Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [94]-[99]).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1976. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-135).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2003. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [391]-[402]).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Bowling Green State University, 2006. / Document formatted into pages; contains v, 84 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 404-414).

This study examines the phenomenon of parental and community involvement in a primary school and the benefits thereof to the learners, teachers and community members. The aim of this study is to investigate how a positive school climate can improve the involvement of parents and community members in a school’s activities. The research attempted to determine what the role of a positive school climate is; the strategies schools could apply to enhance parental and community involvement, the possible benefits of involvement and reasons for non-involvement of parents and community members in school activities. The theoretical frameworks of Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model and Joyce Epstein’s overlapping spheres of influence were used in the study. A case study was used as the qualitative research methodology. The data for the research was gathered from a purposive sample of teachers, community volunteer workers, parents and the principal. Semi-structured interview schedules and pre-designed questionnaires including open and closed questions, were used to collect data. The data was analysed inductively by using a descriptive open coding method to identify emerging themes. The findings of the research suggest that a positive school climate to improve parent and community involvement can be created by applying the strategies of effective communication, good working relationships, creating opportunities for involvement, ensuring a healthy and safe environment, formulating a school policy for parent and community involvement, creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere as well as upholding an ethos of good moral values. The study found that parent and community involvement in a school’s activities offers various benefits to all stakeholders.

The sociological and psychological literature reveals that the parents and the home may be the most important determinants in the development of interests and attitudes in the life of the child. Research in music education has contributed very little to show the effect of environmental conditions, such as different patterns of home life, on music education in the schools. Researchers in music education have, however, revealed the need to study the musical home background of the child. This study investigated the musical behaviour of parents from three subcultures, urban, suburban, and rural-farm, and tested the attitude parents have toward the musical education of their children. A questionnaire was constructed to gather the data in a face-to-face situation. There were 133 subjects in the sample. The method of paired comparisons was employed to measure the respondents' musical preferences toward six types of music. A Likert-type attitude scale was constructed to test parental attitudes toward a musical education for children. The questionnaire was tested for reliability and validity and considered adequate. These general conclusions were reached. No large or consistent differences were found between the urban, suburban, and rural-farm groups of parents with regard to their musical interests, activities, and preferences, as well as their attitude toward a musical education for children. However, some differences emerged. The mothers from the three areas seem to attach more importance to musical activities such as attending concerts or playing a musical instrument than do fathers. The analysis of the data showed that the relative preference for Folk Music versus Light Classical Music seems to differentiate the three groups, of parents. Rural-farm parents seem to prefer Folk Music more than Light Classical Music, whereas urban and suburban parents seem to prefer Folk Music less than Light Classical Music. The attitude test revealed another significant difference. Suburban mothers seem to differ from suburban fathers in their mean attitude toward a musical education for children. The mean attitude of suburban fathers appears to be lower than that of the mothers. With the exception of the noted differences, it seems that neither socio-economic position nor geographical location differentiate urban, suburban, or rural-farm parents in regard to their (1) musical interests, activities, and preferences, as well as their (2) attitude toward a musical education for children. This conclusion is, in part, not in conformance with the findings of earlier studies, which reported that musical preferences of adults appear to be very much influenced by socio-economic position and also by geographic location. The parents' reaction to the eleven statements of this study's attitude scale was such as to permit the following conclusion. It seems that a high proportion of urban, suburban , and rural-farm parents (possibly 80 to 90 per cent) have a favourable attitude toward a musical education for children. The "neutral" responses by nearly half the sample to an attitude statement about music education not receiving it’s due in our public schools suggest that many parents are unaware of what is happening in the elementary school classroom in regard to music education. Listening to music appears to be a very highly preferred leisure activity for a high proportion of urban, suburban, and rural-farm parents. Music on the radio, television musical programs, and records tend to be the most often utilized sources of listening to music, but many parents, probably 60 per cent or more, listen to music at concerts, recitals, musicals, operas, operettas, etc. either frequently or occasionally. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

The provision of specialised education in South Africa has reflected inequalities from the previous apartheid regime, particularly among the disadvantaged sectors of the population. There have been inadequate institutions that cater for specialised education in some instances and nothing at all in other cases. However, it has been observed that even where there are institutions that provide for specialised education or learning support, parents, and in certain instances educators, do not take timeous advantage thereof. The review of literature relevant to this study involves: the historical development and the understanding of the phenomenon of learning difficulties; the role of parents in the education of their children and in home-school partnerships, both generally and more specifically with reference to the South African context. The study was conducted against the theoretical background of systems theory. Systems theory views the various levels and entities as sub-systems within the larger system, which is the social context. The functioning of the whole, that is, the social context, is dependent on the interaction within and between the ‘smaller’ systems. The family (parents) and the school (educators) form sub-systems, and both of them share the membership of the child. These two sub-systems need to collaborate with each other to ensure maximum development of the child. This study sets out to explore and describe factors that prevent parents from seeking learning support for their children early, when they start failing in the foundation phase. The research question arose from the observation of the tendency by parents to bring their children for assessment long after the children had been experiencing repeated failures across the three primary school phases, namely the foundation, intermediate and senior phases. In most cases, parents brought the children when they were in the intermediate or senior phase, in spite of having had several failures in the foundation phase as well. It was this delay by parents to seek learning support for the children that became a cause for concern to the researcher and prompted an investigation in order to answer the question: What factors prevent parents from seeking learning support for their children in the Foundation Phase? A case study design was chosen in order to explore answers to the question posed above. The purpose of using a case study was an endeavour to gain an understanding of the research question from the participants’ perspective. The case study was made up of sub-cases that were parents of children who all went to a particular school at the time of their referral for assessment of learning difficulties. The data collected through unstructured interviews were analysed using the constant comparative method. The finding that emerged as a major factor that prevented parents from seeking learning support when children started failing in the foundation phase was ignorance of the phenomenon of learning difficulties and what could be done in the face of it. The other factors that were identified related to parents’ understanding of their children’s learning difficulties; their being illiterate; and the belief in cultural issues. Recommendations were suggested for both the Educational Psychologist and educators relating to the need for parent education on the learning and development of their children with specific emphasis on learning difficulties. The role parents can play in partnership with educators was also highlighted. / Mrs. H. Krige

As part of an extensive examination of open~space elementary schools in the Beaverton School District, a study was conducted to determine how parents view these schools and the "open" concept of education. This is a description of that study. This report will explain why the research was undertaken, provide some background information, on open-space schools, describe the survey design, and discuss both the results of the study and some implications that can be drawn from the results.