THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE FORMAL EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE

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INTRODUCTION

The extent to which the school environment is successful in supporting the learning of its learners depends heavily on the foundation laid at home (Berger 1991:122). Parents are seen as primary educators who play a major role in academic education. The parents first provide the informal education at home, i.e. language and conceptual development before children can start school. During this stage, children acquire basic communication skills which improve through play activities. By the time children start school, that is, during the Foundation Phase, they are expected to develop the academic language needed for cognitive tasks and they must grasp abstract concepts during this stage (Donald, Lazarus & Lolwana, 2002:49), which is now called formal education. Children in school are now in the stage of using language for learning (Owens 2001:381; Grolnick & Slowiaczek (1994:241). McCarthey (2000:148) declares that “… a learner in a formal situation has to learn culturally appropriate ways of using language and constructing means from texts for him to understand the exact meaning of long utterances, spoken over a short period of time.” Learners have to have a good foundation in carrying out instructions in the classroom. According to Olivier (1998:1) for learners to succeed in the Foundation Phase school, they must have a good foundation in the school’s language of instruction.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The specific problem to be researched is: What is the extent, level, form and content of the support for learning of the parents of learners in Grade Two in a Township school in the learning of their children, and what effect does their support for learning have on the learning behaviours of the learners?

AIM OF RESEARCH

Based on the above problem identified in the Foundation Phase school setting in South Africa, the study aims to determine and examine the extent, level, form and content of the involvement of the parents of Grade Two learners in a Township school in the learning of their children, and the correlation of their involvement with the learning behaviours of the learners.

RESEARCH STATEMENT

As suggested in paragraph 1.1, inadequacies in or a lack of the support for learning might be expected to impact negatively on the learning of Grade Two learners in the classroom. In terms of the dynamics of problematic teaching and learning, the researcher would expect to find that learners do not participate optimally in the formal learning situation if they lack opportunities at home to assimilate the fundamental knowledge required to understand the new content and skill presented in school, in the sense that the subject material might be too advanced, or that they lack the frame of reference by which to associate the new content with other fields of their knowledge, which in turn might result in their not following the explanation. They could also be expected to lack the motivation for learning which stems from a positive attitude to education and from self-confidence as learners which in turn might affect the pass rate.

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION, PROBLEM FORMULATION, AIM OF RESEARCH, RESEARCH STATEMENT, RESEARCH PLAN, DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS AND PROGRAMME OF STUDY
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
1.3 AIM OF RESEARCH
1.4 RESEARCH STATEMENT
1.5 RESEARCH PLAN
1.5.1 LITERATURE STUDY
1.5.2 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
1.5.3 PARTICIPATORY OBSERVATION OF PERFORMANCE ON A LEARNING TASK
1.5.4 ANALYSIS OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND HOME
1.5.5 CLASSROOM OBSERVATION
1.5.6 RESULTS AND FINDINGS
1.5.7 CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS
1.6 DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS
1.6.1 PARENT
1.6.2 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT/SUPPORT FOR LEARNING
1.6.3 THE TEACHER/EDUCATOR
1.6.4 LEARNING BEHAVIOUR
1.6.5 TOWNSHIP SCHOOL
1.6.6 CULTURE
1.7 PROGRAMME OF STUDY
1.7.1 CHAPTER ONE
1.7.2 CHAPTER TWO
1.7.3 CHAPTER THREE
1.7.4 CHAPTER FOUR
1.7.5 CHAPTER FIVE
1.8 CONCLUSION.
CHAPTER 2 THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE FORMAL EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 THE CHILD IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE
2.2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2.2 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
2.2.3 PSYCHO-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
2.2.4 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
2.3 THE PARENTS’ ROLE IN THE LIVES OF THEIR CHILDREN DURING THE FOUNDATION PHASE
2.3.1 INTRODUCTION
2.3.2 CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES ON THE DYNAMICS OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
2.3.2.1 Introduction
2.3.2.2 Educational level and income of parents
2.3.2.3 Culture of the community
2.3.2.4 Family size
2.3.3 PHYSICAL DIMENSION
2.3.3.1 General principles
2.3.3.2 Effect of problems/inadequacies.
2.3.3.3 Principles in the African community/culture
2.3.3.4 Physical dimension in Tsonga culture
2.3.4 AFFECTIVE ROLE
2.3.4.1 General principles
2.3.4.2 Effect of problems/inadequacies
2.3.4.3 Principles in the African community/culture
2.3.4.4 Affective dimension in Tsonga culture
2.3.5 NORMATIVE ROLE
2.3.5.1 General principles
2.3.5.2 Effect of problems/inadequacies
2.3.5.3 Principles in the African community/culture
2.3.5.4 Normative dimension in Tsonga culture
2.3.6 COGNITIVE ROLE
2.3.6.1 General principles
2.3.6.2 Effect of problems/inadequacies
2.3.6.3 Principles in the African community/culture
2.3.6.4 Cognitive dimension in Tsonga culture
CHAPTER 3 DATA COLLECTION ON THE SUPPORT FOR LEARNING PROVIDED IN THE HOME, FOR THE GRADE TWO TSONGA CLASS
3.1 THE AIM OF THE DATA COLLECTION
3.2 THE RESEARCH DESIGN FOR DATA COLLECTION
3.2.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2.2 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
3.2.2.1 Qualitative research
3.2.2.2 Quantitative research
3.2.3 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
3.2.4 RESEARCH METHODS
3.2.4.1 Introduction
3.2.4.2 Questionnaire, extended into unstructured interview
3.2.4.3 Ethnographic observation
3.2.4.4 The Learners’ Behaviour Schedule
3.2.4.5 Correspondence with parents
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION IN RESPECT OF SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS, ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION, LEARNERS’ BEHAVIOUR SCHEDULE AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH PARENTS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 CONTEXT OF THE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
4.2.1 THE SCHOOL
4.2.2 THE PARTICIPANTS
4.2.2.1 Data sources and straightforward frequency analysis
4.2.2.2 The learners
4.2.2.3 The parents
4.2.2.4 The educator
4.3 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN LEARNERS’ EDUCATION AS REPORTED ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE (PILEQ) AND IN SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
4.3.1 PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN LEARNERS’ EDUCATION QUESTIONNAIRE (PILEQ)
4.3.1.1 Administration of the PILEQ.
4.3.1.2 Results and findings derived from the PILEQ
4.3.1.3 Discussion: Relational data
4.3.2 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
4.3.2.1 Administration of semi-structured interviews
4.3.2.2 Results and findings derived from semi-structured interviews
4.3.2.3 Discussion: PILEQ and semi-structured interviews
4.4 ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION
4.4.1 ADMINISTRATION OF THE ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION
4.4.1.1 Ethnographic observation with parents in their homes
4.4.1.2 Ethnographic observation in the classroom
4.4.2 RESULTS AND FINDINGS DERIVED FROM THE ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION
4.4.2.1 Introduction
4.4.2.2 Ethnographic observations made at learners’ homes
4.4.2.3 Discussion: Data regarding parent’s interacting with their children in learning task
4.4.2.4 Ethnographic observations made in the classroom
4.4.2.5 Discussion: Data regarding learners and their educator in the classroom
4.5 THE LEARNERS’ BEHAVIOUR SCHEDULE
4.5.1 ADMINISTRATION OF BEHAVIOUR SCHEDULE
4.5.2 RESULTS AND FINDINGS DERIVED FROM BEHAVIOUR SCHEDULE
4.5.3 DISCUSSION: BEHAVIOUR SCHEDULE
4.6 CORRESPONDENCE WITH PARENTS
4.6.1 ADMINISTRATION OF CORRESPONCE WITH PARENTS
4.6.2 RESULTS AND FINDINGS DERIVED FROM CORRESPONDENCE WITH PARENTS
4.6.3 DISCUSSION: CORRESPONDENCE WITH PARENTS
4.7 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY, FINAL CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 SUMMARY OF RESEARCH
5.1.1 ORIENTATION
5.1.2 REVIEW OF CHAPTERS
5.1.3 FINDINGS
5.2 CONCLUSIONS
5.2.1 ORIENTATION
5.2.2 ANSWERING THE RESEARCH QUESTION
5.3 METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES
5.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH
5.5 RECOMMENDATIONS
5.5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING PARENTS’ SUPPORT FOR LEARNING BY THEIR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE
5.5.2 RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
5.6 FINAL CONCLUSION