MEDCS / Department of Curriculum Studies and Education Management

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements of the Masters Degree in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zululand, 2004. / Previously in the early fifties, education was based on racial inequality and segregation. The perspective on school development through partnership in education with parents as a community changed after the democratization of S.A in 1994. Previously in 1984, parents were not fully involved in the education system. After 1994 election the culture of learning and teaching was launched, Parents, educators, non-educators and learners were involved in education. School Governing bodies were elected. They were formed by all stakeholders i.e. parents, educators, non-educators and learners. This partnership was designed to improve the quality of education for all South Africans. School development through partnership in education empowers schools to take responsibility for their own development. Development of schools is now the responsibility of all South Africans who have a stake in the education system. Tensions frequently exist between educators and parents. Many problems result from societal influences, values, assumption, ignorance and inadequate information. Since the democratization of the country in 1994 the emphases in education focused on educational rights for all. Democratization of education includes the idea that stakeholders such as parents must participate fully in the activities of the schools, regulations relating to the election of the school governing bodies in public schools. Regulation should suit all levels of communities, rural or urban areas. Schools in rural areas could benefit from community members who may have the useful contribution to the performance of the school. The process of school development reflects the values and the beliefs of the community. Educators, together with parents can organize different activities to bring about the bond among three pillars i.e. educators, parents and learners. In the partnership in education, parents and educators cater for the general welfare of the learners. Educators could also take a leadership role in learner counseling, guidance and discipline. For partnership in education to be successful all the stakeholders should be involved in the decision making in school matters. Both parents and educators should sometimes sacrifice their time in order to promote good partnership. Educators need to be exposed to more cognitive and co-operative learning and teaching styles. The study further reveals that parents have a very crucial role to play in education. Parents play an integral part in moulding and educating a child. Formal and informal education should work hand in hand. It is this reason that parents are involved through the school governing bodies. Parents should take a lead in the education of their children. Through their partnership in education, parents are involved in many activities at school. Activities like the maintenance of the school buildings, facilities, resources and the management of the funds. Research has shown that successful and quality improvements are most likely to be achieved when individual school takes responsibility for their own quality standards. The stakeholders should align with the goals of organization and should take initiative. They should persue goals despite obstacles and setbacks. When community are well developed, they have pride and sense of ownership for their schools.

Submitted to the FACULTY OF EDUCATION in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2004. / The present study examines principals, educators and parents' partnership in creating a culture of teaching and learning in schools. The fIrst aim was to ascertain the extent to which parents, educators and principals play a partnership role in creating a culture of teaching and learning. The second aim was to ascertain the extent to which parents, educators and principals perceive problems that contribute to the decline of a culture of teaching and learning. The third aim was to determine whether parents' educators' and principals' biographical factors such as gender, age, academic qualifIcation nature of stakeholder as well as the highest grade of the school have any influence on their partnership role which they play in creating a culture of teaching and learning. The last aim was to determine whether parents, educators and principals' biographical factors such as gender, age, academic qualifIcation, nature ofstakeholder as well as the highest grade ofthe school have any influence on their perception of problems that contribute to the decline of a culture of teaching and .learning. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of two hundred and four parents, educators and principals, inclusively. The findings reveal that parents, educators and principals, as a group, differ in the ext,,:nt to which they play a partnership role in creating the culture of teaching and learning. A very high percentage (97.5%) ofparents, educators and principals, as a group, report an above average level of partnership role. The findings also show that parents, educators and principals differ in the extent to which they perceive problems that contribute to the decline of a culture ofteaching and learning. A very high percentage (90.2%) of parents, educators and principals, as a group, report an above average level of perception of problems that contribute to the decline of culture of teaching and learning. The findings further indicate that, with the exception of the nature ofstakeholder, parents', educators' and principals' personal variables such as gender, age, academic qualification as well as schools' highest grade have no influence on their partnership role which they play in creating a culture of teaching and learning. The last findings show that parents', educators' and principals' biographical characteristics have no influence on their perception of problems that contribute to the decline of culture of teaching and learning. On the basis of the findings of this study, recommendations to the Department of Education and Culture as well as for directing future research were made.

Research indicates a connection between successful outcomes for students with significant intellectual disabilities and the individual education program (IEP) team's efforts in the IEP development process. However, little research has been conducted on the perceptions of parents and teachers of students with significant disabilities about parent participation in the IEP development process. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore parent and teacher perceptions of parent participation in the IEP development process. The conceptual framework of this study was ecological design theory, based on Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development and Neal and Neal's theory of networked systems. Participants consisted of 4 parents and 5 teachers of students with significant intellectual disabilities who have participated in the IEP development process. The interviews conducted with participants were analyzed for patterns and themes. Findings showed that teacher descriptions centered on actions connected with fulfillment of state guidelines, which create the setting in which the IEP development takes place. Parent participants acknowledged compliance to state guidelines based on teacher actions, but parent commentary was centered on elements of the parent-teacher relationship. Responses indicated that actions to strengthen the school-parent partnership may improve parent and teacher experiences of IEP development. This study contributes to positive social change by providing administrators and teachers information to better support the IEP development process toward improved outcomes for students with significant intellectual disabilities.

Studies have increasingly shown that more parent involvement leads to higher academic achievement for kids. However, studies have also shown a difference in the ability of parents to effectively further their children's interest based on social class. Middle-class parents are described as being able to activate their cultural and social capital in order to further their interests, while working-class and low-income parents have been described as frustrated and marginalized- lacking the ability to activate their capital in a way that benefits themselves and their children. The intent of this study is to explore how parents understand their role in the parent teacher relationship to look for evidence that social class might not be as much of a factor as previous literature suggests when it comes to activation of cultural capital. Building on a study that found some working-class parents were able to activate cultural capital through their conversations with teachers, I wanted to find out if how parents understand and perform their role would offer more insight into how cultural capital is activated. Based on the premise that how parents understand their role in conversation with teachers might be able to affect their ability to activate their cultural capital, I conducted a qualitative interview study to explore how parents of 5th grade elementary students view their role in the parent-teacher relationship. Results of the study show that parents gained confidence in their role through conversations with teachers and that they also gained an increased ability to collaborate and engage in partnership with their childrens' teachers. Confidence in role and collaboration with teachers were seen as indications of activation of cultural capital. In this study, parents were able to activate their cultural capital by having collaborative relationships with teachers 9 out of 10 times, regardless of class background. I draw conclusions that parents in my study developed the ability to activate cultural capital regardless of social class background. Because of this, parents' experience of their relationships with teachers might not be as dichotomous as previous research suggests. My findings suggest that frequency of communication is an important mechanism that contributes to successful parent-teacher relationships. Communication that was particularly helpful included informal conversations and email. The use of email in parent-teacher conversations in particular is an area that deserves further study.

This dissertation examines the methods and techniques used by school administrators to bring in and keep parents of English Language Learners coming back to be part of the school. Administrators at twelve schools in the Southeastern central San Joaquin Valley in California were interviewed to determine what practices they utilized to make ELL parents part of the education experience. A series of questions were asked of each participant and their answers grouped into four categories to determine the common methods and techniques used by the sample. Once similar traits were established a comparison between the literature review and the findings was conducted to assert validity with established practices. This study found that the effective administrators used some aspects of the model Comer and other effective strategies they found to be effective in educating the ELL population. This study found that administrators in schools with large percentages of English Language Learners used techniques suggested in the literature review. Furthermore, the study recommends other areas that will be useful to increase parent participation in all schools.

The purpose of this research was to identify parental involvement variables which are effective in improving the Reading and Math achievement of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A conceptual model examining achievement as influenced by background variables and parental involvement variables was hypothesized. Background variables of socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, child age, and ability were proposed to affect parental involvement variables which were represented by expectations, communication, structure, participation, homework procedures and time, TV time, medication, special education, and the outcome variable, achievement. Parental involvement variables were proposed to have direct affects on achievement. Data from a sample of 208 families with a child diagnosed as having ADHD and attending elementary school (grades Kindergarten through sixth) were subjected to path analytic analyses using multiple regression procedures. Findings were generally inconsistent with much of the previous research on parental involvement within the nonADHD population. Results did suggest some parental involvement variables which had differential, important effects on achievement depending on which criterion was used (Reading or Math grades). It was suggested that these findings were indicative of the behavioral and management problems seen in children with Attention Deficit Disorders, but that there do appear to be certain strategies parents can use to help their ADHD children achieve at a higher level in school. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of parental involvement on grades and achievement test scores through the variables time on task, general self-esteem, and student attitude about school. The study controlled for the background characteristics of ethnicity, gender, family background, and ability. To do this, structural models were developed based on theory, logic, prior research, and time precedence and were analyzed using 18,141 subjects from the High School and Beyond data set. Although parental involvement in the home had no direct effect on grades or achievement test scores in high school, it did affect time on task, general self-esteem, and attitude about school in such a way as to indirectly improve grades, especially through student attitude about school. When individual components of parental involvement were analyzed, consistent indirect effects on high school grades were found from fathers and mothers. The study suggests that if parents monitor school work, help with school plans, and talk to their child about personal experiences, their child's time on task, general self-esteem, and attitude about school will improve in a way that improves grades in school at the high school level. / Ph. D.

Mexican-American children are educationally disadvantaged, are at-risk for academic failure, and have not demonstrated the academic achievement that other immigrant groups have, even after they have lived in the U.S. for many generations. Today, parental involvement is being touted by government officials and the popular press as one mechanism through which academic achievement can be increased. If parental involvement is indeed effective, it may be one mechanism for improving the achievement of Mexican-American students. For this research, causal modeling (path analysis) was used to investigate the influence of parental involvement on overall academic achievement, and the reading, math, science, and social studies achievement on 1,714 eighth grade Mexican-American children. This research utilized the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS 88), the third major national longitudinal survey developed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Parental involvement, defined as discussing school activities and having high educational aspirations for children, positively affected all academic achievement areas. SES (socioeconomic status) and previous learning also had strong influences on achievement. Interestingly, as parents' language proficiency increased, parental involvement decreased, when controlling for the gender of the student, SES, parents' birth place, and previous learning. Gender differences were evident in all academic areas, and females received more attention than males from their parents. Family rules did not influence academic achievement and may in fact have a negative influence on social studies achievement. Since a good education is necessary for all who live in modern society, educators and policy makers should continue to encourage Mexican-American parents to discuss school activities and have high educational aspirations for their children. Parental involvement is one potentially alterable variable which can positively influence the academic achievement of Mexican-American children. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of special education teachers regarding parent participation during the IEP conference. More specifically, teachers' perceptions of parent participation during the IEP conference, previous training, as well as specific training needs as it relates to the special education teachers' role in facilitating the IEP conference were explored. Additionally, teacher perceptions of recommendations to rectify poor parent participation during the IEP conference within inclusive education were assessed. METHOD. To achieve the purpose of this study, the researcher designed a Likert-type questionnaire. The population involved in this study was comprised of special education teachers from an intermediate school district in Southeast Michigan, who are participating in inclusive education. Subsequent to administrative and school board approval, the researcher collected completed questionnaires at the close of a special education meeting in person to enhance the return rate. Data obtained from the questionnaires were presented via percentages. Findings. 1. Special education teachers perceive that parents are not active and equal participants at the IEP conference. Parents do not participate in the decision making and writing of the IEP. 2. While special education teachers have received some training, there are missing components or "gaps" in specific areas of teacher training which are equally critical to effectively working with parents, communicating, and facilitating the IEP conference. 3. Special education teachers perceive a need for teacher training in all skill areas relevant to working with parents, communicating, and skills pertaining to the special education teachers' role as conference facilitator. 4. Special education teachers generally perceive that inclusive education has positively impacted the IEP process. While teachers perceive that inclusive education could be the juncture to improving the IEP process, teacher training is perceived as a more effective means to improve parent participation at the IEP conference. Conclusion 1. The issue of poor parent participation at the IEP conference has yet to be ameliorated and prevails within inclusive education. 2. Special education teachers lack training in specific skill areas related to their role as IEP conference facilitator within inclusive education, and recognize that teacher training is needed to enhance parent participation at the IEP conference. 3. The inclusive education reform movement provides a good opportunity to make needed changes in IEP conference procedures. / Ed. D.