Abstract:
The study sought to gain greater understanding of parental involvement by examining
the specific aspects of parents’ involvement that impact of learners and identifying the
different effects of parent involvement. The study adopted the Ecological Systems
Theory, Social Capital Theory, Epstein’s Conceptual Model and Cultural Capital
Theory and Attrition Theory as its theoretical framework. Pragmatism philosophical
paradigm, mixed method approach and a concurrent triangulation design were used
for this research. The target population for the study was all teachers and parents in
Bolgatanga East District. The simple random sampling was used to select 75 teachers
while purposive sampling was used to select 6 parents. Interview guide and
questionnaires were used to collect data. The data from questionnaires were analysed
using descriptive statistics whereas qualitative content analysis was also employed to
analysed the interview data. The study found that Parents of pupils in Bolgatanga East
District perform four principal roles in the education of their children. These include:
monitoring of children’s progress, communicating children’s conditions with school
authorities, payment of school fees and provision of learning materials for their
children. Parental involvement influences the academic performance and practical
skills of their children. Identifiable school constraints and attitudinal barriers are
major influencers of parental involvement in the education of their children. The
study revealed that effective parent-teacher collaboration and parental education
would enhance parental involvement. The study recommended that parents should
continue to play their roles effectively, such as visiting the school to find out the
progress of their children, including challenges and prospects. Parental involvement
has proved to promote the academic performance of the learners. For this reason;
parents should understand that they are partners of the school and that their
involvement is needed and valued. It is also recommended that the school authorities
should consider parents’ views in all important management decisions concerning the
school and the wellbeing of the pupils. This would make them more involve in the
activities of the school and in the education of their children. Meetings, seminars and
workshops should be conducted for parents to facilitate parental involvement
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Early Childhood Education,
Faculty of Educational Studies, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Education
(Early Childhood Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
