Barriers to parents supporting children's learning in Volksrust Circuit, Gert Sibande District in Mpumalanga Province

Abstract

The study's goal was to discover what impediments inhibit parents from supporting their children's academic growth. The objectives for this study were to identify barriers parents face when trying to assist in children's schooling devise solutions to overcome them. The research also evaluated the procedures in three categories of schools, namely township, rural and suburban schools. The study was guided by Lafaele and Hornby's the explanatory model. The study employed a qualitative research approach within an interpretivist paradigm. A phenomenology study design was employed. Three secondary schools (suburban, township and rural) in the Volksrust Circuit were used for the research study. Six parents from each school who were members of the governing body (five from the suburban school), a principal and a Departmental Head (DH) made up the sample of participants. Semi-structured interviews and a review of the parental involvement policies' policy documents were used to gather data. They were analysed using thematic analysis. According to the study, parental involvement in children's learning is inhibited by impediments related to the school, such as reasons and methods of communication, policies on parental involvement, and instructional jargon. Parent and family-based barriers such as job dynamics, subject matter expertise, educational attainments, cultural norms and transferred responsibilities were also highlighted as barriers to parental involvement. Moreover, the research discovered that notwithstanding the willingness of parents to help their children's education, parental support in children's education is constrained by learners' age. The study concludes that parental involvement is a changing phenomenon and so schools should base their judgements on data rather than generalizations. This study suggests using digital as well as other forms of connection, changing school systems, building capacity and developing "Action Teams" so as to foster parental involvement in children's education.