploratory study, therefore focused on home activities grandmothers engage their Grade 2 grandchildren that may promote mathematical skills of Foundation Phase learners. This study followed a qualitative, interpretive and case study research design, to explore home activities grandmothers engage their Grade 2 grandchildren that may promote mathematical skills of Foundation Phase learners. A small scale study of six grandmothers and three Grade 2 teachers were sampled through purposive and snowball sampling. In line with the protocol of the case study, semi-structured individual face to face interviews and shadowing were used to collect data. One striking feature of the main findings was the diversity mathematics applications home activities contained. These include physical, financial and fun playful home activities. Data also revealed that these home activities could reinforce numbers and what numbers mean; reinforce shape recognition and spatial relationships; complement matching, classification and sorting and reinforce measuring and time. This implies that curriculum must incorporate children’s social capital. Both teachers and grandmothers acknowledged that children’s mathematics education is complex and an effective partnership between grandmothers and teachers is needed if children are to be competent in mathematics.

The aim of this study was to explore fathers’ role in supporting their children’s learning in selected urban primary schools in the East London Education District. Epstein parental involvement theory informed the study. The study was located in the interpretivist research paradigm and it qualitative in nature. It followed a case study research design. Participants were selected through the use of purposive sampling. A total of fifty two (52) participants were selected and these included school teachers, fathers and learners. Semi-structured interviews (for school teachers and fathers) and focus group interviews (for learners) were used in the four selected primary schools. The data was coded and thematic content analysis was used. The findings from the research indicated that fathers’ and teachers had a very limited understanding of fathers’ support in children’s learning. They generally thought that it was confined to activities done at school such as payment of school fees and levies, providing labour for the construction or renovation of school buildings and providing teaching/learning resources. Participants confirmed that the majority of fathers were too poor and with low education to be meaningfully involved in their children’s learning. However, there were a few fathers who believed that their socio-economic status did not prevent them from participating in their children’s learning. They actually indicated useful ways in which they could be involved. It was found that a minority group of fathers who were unemployed spent time helping their children in their learning whilst, those working worked long hours and had no time to help their children. Among the significant findings of the study was the fact that educated fathers were too involved in their children’s learning and even reserved time on weekend to be part of their children’s life and learning. The research also revealed that fathers and teachers had wrong perceptions about themselves and each other in connection with limited fathers’ support in their schools. The study recommends, among other issues, enhanced school/parent partnership with emphasis on the involvement of fathers in academic activities meant to improve their children’s learning.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Ed. / A child is educated with the aim of being able to comply with all the demands of life. One of these demands is having an occupation. In our contemporary society, the demand for work is far greater than the supply, which leads to unemployment. This is one reason for the actuality of this research. The lack of entrepreneurs is a national problem. Generally, parents are of the opinion that someone out there is waiting to employ their child. Children are thus brought up to believe that they must be employees or job seekers. At an early stage, the awareness and attitudes of the youth can be changed by means of entreprenedrial education as a method of combatting unemployment. This study concerns the task of the parental home as creator of a culture characterised by entrepreneurship. A twofold approach, consisting of a literature study (chapters 2-4) and an empirical study (chapters 5-6) was used. The purpose of the study is to determine: • what is understood by entrepreneurship (chapter 2); • the task of the parental home (chapter 3) and • the contribution of the parental home to the encouragement of entrepreneurship (chapter 4). The empirical investigation was undertaken with reference to the above theoretical framework. Teachers and businessman in the Springs Magisterial District were involved in the research. The purpose of this research is to determine which factors or circumstances in the parental home encourage entrepreneurship. Since this information could not be acquired by means of a known or existing instrument, a suitable instrument was designed.

This research sought to better understand and explain the factors that account for the non-involvement of parents in their children’s school affairs. It also sought to recommend to the Department of Education developmental strategies that can be utilised towards ensuring the participation of parents by equipping them with knowledge and skills that can help them to become more involved in the success of their children in schools. This research employed a case study design to collect data from parents and teachers using qualitative methods. The qualitative approach was considered appropriate because it affords both exploration and explanation of parents’ non-involvement in the Kotana administrative Area in which three schools were selected by the researcher. Interviews with a total of nine participants constituted by both parents and teachers were conducted. These tape recorded interviews were then transcribed and interpreted by the researcher. Emerging themes were then extracted and presented as explanatory findings on the issue of the non-involvement of parents in their children’s schooling matters. The study found that the level of education; fear of victimisation; language barrier; poor communication of information; lack of personal time; lack of confidence on the part of parents; cultural expectations; transport problems; misbehaviour by teenagers; HIV and AIDS; and the new curriculum accounts for parental non-involvement, and uncovered reasons for non-participation by parents in the affairs of their children at school.

This study pointed out that without parental involvement in the children's education, the latter cannot fulfil its pre-set goals. The family together with the community, have to contribute a lot to the development and improvement of the education system. Implications of parental involvement, together with parents, and children's rights was discussed. The latter fact was supplemented with the educational laws of South Africa and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. To determine the problems experienced by teachers in dealing with parents, concerning school related matters, teachers and parents' responses are discussed in this study. In this study America and Britain have been put as examples as far as parental involvement in children's education is concerned. It was concluded that the government together with the parents have to take drastic steps to rectify the situation in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (History of Education)

In general, a particularly complicated and difficult relationship has existed between parents and educators, due in part, to the fact that educators have always been seen as the experts and proverbial holders of knowledge in the educational process while parents have been seen to be peripheral to this process. This inequality is seen to be problematic as a child's significant learning is increasingly understood to occur in both the home and school contexts. This study explored the perceptions of a selection of parents and educators across the three levels of the educational process with the aim of facilitating a dialogue amongst all the participants in order to establish partnerships that would assist in the integration of the formal and informal learning processes. Using the Dialogue Game as a research tool, the participants in this study revealed many of the dilemmas that inhibit the establishment of partnerships between the two contexts. While the educators appeared resistant to the idea of a partnership as they perceived themselves to be 'experts' in the area of education, parents were aware that significant learning occurs in many contexts, but felt unconfident in their abilities to educate children. Some of the findings from the current study mirror those of two earlier studies (Van der Riet, 1997 and Danckwerts, 2002) conducted in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, respectively. Although all three samples were drawn from different socio-economic and cultural groups, the findings would suggest that the parents and educators of South Africa have essentially similar perceptions regarding formal and informal education. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

This study pointed out that without parental involvement in the children's education, the latter cannot fulfil its pre-set goals. The family together with the community, have to contribute a lot to the development and improvement of the education system. Implications of parental involvement, together with parents, and children's rights was discussed. The latter fact was supplemented with the educational laws of South Africa and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. To determine the problems experienced by teachers in dealing with parents, concerning school related matters, teachers and parents' responses are discussed in this study. In this study America and Britain have been put as examples as far as parental involvement in children's education is concerned. It was concluded that the government together with the parents have to take drastic steps to rectify the situation in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (History of Education)