The study sought to investigate factors that lead to low parental involvement in rural and farm schools in the Madibeng area. The qualitative research method was used for the study and the interviews were used to collect data from the participants, particularly in-depth interviews and focus group interviews. The study discovered that the majority of teachers and parents did not know what parent involvement was; and it was also discovered that low parental involvement bears a negative effect on learners’ performance, learners’ discipline, cleaning campaign, fundraising, teachers moral, functionality of School Governing bodies and the effectiveness of the Quality of learning and teaching Campaign. As a result of the findings the study recommended measures to curb low parental involvement in schools around the Madibeng Area. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This research is undertaken in Vhembe region in Limpopo Province. Many researchers, on the subject of ‘parent involvement’, have conducted in-depth research; this means parental involvement is not a new term. According to St John and Griffith (1997:48-52), there are important benefits that teachers, learners and parents derive from parents’ participation in school programmes and activities such as healthy communication, generation of interest and building positive self-esteem and confidence, to mention but a few while their children attending school during pre-primary, primary and secondary level. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether parents in Vhembe District involved themselves in the education of their children. The population of a study included three schools in Vhembe, six parents from each sampled schools, six teachers from sampled schools and each principal from sampled schools. The purposeful sampling technique was used to select the participants. The findings are briefly that: -Few parents indicated their appreciation of parental involvement by suggesting ways in which they could become involved, it was clear that a developmental programme should be introduced to motivate parental involvement; -It also came to the attention of the researcher that most of the parents did not attend school meetings because of lack of proper communication; -Parents were silent about the monitoring and supervision of their children’s work while they are at home, which can result in better academic performance. Parents should have high expectations for their children’s future and academic achievement. -It emerged from the interviews that many factors present barriers to parental involvement; like parents’ limited education, economic status, lack of a school policy, poor communication and teachers’ attitude towards parents. Recommendations -From the conclusions drawn above, it is recommended that parental involvement workshops be organised for school managers, school teachers and parents. -To improve parents’ attendance of school meetings, teachers should provide them with an opportunity to communicate their expectations and concerns. -In relation to parents’ role in their children’s education, parents should be motivated to ensure that their children accomplish their goals. -Parents should be empowered with skills of self-confidence, so that they will realise that their children have potential. -Schools should encourage parents to play an important role as partners in their children’s education. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

The study sought to investigate factors that lead to low parental involvement in rural and farm schools in the Madibeng area. The qualitative research method was used for the study and the interviews were used to collect data from the participants, particularly in-depth interviews and focus group interviews. The study discovered that the majority of teachers and parents did not know what parent involvement was; and it was also discovered that low parental involvement bears a negative effect on learners’ performance, learners’ discipline, cleaning campaign, fundraising, teachers moral, functionality of School Governing bodies and the effectiveness of the Quality of learning and teaching Campaign. As a result of the findings the study recommended measures to curb low parental involvement in schools around the Madibeng Area. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Educational Studies / MED (EDUC MANAGEMENT)

The aim of this research is to establish the extent to which principals of schools in Gauteng are implementing co-operative school governance. The shift to co-operative governance is a result of new legislation, and in particular the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996, which aims at redressing the inequalities of past legislation. To determine the extent, to which principals are engaged in co-operative governance, a questionnaire was designed to elicit essential information as to how co-operative governance has been practically implemented. The research attempted to evaluate the commitment and dedication of principals to the process of shared decision-making; decentralisation and accountability; to engendering healthy relations with governors; to ensure that legislation is complied with as regards the composition of governing bodies; and to encourage governors to attend training. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Education Management)

Rural education in South Africa, particularly within the black communities, has suffered neglect under Apartheid education policies. This has resulted in an array of problems which continue to beset the country's education system. The community, through its various institutions, has a major role to play in the whole education renewal process. The business sector is one such a community institution, which is directly affected by the quality of school education. Countries such as Britain and the U.S. provide excellent examples of close co-operation between business and schools in an effort to prepare pupils in accordance with the needs of the workplace. The qualitative study conducted in schools, within the Dzumeri community, showed that there is a dire need for business involvement with schools in order to address important areas of mutual concern. It is finally recommended that the government must formulate enabling policies, which will promote business education partnership activities and ensure proper coordination at all administrative levels / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Comparative Education)

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.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The central question that this research study addresses is whether higher education institutions in South Africa are sufficiently meeting the needs of their students, by contextualising and integrating their academic curricula with service delivery in communities. The higher education sector has been criticized for not adequately promoting and developing social responsibility in the context of civic awareness among their students. This study suggests that service-learning could become a vital force in educational change and promote social equity by enabling the advancement of historically disadvantaged communities. Service-learning could thus be the vehicle that links academic learning outcomes, service in communities and civic education. The purpose of this study is to explore the theoretical foundations of servicelearning in order to achieve a deeper understanding of what service-learning entails. The Occupational Therapy Department of the University of Stellenbosch was selected as a case study to critically assess to what extent it has conceptualised, planned, implemented and assessed its service-learning programmes in terms of the key elements, principles and goals of service-learning. The research strategy for this study is a qualitative case study. Qualitative data was obtained through the completion of an open-ended questionnaire by the final year Occupational Therapy students. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the head of the department and different representatives of the community project that was selected for the purpose of this research study. The study concludes that the Occupational Therapy Department did in fact, integrate its academic curriculum outcomes with service delivery in the community. However, the development of civic awareness among students needs to be explicitly linked to the academic learning outcomes and service delivery in communities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die vraagstuk wat hierdie studie probeer aanspreek, is om vas te stel tot watter mate instansies vir hoër onderrig en opvoeding in Suid Afrika die behoeftes van hul studente aanspreek. Die instansies word gekritiseer dat hulle akademiese kurrikulums nie genoegsaam geïntegreerd is met dienslewering in die gemeenskap nie, en dat hulle ook nie genoegsame sosiale verantwoordelikheid en gemeenskapsbewustheid by hulle studente aanmoedig nie. Hierdie studie stel voor dat diensleer gebruik word as 'n tegniek vir opvoedkundige veranderinge en die bevordering van sosiale gelykheid vir die bemagtiging van histories benadeelde gemeenskappe. Diensleer kan dus gebruik word om akademiese leer uitkomste, dienslewering en burgerlike opvoeding te verbind. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om die teoretiese basis van diensleer te ondersoek om sodoende 'n deeglike begrip te kry van wat diensleer werklik behels. Die Arbeidsterapie Departement van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch is gekies as gevallestudie om vas te stel hoe hulle hul diensleer programme konseptualiseer, beplan, implementeer en assesseer, t.o.v. die kern elemente, beginsels en doelstellings van diensleer. Die navorsingstrategie wat aangewend is om die doel van hierdie navorsing te bereik, is 'n kwalitatiewe gevallestudie. Kwalitatiewe data is verkry deur die voltooiing van 'n ope vraelys deur die finale jaar Arbeidsterapie studente en deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die hoof van die Arbeidsterapie Departement en verteenwoordigers van 'n gemeenskapsprojek wat gekies is vir die doel van die studie. Die studie het vasgestel dat die Arbeidsterapie Departement se akademiese kurrikulum uitkomste wel met dienslewering in die gemeenskap geïntegreerd is. In die lig van die navorsingsbevindinge word 'n aanbeveling gemaak dat die ontwikkeling van burgelikebewustheid en sosiale verantwoordelikheid ten opsigte van gemeenskapsbehoeftes, direk verbind moet word aan akademiese leer en diens uitkomste.

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.