Related Review Literature

Parents are a source of comfort and warmth for their children. With one or both parents

absent, adolescents can be deprived of necessary attention. When the mother or father is absent from

the home, children may suffer and feel they don’t have all the support they need. To hide this

vulnerability and possibly counteract it, some young people may, among other things, become

aggressive with the intention of intimidating others before becoming victims themselves. Although

some previous studies have looked into the effect of parental absence on children's academic

achievements, it investigate the effects of parental absence on both the cognitive and non‐

cognitive skills of children. Our results show that parental absence during early child

development mostly incurs negative effects on the academic achievement and non‐cognitive

development of children. A child whose parents are both absent tends to have lower mathematics

test scores, lower self‐assessment on his/her behavior, and is less likely to be happy and satisfied.

A gender difference is also observed in the effect of parental absence: girls suffer more from the

effect of both parents being absent on their mathematics test scores than do boys (Wu, 2017).

According to Angela Buzan (2016) this are the why some parents don’t participate in school

events because:

They do not have the luxury of time.

An hour meeting at five o’clock may not seem like much of a commitment, but let’s

not assume all parents work banking hours. For servers and customer service representatives,

five o’clock is the peak hour of business traffic. In other words, in some industries, this is

actually the most difficult and expensive block to request off.

They are afraid.

 For some parents they didn’t finish high school because conferencing with the teacher

was a skill they never learned. This in context with anxiety could make a school event feel a lot

more complicated than just being physically present.

They Don’t Know How to be Involved

Some parents might not understand what you want them to do. They might ask themselves

questions such as: “Do I just stand here, or am I supposed to have a role?”; “Do I have to work

with other parents?”; “If I come once does that mean I will be expected to come all of the time?”;

“Will I embarrass my child if I don’t understand what is being taught?”

They Don’t Understand Why Involvement is Important

Some parents wonder: if the teacher is a master of their subject area, why do they need me?

Furthermore, some teenagers do not want their parent to attend events. Put these together and a

parent might wonder what exactly is the value of simple physical presence.

They Don’t Understand The Teacher

Teachers know that some parents do not speak English and some teachers arebysing

jargons. These reasons open up a range of considerations regarding parent input.

From the Strategix website, education is not something that only happens at school. Parents

have as much responsibility for their children’s education as teachers do. It should be a

collaborative effort, which is made easy by using tools such as Strategix’s Education

Relationship Management solution. A recent study on the importance of parents’ involvement in

their children’s education shed some light on the impact parents can have regarding the level of

involvement in their children’s education. The study, which formed the basis of SG Maluleke’s
thesis titled Parental involvement in their children’s education in the Vhembe District, examined

the level of input parents showed and the effects thereof. There are several roles that parents

should play in their children’s education:

Parental involvement enhances academic performance

Academic achievement increases when parents are involved in their children’s

education. The more intensively involved the parents are, the greater the positive impact on

academic achievement.

Parental involvement leads to better classroom behaviour

It not only enhances academic performance, but also has a positive influence on

learners’ attitudes and behaviour. A parent’s interest in and encouragement of his or her child’s

education can affect the child’s attitude towards school, classroom conduct, self-esteem,

absenteeism and motivation.

Parents should stay involved in their children’s education from preschool through to high

school

Parental involvement tends to be the greatest with young children and to then taper off

as children get older.

Training helps parents of disadvantaged children to get involved

Minority or low-income parents are less likely to be involved in their children’s

education than parents of non-disadvantaged children. If they receive adequate training and

encouragement, however, minority or low-income parents can be just as effective as other

parents in contributing to their children’s academic success.

Reading together at home greatly improves reading skills

Reading in particular improves significantly when parents and children read together at

home. Reading aloud with a child contributes significantly to the child’s reading abilities.

Schools can encourage parental involvement in many ways

Significant parental involvement is most likely to develop when schools actively seek

ways to get parents involved and offer training programmes to teach parents how to get involved

in their children’s education.

Parental involvement lifts teachers’ morale

Schools and teachers benefit from parental involvement because involved parents

develop a greater appreciation for the challenges that teachers face in the classroom.

Communication between home and school helps a teacher to know a learner better, which in turn

allows the teacher to teach the learner more effectively. Communication also helps to dispel any

mistrust or misperceptions that may exist between teachers and parents.

Parental involvement benefits children and parents

By becoming involved in their children’s education, parents get the satisfaction of

making a contribution to their children’s education and future. They have a better understanding

of the school curriculum and activities, and can be more comfortable with the quality of

education that their child is receiving. They spend more time with their children and are able to

communicate better with them. Some studies show that a parent’s participation in a child’s

education may inspire the parent to further his or her own education.

Time constraints are the greatest barrier to parental involvement

 Lack of time is the main reason parents give for not participating more in their

children’s education. It is also cited by school personnel as a reason for not seeking parental

support more actively. Thus, effective solutions to enhanced parental involvement should include

freeing up time of parents and teachers or finding ways to work around their schedules.

Teachers indicated that parents who are highly involved are those whose children

are performing well. Strategix Education Relationship Management solution puts the control

back in your hands, providing you with the tools and resources necessary to ensure that parents

are a constant part of the conversation and are empowered to play a role in their children’s

education. It creates a channel of communication that will be invaluable in the teacher-parent

partnership.

How to improve parental involvement

 Parental involvement workshops should be organised for school managers, 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.
 Schools should develop their own school policy, in line with the Constitution.
 Parents should be asked how they want to become involved, rather than imposing tasks

on them.
 School managers, teachers and parents should respect each other because respect tends to

be reciprocal.
 Teachers should not judge parents according to their inadequate level of education, and

should rather be submissive.

 Teachers should behave ethically at all times, both at work and at home.
 Effective communication should be encouraged between the school and home.