There is compelling evidence that parental involvement positively influences children’s academic achievement. Its benefits occur across all socio-economic classes. In spite of its significance, parental involvement has received scant attention in Zimbabwe. This qualitative study sought to establish how parents in a materially poor rural district of Zimbabwe were involved in their children’s education. Barriers to their involvement were investigated with the view to overcoming or mitigating them for the benefit of the affected primary school pupils. The attribution theory was used not only to substantially explain the status of parental involvement in Zaka District, but also to generate strategies to promote parents’ participation in their children’s school education. Observation, semi-structured interviews (for school heads), focus group interviews (for parents) and the open-ended questionnaire (for teachers) were used in this qualitative study covering ten primary schools. Respondents were selected through the use of chain reference sampling and sampling by case. A total of one hundred and forty (140) participants were selected. It emerged from the research that parents, teachers and school heads/principals had very limited understanding of parental involvement. 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. Most teachers, school heads/principals and parents believed that parents were too poor and too lowly educated to meaningfully be involved in their children’s education. However, there were a few parents who believed that their socio-economic status did not prevent them from participating in their children’s education. They actually indicated useful ways in which they could be involved. The research also revealed that parents, school teachers and school heads/principals made wrong attributions about themselves and each other in connection with limited parental involvement in their schools. Both school staff and parents, after identifying barriers to involvement, were willing to learn about how they could overcome or mitigate the barriers. They believed that the challenges they were facing regarding parental involvement were capable of resolution. / Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The concept of parental involvement has been viewed as an ideal style of leadership and management for school development purposes. In South Africa’s case, it is an educational policy which is expected to reign in all school management bodies. Many theorists envisaged parental involvement as enhancing active involvement of parents and it has been advocated by many scholars who believe it is the best leadership style in implementing democratic values to education, particularly South African rural education, which is still in a transitional stage. The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which parents contribute towards education of their children. This study involved transformative case study as a research design at one rural school in Waterberg district in South Africa. This research employed three data collection techniques, namely semi-structured interviews, focus groups and document analysis. When formal education was introduced in South Africa schools it was regarded as exceptional environment for teachers, school administrators and learners. To a large extent, parents and the communities regarded themselves as something outside of the education system. The main findings of this study revealed that there is a lack of joint understanding and shared vision between educators and parents in the School Governing Body. This problem underpins other more symptomatic problems, such as lack of accountability in the matter of school finances, differences in understanding the roles of School Board members and lack of parents’ motivation from the school management. It highlighted some of the challenges that hinder the effective involvement of parents in rural school governance, such as poor educational background among parents. The study has also revealed challenges and consequences of non-parental involvement in school governance. The conclusion that could be drawn from the study is that in schools where parent-community involvement is highly visible, teacher effectiveness is apparent and this contributed significantly to the improvement of learner performance while in schools where parent-community involvement is non-existent or minimal, the result is the opposite. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The social and economic environments in which children develop are regarded as important variables which relate to academic performance. In order to support learners in achieving academically, an understanding of the role of these different variables is essential. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of additional educational support on the resilient behaviour and subsequent academic performance of adolescents in Grades 9 and 10. A sample of 117 high school adolescents was used. Schools that offer additional educational support tend, on average, to show a healthier teacher-learner relationship, more parental involvement, superior cognitive development and better study orientation. All these factors were also found to contribute to a learner’s potential to demonstrate resilient behaviour. Based on the literature study and the empirical investigation, recommendations to parents, teachers and schools have been made. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

A literature and an empirical study were undertaken to investigate home factors affecting the academic performance of a group of learners in three primary schools in the Brits district. From the literature it became evident that the early years of an individual's life are critical for development, especially cognitive development. Parents, as a child's primary educators have an important role to play in their child's cognitive development. By establishing a challenging and stimulating environment in which the child is exposed to a variety of experiences, the parents can enhance their child's cognitive development and by implication his/her later academic performance. Various other factors such as parental involvement, expectations, parenting style and home background were found to affect a child's academic performance. In the empirical study a group of academic achievers and underachievers were compared with regards to early cognitive stimulation received, degree of parental involvement and the quality of their homes. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

This study constitutes an attempt to describe and analyse the quality of selected early childhood development programmes in South Africa, and provide criteria by which the quality of programmes could be assessed. The need for, and importance of, providing quality early childhood development programmes is highlighted. The influence of educational pf:lilosophies on programmes is recognised, hence the total development of the child and educational philosophies related thereto are discussed. Factors and components within programmes that contribute to high quality are explored. Moreover, criteria by means of which quality early childhood development programmes may be assessed, are provided. In this regard criteria for the formulation of aims, selection and the organisation of content, assessment, role of the teacher and parent involvement in programmes are suggested. It is against these criteria that selected early childhood development programmes in South Africa are described and analysed. programmes conclude the study. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

Dissertation / This study explores the role of the principal in the management of parent involvement in secondary schools in Northern Province. A literature study investigated existing theories and models of parent involvement; parent involvement in the South African context and the provision of education in South Africa in historical perspective. It also investigated the managerial role of the principal in parent involvement. A qualitative investigation in three secondary schools in Northern Province was done. Data were gathered by means of participant observation in-depth interviews with principals and focus-group interviews with teachers and three parents on the school governing bodies. Analysed data revealed the following findings: principals lack knowledge on parent involvement and schools lack policies and organisational structures dealing with parent involvement as well as home-school relations. As a result of these findings, there is a need to equip principals with ways in which they can involve parents in their schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

Text in Afrikaans / In this dissertation an attempt has been made to study the past and in particular the basic cultures of Western civilization (the ancient Israelites, ancient Greeks, Romans and early Christians) in order to investigate the educational role of the father. In an examination of the past from a historic pedagogical perspective, an endeavour has been made to compare the educational role of the father during the ancient period to that of the father at present in order to ascertain whether the past can possibly serve as "preceptor" with regard to this contentious contemporary problem. A chapter was devoted to each of the four aforementioned cultures in which the father's educational role was disclosed. At the end of each chapter a brief conclusion was reached pertaining to the field of study. In the last chapter a number of conclusions and recommendations with regard to some of the factors which influenced the father's educational role but which has immense significance for the contemporary (as well as the future) period and consequently cannot be ignored, were recorded. Matters such as the· father's educational responsibility, religious/devout support, moral-ethical education, vocational preparation and the implementation/enforcement of punishment and discipline were discussed so that the present state of affairs with regard to these factors could be evaluated and compared to that of the past. / In hierdie verhandeling is gepoog om by die verlede en wel by die grondkulture van die Westerse beskawing (die oud-lsraeliete, antieke Grieke, Romeine en vroee Christene) te gaan kers opsteek betreffende die opvoedingsrol van die vader. Deur die verlede vanuit 'n histories-pedagogiese ingesteldheid te bevra, is daar gepoog om die verband tussen die opvoedingsrol van die vader in die antieke tyd met die van die vader in die huidige tyd te vergelyk in 'n paging om vas te stel of die verlede moontlik as "leermeester" ten opsigte van die brandende kontempor~re vraagstuk kan di en. Aan elkeen van die vier genoemde kulture is 'n hoofstuk gewy waarin die vader se opvoedingsrol onthul is en aan die einde van elke hoofstuk is tot 'n kart samevattende gevolgtrekking met betrekking tot die veld van ondersoek gekom. In die laaste hoofstuk is 'n aantal gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings met betrekking tot enkele faktore wat die vader se opvoedingsrol be1nvloed het maar wat groat segwaarde vir die huidige (sowel as toekomstige) tyd het en dus nie negeer kan word nie, geboekstaaf. In hierdie verband is aangeleenthede soos die vader se opvoedingsverantwoordel ikheid, religieus/godsdienstige steungewing, moreelsedelike opvoeding, beroepsvoorbereiding en die toepassing/handhawing van tug en dissipline aan die orde gestel sodat die huidige toedrag van sake met betrekking tot die genoemde faktore daarteen gespieel en geevalueer kan word. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Historical Education)

Parents of cerebral palsied children have the duty of educating and leading their children towards adulthood. Parents, as educators, must know about cerebral palsy and its effects on the child and the whole family. The success of the parents in assisting the child is influenced by numerous factors. One factor is the manner in which parents understand ·themselves as parents of a cerebral palsied child. Such an understanding directs their behaviour positively or negatively. Another factor is the involvement of parents in the child' life. Involvement demands perseverence, dedication, and understanding of cerebral palsy. Parents may also experience feelings of frustration or acceptance. Experience influences the quality of relationships as well as the parents' view of life and the quality of their educational role. If parents lack understanding, have an apathetic involvement and unpleasant experiences, the progress of a cerebral palsied child towards adulthood will be hampered. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

The grounds for asserting that parents of all cultures can be held responsible and accountable for the care and education of their children derive from sources such as the primordial nature of humanity, the precepts of state statutes and international protocols that refer to educational issues and the tenets of scripts that apply to adherents of a particular philosophy of life - for example the Bible as the guide for parents who subscribe to a Christian philosophy of life. The issue of parental say in formal education as provided for in current education legislation is perhaps not an entirely unique development. In this thesis the development of the concept of parental responsibilities and rights in relation to formal schooling in South Africa during the Colonial period was investigated. An attempt was made to determine what Colonial parents - who were predominantly Protestant Calvinist and who consequently subscribed to a Christian philosophy of life - did to ensure that their children's formal education met with their approval and fulfilled their expectations. A further aspect examined related to the identification of the specific issues in education that these parents believed they should be afforded the right to regulate in order to ensure that their children's formal education - as an extension to their primary education - conformed with the fundamental principles of their philosophy of life. The research affirmed the significance a philosophy of life holds for the perception of what it is that constitutes authentic education. It can consequently be concluded that parental involvement in formal schooling should not be seen as intrusion in a realm beyond the jurisdiction of the parent, but as cases of judgement, discernment and selection dictated by the parent's philosophy of life. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (History of Education)

Through document analysis, one-on-one interviews with parents, and observations the researcher aimed to explore early intervention in pre-school children with learning difficulties in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. The researcher set out to determine whether parents were aware of the importance of early intervention in addressing learning difficulties in their children, what support existed to help parents give support to children with learning difficulties, and how support could be improved to enable parents to help their children. This study found that parents in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape needed support that would enable them to provide early intervention for their children with learning difficulties. The study also showed that parents were aware of the importance of early intervention to help their children with learning difficulties. Most parents were receiving support, but there was room for improvement in the support that they were receiving. Flowing from this, the study also found that parents needed different forms of support, e.g. emotional and financial support. Based on the findings, recommendations were made. Recommendations were aimed at improving support for parents, so they can provide successful early intervention for their pre-school children, e. g. through the creation of open channels of communication between parents and other role players, like government departments and service providers. Recommendations were also made for future research, e. g. research into ways to create open channels of communication. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)