Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2002. / Title from title page screen, viewed February 7, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Maureen E. Angell (chair), Jeffrey P. Bakken, Barbara M. Fulk, James R. Thompson, W. Paul Vogt. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-103) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1996. / Title from title page screen, viewed May 23, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Paul J. Baker, Kenneth H. Strand (co-chairs), Sarah Booth, Anita H. Lupo. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-90) and abstract. Also available in print.

The aim of the study was to investigate teacher practices to involve parents in homework in Namibian schools, particularly in the Ombuumbuu cluster in the Onesi circuit. The problem was conducted by a literature study and empirical investigation. The literature review explored the views of teachers regarding the involvement of parents in their children's homework, the need for parent involvement in homework and an exploration of models of effective practices to ensure parent involvement in homework. The empirical study investigated the nature and effectiveness of teacher practices to involve parents in homework in schools in the Ombuumbuu cluster. The findings indicated that although most teachers in the study agreed that parent involvement in homework is important for learners' success, the literature review and the empirical investigation showed little parent involvement in homework in many schools. Based on the literature and the empirical investigation, recommendations were made for teachers with regard to the improvement of parent involvement in homework. / Educational studies / M. Ed.

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / In South Africa today, inclusive education, as it relates to the inclusion of a child with a disability in a main steam classroom, is practised increasingly. Effective inclusion requires both collaboration between and mutual support for all the role players involved. The South African Schools Act of 1996 and the Education White Paper 6 of 2001 recognise parents' right to choose an appropriate school for their child in the local community. The White Paper 6 provides the framework for developing an inclusive education and training system and recognises the important role that parents play in developing inclusive schools and practices. Parents can play an important part not only in the success with which their child is included but also in the determination of the social validity of inclusive education in the South African context. It is therefore important to consult with parents as potential partners and to acknowledge their perceptions on inclusive education for their children. This is necessary in order to inform the theory and establishment of inclusive schools and to further enhance parent-school partnerships. Research on inclusive education in South Africa has mainly focused on the attitudes and perceptions of teachers and relatively little research has been done on parents' perceptions of including a child with a disability in a mainstream school. The purpose of this research investigation i.? therefore to contribute to the . knowledge base that could promote parent-school partnerships in an inclusive education system. The inquiry into the perceptions of parents of a child with a disability in a mainstream school demanded the use of a basic interpretive qualitative study. This approach was chosen primarily due to the fact that the study was aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of parents' perceptions. Eleven 'information rich cases' were purposefully selected for focus group interviews and a semistructured individual interview, and these formed the primary sources of data. Secondary sources of data included participant observation and field notes as well as the use of a document, in the form of a biographical questionnaire.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / The research comprises the management of parental involvement in the extra-curricular program ofthe secondary school. In chapter one the problem that gave rise to the research is formulated as follows; In spite of the corporate idea of "partnership in education," parental involvement in the extra- curricular program tends to be virtually non-existent. With regard to this problem, the following question is posed: How should the educational leader (school principal) act to ensure successful parental involvement in the extra-curricular program of the school? Research is hence directed with the following objectives: * to provide fundamental pedagogic grounds for parental involvement * to analyse the management task ofthe principal in this regard, and * to provide practical guidelines for the implementation ofa parental involvement program. The methods applied to obtain the aims of the research are a literature study and the formulation of tendencies formed from unstructured personal interviews with principals. The field of study is limited to defining the responsibilities and input ofparents in said program. In chapters two, three and four each of the above mentioned research objectives are examined respectively. The focus of research in chapter two is set on the argument that parental involvement is principally based on: * the acceptance of the fact that parents are the primary educators of their children * parents will have a say in the education and instruction of their children in terms of the baptismal vows, and * education is a community task and therefore justifies parental involvement. In chapter three the headmaster's obligation to manage the parental involvement program in such a way that optimal parental participation is achieved, is researched. Chapter four indicates the various possibilities of parental involvement and practical guidelines are given for the possible implementation and coordination of such a program. Opportunities for parental involvement and participation in the extra-curricular activities of a school are plentiful. The competent headmaster must,' by showing a positive attitude towards the above mentioned program and applying purposeful management skills, ensure successful . parental involvement. This involvement must be to the benefit ofall children!

The law relating to, and having an impact on, parental involvement has increased in quantity and complexity in the last couple of decades. It is therefore overwhelming to find out that parents are still taking a back seat as far as parental involvement is concerned in schools. Parents and educators have to work together towards one common goal, to assist learners in their journey through adulthood. The focus of the research was the role of the school management team in promoting parental involvement in the education of their children; how the school’s climate can be changed and be made accessible to parents. Educators must be taught how to invite and involve parents in the school’s activities. Parents have to be empowered as effective participants in school activities. Parents and educators should work together in solving their own problems and to overcome numerous challenges in their schools. Parents and educators have to develop trust and be able to remove the obstacles, various elements and factors that prevent them from working together to develop the schools as powerful working organisations. Parents and educators have to collaborate in building their educational objectives. The research attempted to determine all the possible causes of the non-involvement of parents in the education of their children. The researcher also believed that if the problem of non-involvement of parents can be solved, the learner’s academic achievements can improve drastically. The findings and recommendations indicate that parental involvement remains a crucial point in all the efforts to enhance school effectiveness. The researcher in the study also investigated the assumption that parents from the townships do not take part in their children’s activities because they don’t care.

Since Namibia gained independence parents have increasingly been seen as equal partners in the education process. The Education Act 16 of 2001 provides for the democratic participation in schools by parents, learners and other education stakeholders through the introduction of regional Education Forums and School Boards in schools Parental involvement in school governance has been widely researched and has become a ‘hot topic’ worldwide, including in Namibia. This study investigated and described parental involvement through the School Board in school governance in a secondary school in Otjozondjupa region, Namibia. The study was conducted within a qualitative, interpretive paradigm. The study employed three data collection tools namely, semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observation. The School Board was made up of parents of different classes and backgrounds, i.e. employed, unemployed, professionals and business persons and with different levels of educational background. These members create a network that represents the voices of parents from different social groups, with different levels of social capital. The different levels of social capital shape the nature of the contributions and interactions on the Board. The study found that in spite of the frequency of interaction between the School Board, parents and the community the School Board is still in a dilemma as it is unable to connect with its prominent source of potential support, such as the business community, due to an outdated view that the school is well-off based on its historic status of privilege. With respect to communications with parents the focus tends to be on the negatives of learners’ behaviour or performance and the task of the parents in this regard. Broadening the agenda of the collaboration to include positive aspects of the child would add to the motivation of parents and open possibilities for new forms of collaboration. The school lacks a well-coordinated system for utilizing the available resources as well as community expertise for the benefit of the school. On the strength of the findings, one of the recommendations is for a more structured program and strategy for the Boards various interactions with the community and parents.

The main research question guiding this study is: “What strategies can be established to enhance parental involvement in primary schools in disadvantaged communities in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth”? To answer this question, this study examines parents’ and teachers’ practices concerning parental involvement in the Northern Areas of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan. Parents and teachers were purposely selected from participating schools. In this qualitative study, the researcher proposed strategies to enhance parental involvement at primary schools. Qualitative research methods, associated with phenomenological inquiry were employed to explore the life-world of the participants who have had personal experience with the phenomenon of parental involvement. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with parents and teachers. This allowed the researcher to gather in-depth information about opinions, beliefs, practices and attitudes concerning the involvement of parents in their children’s education. Bronfenbrenner’s ecosystemic theory served as the theorectical framework of this investigation. Since this study is about parental involvement in primary schools educational policies like inclusive education as well as different models of parental involvement were investigated in the literature study. The results of the study indicated several barriers to the enhancement of parental involvement for instance communication barriers between parents and teachers. The researcher established four strategies for the enhancement of parental involvement and recommended that these strategies should be employed by schools and other stakeholders. She also made further recommendations for parents, teachers, school principals, Department of Basic Education and professionals in the community.

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.

In this study, the perceptions of parents of elementary school age children with disabilities, constructs of family-centered behavior (e.g., Petr, Allen, & Brown, 1995) and empowerment (e.g., Zimmerman, 1995, 2000) were examined. Parent perceptions of the importance and frequency of an empowerment process, family-centered teacher behavior, were explored. Previous work of family support researchers is extended by exploring the effects of parents' perceptions of family-centered teacher behavior on psychological empowerment, and by considering the relative importance of parent and child variables and family-centered teacher behavior, in predicting parent psychological empowerment, specific to the elementary school context. Parents (n = 256) of elementary school-age children (ages 5-14) with a wide range of disabilities/special needs completed a questionnaire assessing: their perceptions of the importance and frequency of family-centered teacher behavior, psychological empowerment, parent status variables (income and education level) and child disability characteristics. As hypothesized, respondents rated family-centered teacher behavior as very important, but they identified that they only "sometimes" experienced it in the elementary school setting. In addition, a significant discrepancy between parent ratings of importance and frequency was found, suggesting that parents overall are not satisfied with the levels of family-centered behavior they receive from teachers. Some relationships between parent and child characteristics and psychological empowerment were found. As hypothesized, the importance of parents' perceptions of family-centered teacher behavior in predicting psychological empowerment, specific to the school context, above and beyond parent and child characteristics, was supported. Child disability characteristics (severity of child behavior and diagnostic category) also contributed to the prediction of empowerment, but parent characteristics were not important or significant in the final increment of the regression model. Implications and the potential of this study to inform practice and policy and to contribute to new directions in research are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate