PARENTS' AND TEACHERS' VIEWS ON PARENTAL

INVOLVEMENT IN ATTERIDGEVILLE SCHOOLS

by

MOSHIA FINKIE DITINTI

Research Essay

presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

MAGISTER EDUCATIONIS

in

COMMUNITY EDUCATION

in the

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND NURSING

at the

RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY

SUPERVISOR: PROF E HENNING

NOVEMBER 1998

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my relatives:

My brothers: Oupa and Peter

My sisters: Madidimalo, Matshediso and Frieda

My cousin: Rudzani

I would like to thank all my professional friends and my colleagues, especially those

who participated in the interview. I am indebted to the parents for responses to my

interview. I am very appreciative of the parents for the cooperation and help they

gave me.

I would also like to thank Prof E Henning and Dr D Daniels for their help, advice and

encouragement throughout the preparation of the study.

My thanks goes to my fellow students Cecilia and Mosima for the care they offered

and provided in transporting me.

My family was an essential ingredient in the entire study, firstly my husband

Ndoloane who supported me throughout the endeavour, secondly my three children,

Mokgobo, Ramokalane, Matiela, and lastly, my mother, not forgetting my late father,

Masilo. They were also supportive throughout my studies.

1

SUMMARY

This study look at parental involvement in selected schools in Atteridgeville. A

sample of parents and teachers were the source of data pertaining to the issue.

The research findings revealed that parents were interested in their children's

learning and in the school, but that they lacked confidence in many instances. The

theory supporting these findings comes mostly from Townsend (1984) and

Sergiovanni (1994).

The study was conducted by means of interviews with parents selected from schools

in Atteridgeville. The suggestion made from this study is that a parent training

programme, based on the programme mentioned by Townsend and Elder (1998) on

Pacific Islands, should be introduced in township schools.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Acknowledgement

Summary

SECTION ONE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 The purpose of the research 1

1.3 Orientation of the research 2

1.4 The research 3

1.5 The aim of this study 3

1.6 Overview of the research 4

1.7 Programme of study 4

SECTION TWO: THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 Introduction 5

2.2 Views on learning and the roles of parents 6

2.3 Learning as members of a school community 8

2.4 Conclusion 10

SECTION THREE: THE FIELD INQUIRY IN ATTERIDGEVILLE

HIGH SCHOOLS

3.1 Introduction 11

3.2 Data sources 11

3.3 Strategy for data collection 11

3.4 Organising the data 16

3.5 Conclusion 23

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

PAGE

SECTION 4: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

4.1 Introduction 24

4.2 Discussion of data 25

4.3 Implication of the study 27

4.4 Recommendations 29

4.5 Conclusion 30

Bibliography 31

Addendum A: Letter to parents 34

Addendum B: The teacher and parents 35

Addendum C: Helping the school 36

Addendum D Helping the child - at school 37

Addendum E: Helping the child - at home 38

Addendum F: Helping the child - the family 39

Addendum G: Helping the child - the health 40

Addendum H: Helping the child - parents and life 41

Addendum I: Needs of the school and community 42

Addendum J: Educating the whole child 43

iv

SECTION ONE

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

1.1 Introduction

Whether one views parent involvement in schools simply as a trendsetting slogan or

as a vigorous new theory, its appeal is noticeable and fascinating.

It is meant to be a "hands-on" approach to bringing about a real partnership

between professionals in the field and the parent at home (Berger, 1981:vii).

Parents are collaborators with educators whether they are accepted or not by the

school. The collaboration is mandated by the state. The 1996 South African School

Act creates opportunities for parents to share ideas and support schools in

enhancing learning. The impact of this parent support has become a familiar topic in

discussions amongst professionals and the media (The Citizen, 12 October 1998).

Therefore, the improvement of parent cooperation has become one of the most

challenging tasks facing education today. Thus, it is the responsibility of school

establishments to institute or to reinforce positive relationships with parents in order

to guarantee the continuity and developmental setting that children so desperately

need.

1.2 The purpose of the research

The study will strive to investigate what parents' expectations of schools are and

what parents' and teachers' views on parental involvement are. Finally suggestions

will be made about what can be done to stimulate parents to be embraced in

learning institutions.

1

1.3 Orientation of the research

Parental involvement in schools is a desired role in the school that is seen to be

part of a community. The support provided by parents can assist the school to fulfil

its role as a community institution (Sergiovanni, 1994). Henning and Fourie (1997)

found that schools which have contact with the community are more vibrant and

well attended. Thus, this research is conducted to ascertain what educators and

parents think of working together more effectively. The South African Schools Law

(SA Government, 1996) expects parents to be part of school governing bodies, but

parents can do more than that. For instance, they can be directly involved in the

day-to-day educational progress and academic problems of their children. Parent

embracement at schools was shown to be a real need during a seminar held in

Soweto in 1995 under the auspices of the Department of Comparative Education

and Educational Management of Unisa (Van Schalkwyk, Module 1: 1995).

Indeed, parent partnership is not a new idea. The introduction of compulsory

schooling up to 15 years, however impose on parents a largely acquiescent role in

their children's education. Being responsible for sending children to school, I argue,

is not enough. Parent's involvement has been, and remains, a problem in many

township schools. That means that schools experience convert parental attitudes

and activities, because if parents are ignoring a school they are saying something

by that. Krumm (1990) in Davies and Johnson (1996:12) refers to parent

participation as:

The conscious or unconscious parental attitude and activities (behaviour) that

influence (positive or negative) success at school (before and during a child's

career);

The efforts of teachers to influence the way in which parents bring up their

children in order to promote success at school.

I believe it is the responsibility of schools to develop or reinforce a stimulating

relationship with parents. The rate of progress in education, the introduction of

2

Curriculum 2005, and economic reality are necessitating the need for more support

structures such as parents and community involvement. If schools want to be part of

their communities, as Sergiovanni (1994:32) suggests, they need to have firm

relationships with parents and other caregivers.

1.4 The research problem

The research problem originated from the practical problem (as discussed by Booth,

Colomb & Williams, 1995:49) of schools that have few or no community links. In my

experience as a teacher I have seen little connection between school and

community. I am also convinced that education belongs to parents, to communities,

to learners, to educators and to all who make our society.

The research problem pertains to the views that parents and teachers have about

parental involvement. Parents and teachers have often expressed informally that

they wish for parents to be more involved in schools. However, there is little

documentation of views of parents and teachers. This study focuses on the problem

of the absence of documentation and therefore, by implication, of a need for more

involvement. I assume that parents want to participate more in schools if they find

many parents feel the same about it. In a study by Henning (1997) it was found that

schools that have strong community ties are more organised and better managed

than schools where community involvement is limited.

1.5 The aim of this study

The aim of this study is to investigate and present parents' and teachers' views on

parental involvement in Atteridgeville high schools. On the basis of information

gathered the study will examine the underlying relationship between parents and

teachers. It seeks to illustrate the nature of that collaboration through examination

of the discussion about the role of schools/education in local community action. In

addition, the study aims to investigate existing literature on parent involvement in

schools to establish which activities or projects are relevant towards encouraging

3

more parental involvement in the view of the participants. To conduct research and

arrive at findings and a conclusion as to why and how the problem of insufficient

parental involvement can be resolved, I will analyse the interview data and interpret

the findings.

1.6 Overview of the research

The investigation will be conducted by means of group interviews with a selected

group of parents. The interview will be recorded. As system of coding responses will

be developed and data will be analysed by means of open coding. This means that

data will be coded according to their meaning in context (Strauss & Corbin, 1990).

This will enable the researcher to obtain categories and clusters or patterns of data.

The main theme will be derived from the clusters or patterns.

1.7 Programme of study

Section Two puts the study in perspective through the study and relevant literature

learning with parent involvement and community participation.

Section Three will concentrate on the research methodology and is based on a

report of the field study.

Section Four deals with the discussion of the data. Findings of the research, based

on the data categories, will be presented and discussed, and recommendations will

be made on how to encourage or enrich wider parental collaboration in schooling.

4

SECTION TWO

THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 Introduction

I contend that there is not adequate parental engagement at schools. I argue that

effective parent participation in education can promote the culture of learning, and

also moderate learners' migration to schools outside Atteridgeville.

Various studies have shown that parental involvement is advantageous to all

groups who have an interest in children's schooling (Henning, 1997 and Minzey &

Townsend, 1984). Furthermore, nowadays many topics attempt to address specific

educational problems or dynamics of education. Among such topics is the parent

involvement. Many people seem to think that parents' partnership have a positive

effect in that it enhances children's opportunities for development and educational

success. I shall discuss theories that are relevant to this claim, believing they will

provide a conceptual framework for me to explain how and why should I envisage

effective parental involvement.

In order to do so I will first interpret constructivist theories of learning, paying heed

to the learning theory of Piaget and Vygotsky with regard to my claim that there is

not enough parental involvement in schools, I will now try to illustrate how theory of

learning is related to the claim.

5

2.2 Views on learning and the role of parents

In the claim that I have proposed, the underlying notion is that schools should be

part of communities. This implies that a school should become a community facility

for all members of the community (Townsend, 1994). Parents can come to school to

participate in adult courses, but at the same time they get to know the school better.

Therefore parents' involvement can lead to a feeling of ownership, which can

encourage or motivate more support for schools. For example, support of money

(donations) or a company might adopt a school; non-government organisations

(NGO's) can also assist to finance school projects and programmes.

All the same insufficient parental involvement has to be improved for the

development of quality education. It is evident that community education should be

the area of focus. I maintain that the culture of learning and teaching can be

improved through stimulation of community and involvement. Therefore, schools

and the community or society should become integrated and not be viewed as

separate entities. It requires that interactions go in both directions. The school, the

community, and the parents become a united force. Townsend (1994) suggests that

the full cooperation of local community members and all people interested in

schooling must be seen as a way to reform schools. He illustrates that schools will

do their level best when they function as community centres.

The education that children receive must comply to the wishes of parents rather

than the requirements of society. Parents have the right to guide their children

through the schooling years without overriding regard to decisions made for schools

by the state. According to the South African School Act (South African Government,

1996) parents have prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to

their children. Thus whatever qualities parents may want from a school they would,

as a community as well as parents, want it to be supportive of the democratic

framework in which they live and which they support. Therefore, considering both

the School Act and the idea of a 'core-plus' curriculum, there already exists two

channels for parent school collaboration.

6

According to Piaget (in Berger, 1966) the process of interaction with the

environment enables a child to develop intelligence. However, Piaget views this as

an adaptive process, which entails assimilation and accommodation of experiences.

If home and school work in closer collaboration, constructing knowledge may be

easier because they will not be so strange to each other. A child without a

prosperous background/surrounding that provides an opportunity to incorporate

new information and to reconstruct new meanings is viewed as being isolated from

social activities and knowledge. Vygotsky (1976) notes that individual cognition

occurs in a social situation, and that social experience shapes the ways of thinking.

Both these theorists show in different ways how children's learning can be

advanced if the home can come closer to the school. This is especially true for

young learners who enter the 'strange' world at the school. For this to take place

means that schools and parents need to change their views of a school's role.

Real transformation can only take place on account of dedication of the mind and

heart (Townsend, 1994). This illustrates that the community must change their

attitude and perception or belief about schools and vice versa. Therefore, in

transforming parents will need to challenge the customs and traditions that have

become habits of their minds (Sergiovanni, 1994). According to Townsend (1994), if

we can get the theory right, then the right practices will follow. For example, for

schools to get parents to be involved effectively, rewards must be traded for

compliance.

Parents should be helped to gain confidence in themselves so that they contribute

to school development. Therefore, I assume that the process of education, or even

something like school curriculum development, implies the interaction of a school

with its community. Thus, parent collaboration will promote effective schooling. It will

also help to bridge a continuity gap that may exist between parents (home) and

teachers (school). I maintain that it is through this process of inter-relationships that

teachers, parents, and community members can acquire knowledge together. The

situation can also be viewed as a transformative process.

7

Parents, teachers, and the community collaborate not only to benefit the students,

but others as well. Thus, teachers of adult education or Adult Basic Education and

Training (ABET) must stimulate learning among learners (adults) by introducing it as

part of the 'core-plus' curriculum. This implies that parents and school staff work

together to determine parents' needs and provide the necessary services, by

utilising the resources of the local community than those provided by the state. The

learners (parents) are then taught in a collective learning environment that they

know. The teaching methods or strategies and curricula that the educator adopt

must reflect a sensitivity for their needs and for their role in the community. My

suggestion is that community members must become involved in schools - 'core-

plus' curriculum.

2.3 Learning as a member of a school community

Thus, I suggest that parents, teachers, and the community must have a far greater

involvement and a reciprocal responsibility in education. Therefore, parental

involvement may be reorganised in an attempt to provide co-ordinated and

comprehensive service to schools and to students, but to parents as well. It is

evident that parental participation will only be possible when all stakeholders have

mutual sensitivity and empathy for the daily problems, frustrations, challenges and

expectations that are all part of the learning situation.

Rather than arguing the issue I will attempt to demonstrate simply by citing Frost in

Berger (1981:23):

The pressures of the group plus the need to survive and to be accepted as

powerful incentives to learning are important.

I view parents and the community as prime educators of children .Therefore, both

must contribute towards the establishment or survival of parental collaboration. The

concept of parent collaboration can be seen as a characteristic of a community

school in its efforts to become a community resource. A resource with a special

a

stress on the provision of adult education and resources for local community action

which will draw parents to the school. The idea entails the democratic process

involving people in thinking, deciding, planning and playing an active part in the

development and operation of tasks that affect their daily lives. It relates to value of

personal fulfilment of belonging in the community. Parental involvement as a

developmental process is clearly educational and oriented to community

development. The process is educational in a fundamental sense.

According to Townsend (1994:155), communities of parents and caregivers lost

their involvement with schools when community spirit dwindled after

industrialisation. He contends,

"The natural caring for one's neighbour largely disappeared and people

became isolated from one another."

This had an impact on parent involvement in school as well. Recently people have

tried to rekindle that spirit.

It is not unusual to see the same faces at the school PTA, the kindergarten, the

canteen, at church clubs and children's sport. People are discovering that being

involved with others satisfied a real need in themselves. By actively involving

children and adults in decisions about education, about what issues concern them,

about aspects of community development, we are providing people with in-service

training in democracy.

In the townships in South Africa parents have a long history of hostility between

school and home. In addition, parents are not informed about new laws pertaining

to schools and education. They need to become part of school again, and it would

need a concerted effort from the school. Sergiovanni (1994:96) suggests, among

others that parents should be 'built' into the curriculum. In her study in an inner-city

School, Jarman (Johnson et al, 1996) found that parents respond well to training for

school involvement.

9

From the above discussion it is clear that parent involvement means more than a

PTA meeting attendance. It means that school and home need to forge a

community that can sustain learning.

2.3 Conclusion

Education and involving parents is a much more complex process than giving

directives. It requires that interactions go in both directions, with the school or centre

learning from parents as well as the parent gaining from it. Parent involvement has

many dimensions, but in this section I have focused on the idea of parents being

drawn to school in a 'core-plus' curriculum and not just participating in the school

governing body (S.G.B.) or PTA, because it is the stipulation of the South African

School's Act. The issue is about community building around the school as centre. If

parents, caregivers and families become part of the school in a broad sense, it

would be easier for students to identify with the school.

1 0

SECTION THREE

THE FIELD INQUIRY IN ATTERIDGEVILLE HIGH SCHOOLS

3.1 Introduction

In this section the views of the parents and teachers regarding parental involvement

in schools will be discussed. Adequate parental involvement in school life appears

to be inconsistent. This study was undertaken to get some clarity. On the basis of

these reasons or claims, this section reports the investigations and findings related

to these issues from a study I carried out in Atteridgeville. It also outlines measures

that might be taken by parents and educators to assist schools. Thus, the

groundwork for exploring all these arguments is laid down in the next sub-sections.

3.2 Data sources

With regard to the above mentioned issues, this section therefore, introduces us to

the general methodology employed in gathering and processing the information

needed for acknowledging the exiting problem, namely, lack of greater parental

involvement in schools.

3.3 The strategy for data collection

The data for the study were collected through group interviews with parents and

teachers, and note taking during the interviews, which were also recorded on audio

tape. The reason for taking notes is that face-to-face discussion also entails and

requires observation (Patton, 1987). Note taking or tape recording are the

customary methods of preserving the data collected in an interview. The tape

recorded information can be played back more than once and can be studied much

1 1

more thoroughly than would be the case if the information were limited only to notes

taking during interviews.

Since I could not research the entire population of parents who I am interested in, I

limited my inquiry to a small and adequate sample of parents and teachers of both

sexes at different levels of experience, who were purposefully selected. Therefore,

two females and three males were randomly selected from each grade in the

secondary school, making a sample of five parents to be interviewed (assessed).

See Table 3.1 for more information regarding the interviewees' level of education.

They were approached by letter (through their children) and invited to be

interviewed in their homes or any place of their choice (see Addendum one - letter).

The following table shows the interviewees' fictitious names, level of experience,

and their occupation.

Table 3.1: Interviewee information from five of the participants

Interviewees Level of experience (education) Occupation

Parent A Junior Primary School Drop-out Housewife

Parent B Passed Grade 10 Dressmaker

Parent C Senior Teachers Diploma Teacher

Parent D Passed Grade 12 Bank teller

Parent E Senior Teachers' Diploma Teacher

The interviews took place on 26 August 1998. I informed the principal of the school

about the interview. At about 09:15 Parent A arrived. Fortunately I was in a room

where I was able to see her entering the school premises. Unfortunately I was still

busy with my class. I therefore requested one of my colleagues to welcome her. At

10:10 I gave her a cup of tea. Parent B arrived at 10:15 and she joined us. Parent D

arrived at 10:20. Parent C and E are my colleagues so I called them to join us in the

school library.

12

Before the formal interview I tried to obtain some commitment of cooperation from

the sample. For example, I assured parents that teachers are going to work with

them as equals in an interview process. I asked whether parents would be

comfortable calling teachers by their first names. I also stressed the fact that the

information provided by participants will be confidential, and reported only in group

form (combined with data of other members of the sample). For example, I asked a

few informative questions about the topic first, to assess their expectations and

priorities. I had the chance to observe their behaviour and attitude concerning the

study. After that I expounded the purpose of the recording to gain the confidence of

the participants so as to minimise any possible undesirable effects of having the

dialogue recorded.

The focus group interview took place at 11:30, in the library. It was arranged in a

manner to make parents feel welcome at the school. I conducted the interview

which was directly recorded, while I was also taking some notes to ensure that the

planned steps were being followed. At the end of the discussion I gave them each a

small honorarium for participating in the study. The interviews were conducted in a

mixture of the home language and English. Only English translations and English

data are quoted.

The first question I asked the participants was:

Who is your child's class teacher?

Parent A: Honestly I don't know her ... I saw her once.

Only two of the five parents (C and E) were able to give the educational details

about their children. For example, the grade of the child and the class teacher.

Parent A seemed to be scared. Then I pretended that I also did not know my child's

mentors, hoping that it will make her feel at ease. This interested her and she joined

the discussion. Then I asked probing questions related to the school. For example,

the participants were asked the following question:

13

How many school meetings have you attended?

Some of the responses were as follows:

Parent D: I don't attend meetings. You know why ... because I'm afraid

the teachers might talk about my children's problem and I would be

blamed for the poor achievement.

Parent A: I don't receive notice. I only come to school to collect reports or

be informed about my children's behaviour or performance.

Parent B: Mam, as long as my child is happy and enjoys his lessons I

subsequently don't see the need to visit o•attend school meetings.

Parent E: Sometimes I do attend but not always.

From my perspective during the interviews parents seemed to rate the personal

happiness of their children as a yardstick to success. They also gave some reasons

for their non-attendance of meetings. A selection of the comments or responses are

given below.

To be honest with you, I haven't got much confidence in the way meetings

are conducted.

Parent usually lack knowledge and preparation for becoming partners with

schools.

Most of the interviewees seemed to be in need of training courses and strategies to

encourage parent involvement. The participants were also prompted as to whether

the school meeting helped them find out about the need or value of active parent

involvement. Over 70% of the sample pointed out that they are not accustomed to

expressing disagreement with teachers. Moreover some teachers are reluctant to

14

recognise parents as stakeholders of the school. Parents and teachers were able to

bring different points of view in a healthy manner.

The question I asked them then was what do they need or wish to be done to

encourage greater parental involvement in schools. This open-ended question

stimulated formal and informal discussion among them (parents simply appreciated

being asked their opinion) and gave added impetus to their ideas on how to improve

parent involvement in schools. For example, one parent said parents should be

encouraged or requested to pay school fees towards their children's education.

The participant pointed out that schools where fees are paid, effective teaching and

learning, and parent commitment are experienced unlike in free education.

According to him, parents who pay fees for their children to be taught, know the

value to be placed on the guardianship role of the school. Some parents refute this

view of paying fee schooling.

They view the paying of school fees as a way of creating a different type or class of

children. They feel that the Department of Education should design workshops or

courses for parents of every school, not for S.G.B. members as it is always done. In

order to promote parent-school partnership and improve the quality of the S.G.B.

members, and the position of learners in education, the whole parent bodies need

to be educated.

From this discussion I deduced that they feel they want to be activated to develop a

strong, active, enthusiastic, and dynamic future S.G.B. A very wide range of

responses emerged. A selection of comments is given below.

Parents need instruction and guidance as much as children do.

I think there need to be much more contact with government and educational

bodies.

15

Something which would really help to promote effective parent involvement is

to offer them support and back-up.

I discovered things that I did not expect during the interview. Booth et al (1995)

warn that many investigations show that assumptions have often been expressed

without enough or adequate information and insight. For example, I thought parents

are not bothered about their children's education. I found the opposite. I thought

they would be timid and I found them to be challenging.

I found them to be more inclined to be generous, but they were critical where

criticism counted. I was impressed by the fairness of the sample's responses and

how thoughtful and considerate they were. I believe their knowledge of the school

enabled them to be assertive during the interview.

3.4 Organising the data

The first step after collecting data and transcribing the interview data, was to start

with open-coding. A process of analysing data by breaking down, probing,

differentiating, forming concepts and grouping information (Strauss and Corbin,

1990) was started. I coded the data by sentence and by paragraph, using coloured

pens to identify the words and phrases related to my research questions. Thereafter

I developed a glossary for the coded responses and tabulated the outcomes as

follow in Table 3.2.

16

Table 3.2: Glossary of the first phase coded data

CODES PHRASES/WORDS

ATO Allocation of time

BUCH Bottom-up courses needed

EB Educational bodies

EOS Encouragement of stakeholders

FESGB Future effective school governing bodies

FN Funds needed

HH Helping hand

ISC Inferior self-confidence

LOC Lack of concern

NIWOS Needs involvement with other schools

NSI Negative self image

PE Past experience

PH Personal happiness

PPI Promote parent involvement

PLK Parents lack knowledge

PNI Parents not interested

PPTPF Parents prepared to pay fees

PS Parent scared

PSE Poor self-esteem

PSR Parent-school relationship

PWOC Parents' workshops or courses

QEN Quality education needed

SCGN Sound communication great need

SCN Study centre needed

SS Silent supporters

TDCF Top-down courses failed

17

After coding the data, I began grouping coded concepts according to specific

properties. I identified particular concepts in data that pertained to the same

phenomena. I distinguished evidence of six areas in which parents demonstrated

their feeling, views and attitudes towards the problems or issues that

encourage/promote adequate parent involvement in schools. The six groups of

meaning to which the data were allocated are:

Lack of knowledge

Low self-concept

Attitude

Lack of motivation

A need for interrelationships

Responsibility.

I identified six categories for each group of meanings to describe the sample's

responses. The ranges of responses are shown in Table 3.3.

Table 3.3: Range of responses

CODES CATEGORIES RESPONSES OF 5 PARTICIPANTS

Lack of knowledge

BUCH Bottom-up courses needed 3

FESBG Future efficient SGB 3

PLK Parent lack knowledge 5

PWOC Parents' workshops or courses 4

TDCF Top-down courses failed 3

18

Table 3.3: Range of responses (continued)

CODES CATEGORIES RESPONSES OF 5 PARTICIPANTS

Low self-concept

I SC Inferior self-confidence 3

N S I Negative self-image 3

PSE Poor self-esteem 3

PS Parent scared 2

SS Silent supporters 3

Attitude

AOT Allocation of time 2

PE Past experience 1

PH Personal happiness 2

Lack of motivation

EOS Encouragement of stakeholders 3

LOC Lack of concern 2

PPN Parent not interested 3

A need for interrelationships

HH Helping hand 2

NIWOS Need involvement with other schools 3

PTR Parent-teacher relationships 3

SCGN Sound communication great need 3

PPI Promote parental involvement 4

19

Table 3.3: Range of responses (continued)

CODES CATEGORIES RESPONSES OF 5 PARTICIPANTS

Responsibility

EB Educational bodies 2

FN Funds needed

PPF Parent pay fees 2

QEN Quality education needed 2

SCN Study centre needed 2

These categories also have to be grouped according to their similarities.

Subsequently I pulled them together to build a pattern. The following is a conceptual

framework for the data pattern, followed by a concomitant data display - a technique

suggested by Miles and Huberman (1994).

20

Lack of knowledge

In er- relationship

Competent knowledgeable parent needed

Responsibility Motivation

Six categories

Glossary of first coded data

Data categories

Low self- concept

Attitude

Need inspiration to self-regard viewpoint

Diagram 3.1: Data patterns

As a clarification tool, Table 3.4 is used to display parents' feelings, views, and

attitudes as previously mentioned.

Table 3.4: Responses in percentage

DATA CATEGORIES RESPONSES IN PERCENTAGE

Parents who lack sufficient knowledge about education 72

Parents with low self-concept 60

Parents who lack motivation 32

Parents with negative attitude 28

Parents who need relationships 70

Parents who are responsible 40

21

From the patterns and the percentages I deduced two dominant themes, namely,

parents' need inspiration towards self-regard and they need to be acknowledged by

the school for what they know.

Table 3.5: Main themes from the data

PRODUCTIVE INVOLVEMENT

NEED FOR KNOWLEDGE SELF-CONCEPT

Productive parent involvement in schools is fundamental

... I haven't got much confidence

Honestly I don't know ...

Parents should be encouraged or requested

I don't attend because I'm afraid

Parents view themselves as worthless and inferior.

They lack confidence in themselves.

Productive parent involvement in schools is viewed as political

The Department of Education should design courses or workshops

... not for S.G.B. members only as it is done ...

... promote parental school partnership

Parents are keen to learn.

They need training to gain skills to be involved in schools and to become skilful future S.G.B. members

Productive parent involvement in schools is seen as gesellschaft by literature

... courses or workshops for S.G.B. members only

Courses which are designed for S.G.B. members are top-down.

They are not meant for the grass root level people.

I will use the mentioned themes from the analysed data to postulate my main claim

about parents and schools in the next sections.

22

3.6 Conclusion

During the data analysis I found information or aspects that I did not expect. I

assumed that parents were not interested in their children's education and I believe

that this is a popular view. This consciousness changed while analysing data. I now

believe that parents need inspiration towards self-regard, that their viewpoints are

valuable and that they are competent and knowledgeable parents who can play an

important role in S.G.B.s and parent teacher student associations (PTSAs). If these

findings could be generalised, parents may be more receptive to participate in

school activities than is generally thought.

23

SECTION FOUR

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

4.1 Introduction

In the closing of Section Three the final pattern of data was forwarded. The

following figure displays the information.

Figure 4.1: Data patterns

Knowledge _

Motivation

Interrelationship

Responsibility

Self-image (self-concept)]

— Attitude

Categories

Cluster one

Cluster two

I grouped knowledge, motivation, interrelationship and responsibility together

according to their similarities in meaning. My interpretation concerning the cluster is

that parents lack adequate knowledge to contribute to their children's schooling. In

order to inspire parents to partake, they should be motivated. Therefore, there is a

need for someone to take responsibility of encouraging and motivating parents.

Self-concept or self-image and attitude are also classified according to their

similarities of meaning as previously mentioned. For example, parents have a

negative self-concept which is something schools have to know. In the way

Sergiovanni (1994) argues, I would advocate that parents be drawn into the school

as a community (gemeinschaft) and not to see it as a state institution (gesellschaft)

to which they belong only distantly. In a societal situation, relations are by contract.

24

In a community organisation relationships are not based on contracts but on

commitments. People associate with each other because they want to do so and

because it has its own intrinsic value, meaning, and significance. In further

acknowledgement to TOnnies, Sergiovanni (1994) argues that social relationships

do not just happen but they are willed. Given the last data display and explanation,

it is evident that effective parent involvement can be actualised if the basis is that of

commitment for intrinsic significance.

4.2 Discussion of data

The first finding is that parents appear to have a negative self-image, which is

something they have to overcome. It seems as if they think they are not good

enough for involvement in school affairs. For example, more than 50% of the

parents pointed out that more could be done if they were given training (instruction

and guidance) and financial support. They wanted to learn something at the school.

Their request for financial assistance is perhaps part of the culture of entitlement. I

think if they will not focus on that so much once they become involved. Therefore, I

would like to suggest a number of guidelines which could have a positive bearing in

the development of parents as involved members of the school community. The

guiding principle should embrace a way of working with the parents in which they

feel worthy. Almond in Cohen (1985:81) supports the idea of embracing the parents

as part of the school community.

Today's schools are tomorrow's society. ... no education without community

or there can be no community without education ... and parents should be

part of this community.

Another finding is the level of interest of parents in education. There is a need for

courses or workshops for parents as associates of the school. The contention

therefore is that training or any other intervention should be based on principles of

community education, and this means that parents should be consulted on exactly

what they need (Vella, 1994). Parents need to feel that they share the symbols of

25

the school community. "An occurrence of culture arises when shared lives

meaningfully constructed by people through their symbolic abilities and capabilities"

(Cohen, 1985).

From the responses of parents during the interviews it appears that many parent

involvement programmes in schools fail to include the majority of parents in which

they recognise the parents' agency, and that they provide literacy and basic

schooling for community as a service from government. Semi-literate or illiterate

parents are shy to come to their children's school for ABET lessons. And often

these parents are not able to give support to their children's education as they

would like to. Teachers complained that parents do not assist their children with

homework. Therefore, parents are unable to sustain themselves as productive

members of the school community, because they feel excluded, due to their limited

education.

It was also found that 40% of the parent are silent supporters. According to their

view, cooperation in schooling is institutionalised (Smit, van Esch & Wallberg, 1993)

and they feel pressurised to do what is mandated to them. According to them only a

particular group of parents (for example, school governing body - S.G.B.),

participate in school management or hold positions in various types of committees

or forums. Citing the view of Freire (1972), it is evidence of authoritarian relations

and the undemocratic unequal distribution of power. Only the able and educated

parents enter into these forums. Tonnies (in Sergiovanni, 1994) says that ties that

connect people to others and to their tasks are contractual - S.G.B.s appear

contractual and task-based — a typical gesellschaft group. In the gemeinschaft they

would have to remain united despite all separating factors because it is their

commitment to the group that sustain them. They would consult more with parents.

In. further acknowledgement of the gemeinschaft they must be socially organised

around the power of friendship, respect, sound relationships (as described by Vella,

1994) and shared values and ideas.

Another finding is that parents lack inspiration to be involved in schools. The

26

depressed physical environment of the school, especially the toilets, library,

laboratory, and classrooms, are believed, by parents, to reflect the ministry of

education's lack of interest for the children. They (parents) want a school that

echoes discipline, beauty, and well-behaved educators. What parents perhaps do

not yet realise is that they are the real 'owners' of the school and if they admit this

ownership they will organise community working teams that would include students,

to do maintenance.

Finally, it was found that 60% of parents lacked comprehensive knowledge of the

school but still construed the school according to their own school experience,

emphasising the perceptions they held. It is clear that lack of knowledge and lack of

contact can lead to perceptions of the school(s) as an institution of the state that is

removed from community life.

4.3 Implication of the study

The purpose of this study was to find out about perceptions of parental involvement

in schools by researching the issue with a small sample. Information from the

investigation pointed to the fact that in most cases there is little effective parent-

school relationships. Therefore strategies have to be devised to encourage or

cultivate tremendous parent participation in schools and to include the homes.

Parent guidance workshops could be run at schools. Not only will this bring parents

to school, but coping and communication strategies can be taught.

According to Townsend (1994:123) who did research into early intervention

strategies, parent-school relationships have indicated that the sooner an individual

problem is identified and responded to, the more like it is that there will be fewer

long-term problems generated. "The aspiration should be to improve human

relations, lessens pressure and increase personalism". Thus, the quality of local or

home life can be improved through stimulation of community involvement, by

creativity and action programmes to support home and school at the same time. It

would be generally true to say that parents will adopt a feeling of ownership which

27

can prompt more support for schools, if they enter the school gates more often

(Henning, 1997).

Good communication and interchange of knowledge can be viewed as the starting

point to establish working relationships between school and home. As pointed out

by Vella (1994) parental involvement requires communication and performance with

people. Furthermore, Sergiovanni (1978) argues that "norms of associating a school

and home is a bond of mutual perception and supportive or caring alliance is

imperative".

Citing the work of Kar Menninger, Brendtro, Brokenleg, and Van Bockern in

Sergiovanni (1993:38) observes that:

.. today's children are desperately pursuing 'artificial belonging' because

this is not being fulfilled by families, schools and neighbourhoods."

Sergiovanni (1994:39) further contends that community construction in schools can

"accommodate an essential safety pitfall as provisional approach". Again, as

schools become more community based they expedite the bolstering of family and

neighbourhood. According to Vella (1994:76) well-constructed relations are the

"potentiality of mutual understanding and respect. Therefore, if associations are

equitable between stakeholders transformation and reconstruction will take place".

Parents as members of a school community have great strength. It needs to be

utilised.

Various comprehensive programmes which tap the knowledge and experience of

the community, have to be generated for the current and future schooling, and the

implementation of the present 'Curriculum 2005'. According to Freire (1972) man

participate in his own revolutionisation. Cohen (1985) argues by saying that

transformation can be obtained through human beings' acknowledgement of

accountability. Parents are also accountable for the place where their children learn.

There needs to be commitment of both minds and heart to make schools

28

communities. Therefore, a school which is more community minded can assist in

transforming the wider community by its example of strength and commitment.

4.4 Recommendations

Based on data gathered and the findings presented above, the following

recommendations are made:

More research needs to be conducted with parents.

I recommend that schools institute family and community collaboration

programmes related to the needs identified by all stakeholders.

'Bottom-up', not 'top-down' courses or workshops should be designed for all

parents instead of training a particular group of parents. The aim should be to

reach people from the grass root level.

Funds needed to be generated/raised by the school community to be made

available for each school to expand home school cooperation activities like

workshops and other gatherings. A school must market itself to NGOs for

programmes and should work hard to break down the culture of enlittlement. If

funds are raised at school, there will be more accountability in the spending.

A new project could be launched in which parents are invited to school to see

how the school works and to view learners' work. The outcome will improve

communication among parents, educators and learners.

Workshops should be organised where specialists in the field of early childhood

education could come and address parents on the development of pre-school

children. Doctors and nurses talked to parents on health issues like AIDS and

Tuberculosis, and la so the importance of immunisation and nutrition.

29

Parental involvement in the context of learning at the classroom and grade level

needs to be advanced. Parents will be able to support their children at home to

reinforce learning if they see the teachers more often.

Schools should become facilities for all members of the community. Here it

includes all learning and activities that parents or community members

themselves identified.

Parents who participate must get recognition, and be selected to attend

conferences. However, parent involvement programmes should not be regarded

as a panacea for all problems. It is the school's role to provide schooling (quality

education).

Opportunities should be provided for schools which seek to build relationships

with other schools with similar interests and projects.

The above recommendations can make use of the instructional materials that were

developed by Townsend and Elder (1998). Examples are included as Addendum

B to J.

4.5 Conclusion

In this study I set out to get a glimpse of what a small sample of parents (two of

whom are teachers) think about parental involvement. The findings indicate two

main issues; the parents are interested in schools, but they do not feel secure about

it. I suggested options for addressing parents' needs and I stressed the fact that

they should fulfil a function in the school as a community. I had claimed earlier that

the theory of the 'core-plus' curriculum as suggested by Townsend be seen as a

viable model for parental involvement. I also said that the South African School Act

provided for parental involvement, but that it should be for more than the selection

of already empowered parents on the S.G.B.s. The target should be the silent

parents.

30

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berger EH 1981. Parents as Partners in Education: The school and home working

together. New York: Macmillan.

Booth WC; Colomb GG & Williams JM 1995. The Craft of Research. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press.

Borg WR and Gall MD 1994. Educational Research. New York: Longman.

Cohen A 1985. The Symbolic Construction of Community. London: The

Psychological Press.

Freire P 1972. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin Education.

Henning E 1997. School and Community. Learning beyond the Curriculum. SA

Journal of Education, 15(3).

Henning E & Fourie E 1997. Crafting and Practical Wisdom in an In-service

Education Programme for Unlicensed Community School Teachers. Paper

presented at he Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research

Association. Chicago, 24-28 March.

Johnson VR and Davies D 1996. The Educational Research, Crossing Boundaries.

Family, Community and School Partnerships. Boston: Pergamon.

Kampol B 1994. Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Westport. CT: Bergers and

Ganey.

Lave J 1988. Cognition in Practice. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.

31

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berger EH 1981. Parents as Partners in Education: The school and home working

together. New York: Macmillan.

Booth WC; Colomb GG & Williams JM 1995. The Craft of Research. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press.

Borg WR and Gall MD 1994. Educational Research. New York: Longman.

Cohen A 1985. The Symbolic Construction of Community. London: The

Psychological Press.

Freire P 1972. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin Education.

Henning E 1997. School and Community. Learning beyond the Curriculum. SA

Journal of Education, 15(3).

Henning E & Fourie E 1997. Crafting and Practical Wisdom in an In-service

Education Programme for Unlicensed Community School Teachers. Paper

presented at he Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research

Association. Chicago, 24-28 March.

Johnson VR and Davies D 1996. The Educational Research, Crossing Boundaries.

Family, Community and School Partnerships. Boston: Pergamon.

Kampol B 1994. Critical Pedagogy: An Introduction. Westport CT: Bergers and

Ganey.

Lave J 1988. Cognition in Practice. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.

31

Legge D 1982. The Education of Adults in Britain. Milton Keynes. Open University

Press.

Miles MB and Huberman AM 1994. An Expanded Qualitative Data Analysis: An

Expanded Sourcebook. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publishers.

Minzey JD & Townsend AC 1984. Core Plus Education: A Role for Schools of the

Future. Michigan: Eastern Michigan University.

Patton MQ 1994. How to use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation. London: Sage

Publishers.

Rogoff B 1996. A Sociocultural Approach to Understanding Learning. Invited

Address at the Biennial Conference of the European Association of

Research on Learning and Instruction. Aix-en-Provence, 20 August - 4

September.

Sergiovanni TJ 1994. Building Community in Schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Publishers.

Shor I 1993. Education is Politics: Paulo Freire's Critical Encounter. London:

Routledge.

Strauss A & Corbin J 1990. Basics of Qualitative Research. Grounded Theory

Procedures and Techniques. California: Sage Publishers.

The Citizen, 12 October 1998. Nzimande warns on education backlogs, p.8.

The Government of the Republic of South Africa 1996. The South African Schools

Act. The S.A. Government Printers: Cape Town.

32

Townsend T 1994. Effective schooling for the community core-plus education.

London & New York: Routledge.

Townsend T & Elder H 1998. Community and parent support for schools. Fiji:

University of the South Pacific Press.

Van Schalkwyk OJ 1995. Module Two. Unpublished Training Manual of Parental

Involvement. Pretoria: Unisa.

Vella J 1994. Learning to Listen, Learning to teach: The Power of Dialogue in

Educating Adult. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

33

ADDENDUM A: A LETTER TO PARENTS (translated into English)

P 0 Box 97688

WEST PARK

0146

30 August 1998

Dear Parent

I humbly invite you, as concerned parents, to a group discussion that involves the

enlightenment, progress, and academic accomplishment of our school going

children. Aptly referred to as education.

Yes, education is not the panacea of the established educational institutions as

perceived by many, but a multilateral exercise of all stakeholders, consequently

your input as parents is of greater demand.

Being a parent-teacher, in other words, seeing to it that the classroom is not the

only place of information gathering, I therefore wish to interview you. The interview

will take place at a venue of your choice, school or your place.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

M.F. DITINTI

34

ADDENDUM B

The teacher and parents

fft"

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v

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sh

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e

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-'7

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tbgEOMelaIIVOIVeL schools ;;-

eSITctA-tIcr

This happens when:

* — Teachers know more about the children and parents know more about the school.

— Parents support teachers and the school more vigorously.

— The school is a more friendly place, and it is better organised, with im-proved resources.

— Parents learn new things, and are helped to become better as parents.

— Parents can teach the children tra-ditional knowledge and skills.

with classroom wo

ADDENDUM C

PARENT 2

;••:•;47, ' r

rr: elpin th schooL z.

You can help the school ...

development by-

,. 0- AssistanceWititich ool work .,. dri clevelepinort.flind-raising.

U Making dècisibi for school .improvement on the

PTA or School Cathmfttee. 1•

'Providing yoUr pith ialiapd dancingi. singing;•pIuMb-

- • •

clean and

"1. - • • L.J.:OfficidiingOri'Sporfr days.

:••••

CAN

ADDENDUM D

PARENT

Helping the child AT SCHOOL

Parents should accept teachers as partners in the education of their

children. Working closely with teachers

will give their children the best chances of

success. These suggestions will help parents to get to know their teachers and to work well with them:

Arrange to meet the teacher as early as possible. Explain you're keen to help your child work better. Find out how you can help.

Share important information with the teacher, as he or she will do with you. Knowing everything about your child's progress and problems will help.

Arrange to meet the teacher at regular intervals to inform each other on your child's progress.

Get to know the other teachers and parents by joining the PTA or any similar organisations.

Help the school as a member of a team and by sharing experiences help improve the education of your child and the others.

Avoid giving teachers extra work: encourage your child to attend school regularly. All lessons are important and are linked with those that follow. It is difficult to catch up on lessons missed.

Don't be ashamed to ask for advice when there are problems. An early solution avoids many more difficulties later on.

PARENT 4

Helping the child AT HOME

ADDENDUM E

All children of school age should be

encouraged to attend school daily. They

should not be forced.

If your child is not keen to go to school, find the reason and see the teacher about it.

Catching up on missed work is diffi-cult and often discouraging.

Homework & study are of great importance. They need to be done regularly to do better at school.

Fix and keep a regular homework time, respected by all the family. Have a special work corner set up.

Your interest and encouragement is vital. The family should help too.

Make sure there is homework to be done. If none is set, encourage extra reading.

Make sure that homework comes • home and gets back to school.

Help your children & your-self to remember key events.

Check regularly with teachers.

Have a family calendar (or notebook/ diary) and mark in important school, family and village events.

74 _

_ Z - ADDENDUM F

Helping the child THE FAMILY

Children need to experience a close and

loving relationship with their parents and family. This gives them security

and confidence.

Children should have every opportunity to explore and play. They gain confidence and much else from these activities, learning to:

Deal with real life situations. Solve problems. Play with & understand other children.

As well as teachers, parents should help children deve-lop their talents.

Not all children are clever academi- cally, but all are good at something. The future of a child depends on how well it discovers & strengthens talents. Positive support from parents & family is crucial.

Story-telling and reading to children should be a regular part of the evening.

Legends and stories about the village give children information about their past. Children are encouraged to learn their language and culture. Stories help to develop imagination in the child.

Parentssho~d by,the~r :adionssetagood example for'

trr.c.:;A-d • 4.4

PARENT 5

•

1. irs7,1*

ADUtNUum

PARENT 6

Helping the child

-

HEALTH

Unless a child has good health, it will not enjoy life or be able to do its

best at school. Children need nutritious food to help them grow

healthy and strong.

A healthy child learns better than an unhealthy one.

Try to give your children three good meals a day. Use fresh food & fish: they are good for the body.

In groups, parents can help to provide hot lunches on two to three days a week.

A safe environment keeps your family healthy.

Drink water from a safe source. Boil it if you're not sure.

Have proper toilets built.

Have good drainage. Do not let water collect in places for insects to breed in.

Whenever possible discuss health matters with your.local nurses, health inspectors and other officers. Health is the business of everybody. Discuss with other families how to improve the environment of the village.

A child needs to have enough rest. This helps the body and mind to develop better.

A child is active during the day and must get proper rest. Complete rest during sleep is vital.

A child at primary school needs about ten to twelve hours sleep a day.

T.

nr•

ADDENDUM, H

PARENT 7

Helping the child PARENTS & LIFE

Habits established when young remain all

through life. Parents should encourage their children to take positive

attitudes, which help them to learn & succeed in what they do. Parents

should explain why certain things should be done & what happens if they are not. Here are

some good habits:

Spend time on a regular basis to do homework and reading.

Practise the habit of "early to bed, early to rise". It brings good health, good preparation for school and punctuality.

Do daily chores before and after school — cleaning the yard, helping in the garden, helping in the kitchen, making the beds ...

Value time, and use it wisely. Children must learn that time must be used to the maximum each day. It cannot be saved or borrowed like money.

When a decision is to be made think of the choices and what will follow each. Then make a sensible decision. This is the habit of "look before you leap".

Work and study hard to become successful.

K The Ministry

of Ezitication,

& other departments,

works directly

with: 4: PARENTS close family members extended family members

85 - 42 -

ADDENDUM I

CONLMUNITY 1

Needs of the school & community

_Dols do best when are supported by

;1?-201e community

4( SCHOOL its children its teachers

4: COMMUNITY NGOs with many aspects Religious groups Village & traditional councils Business organisations

:ADDENDUM J

COMMUNITY 2

Educating the whole child

These are the big questions a child is always asking itself:

Who am I?

What is my future?

The answers to these ques- tions take gradual shape

under the influence of the following

factors:

Emotions.

School and family support.

Community support.

Religious needs.

Culture.

Tradition.

Leisure & Recreation.

Health.

Employment.

Social skills.

Learning skills.

Knowledge. Understanding. Application.

86