DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

COLLEGE OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATION, WOLKITE

UNIVERSITY (EDPM).

THE PRACTICE OF PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION IN ABAFRANSUA

PRIMARY SCHOOL IN GUBRE SUB CITY

BY: TAMRU ENGDA

ADVISOR: Mr. CHERAMLAK FEKADU (MA)

A RESEARCH ESSAY SUBMITTED TO IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ART IN EDPM

April , 2024
WOLKITE, ETHIOPIA
 Acknowledgement

First, I would like to thank God, who supports me and looks after me throughout my life.
Secondly, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my advisour Mr. Cheramlak
Fekadu for his critical comments. Thirdly, I would like to express my thanks to participants who
provided me data through questionnaire. Finally It is a great pleasure to forward gratitude to all
friends who supported me morally and materially throughout my study and also in the
preparation of this paper.

i
 Abstract
The major objectives of this study was to investigate the factors that affect practice of parent
teacher association in Abafransua primary school of Gubre Subcity, Gurage Zone, Cntral
Ethopia Regional State.. Descriptive study design was employed for the study. This study
included 35 participants of which 7 members were from PTA, and 28 from teachers. The PTA
members were selected using purposive sampling technique and the other teachers were
selected using simple random sampling technique. The data were gathered through
questionnaire, interview and were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The research
finding indicates that PTA is not discharging its duties and responsibilities effectively. It also
identified the factors that affect PTA not to discharge its duties and responsibilities such as lack
of training, knowledge, skill budget, attitudes, awareness, commitment and willingness,
experience and shortage of time… etc were greater factors for failure of PTA. Furthermore, PTA
did not get enough means of motivation, technical supports from the school leader. The research,
therefore, recommends the solutions such as giving capacity building, promoting motivation
system, and other technical supports from the school and other stake-holders to alleviate the
problem.

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 Table of content

Contents page

Acknowledgement .............................................................................................i

Abstract............................................................................................................... ii

Table of Contents.................................................................................................... iii

List of figures.........................................................................................................

CHAPTER ONE...................................................................... .................................

1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background of the study. .....................................................................................1

1.2 Statement of the Problem........................................................................................

1.3 Objectives of the Study .......................................................................................3

1.3.1 General Objective . ...........................................................................................3

1.3.2 Specific objectives............................................................................................... 3

1.4 Significance of the Study...........................................................................................

1.5 Delimitation of the Study............................................................................................

1.6 Limitation of the Study...............................................................................................

1.7. Operational definitions of terms................................................................................

1.8 Organization of the Study...........................................................................................

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Chapter Two: ..................................................................................................................6

2. Review of Related Literature,........................................................................... 6

2.1 The concepts of parent-teacher participation.............................................................

2.2 Overview of countries experiences in parent-teacher participation.............................. 7

2.3 Factors affecting parent-teacher association and participation........................................

2.4 Parts of Community Participants.......................................................................................

2.4.2. Parents..........................................................................................................................

2.4.3. Community Advisory Councils......................................................................................

2.6. Barriers to School Parent-Teacher Relations........................................................................

Chapter Three: ........................................................................................................................14

3. Research Methodology..................................................................................................

3.1 Research Design ............................................................................................................ 14

3.2 Data source. ....................................................................................................................14

3.2.1 Primary data source..........................................................................................................

3.2.2 Secondary data source....................................................................................................

3.3 population of the study...................................................................................................14

3.4 Sample size and sampling technique......................................................................... 15

3.4 Tools of Study.......................................................................................................... 15

3.5 Methods of Data Analysis and Presentation....................................................................

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Chapter Four:..................................................................................................................... 16

4. Data Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation............................................... 16

Chapter Five................................................................................................................... 25

5. Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendation...................................................... 25

5.1 Summary......................................................................................................................... 25

5.2 Conclusion. ...................................................................................................................26

Reference............................................................................................................................. 28

Appendix............................................................................................................................ 30

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CHAPTER ONE

1.INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Parental participation in school activities in particular and the overall educational system in general is
viewed as exerting and incorporating community effort throughout the strive to materialize the noble
objective for which education is standing. More importantly, parent participation in school activities is
an inexorable ground for building a symbolic sense of community ownership of the educational
system. Besides, it is a social process whereby shared needs are actively pursued and identified, as
well as making decisions and establishing mechanisms to meet these needs. In light of the
aforementioned points, parent-teacher participation in school activities is essential for the overall
educational setting (Zenebe, 2006).

Through parent-teacher associations in school activities, it is feasible to pave the way to attaining
educational objectives. A strong collaboration among parents and teachers is bound to be realized. In
doing so, problems inherent in the learning-teaching process are potentially tackled. And the
collaboration was a breeding ground for diversified veins and ideas supplementing the sustainability
of good practices attained in the learning-teaching process. In addition, resource allocation efficiency
can be realized in financing developmental projects implemented in the educational setting through
community participation in school activities. Ever since community participation follows a bottom-up
spread of planning, a sense of ownership is spilling over and integrating with the community at all.
This can be conceived as a shield for the health, growth, and development of the educational system
(Ascrew et al.,, 1998).

The aforesaid benefits of parent-teacher participation in school activities materialize when the
participation is witnessed in different areas. At the international level, the international community
participates in the pooling of financial resources and supervising professional volunteer services in a
trans-border approach. In addition to financial and professional contributions, community
participation must be considered in decision-making and problem identification at the ministerial level
in national areas. Regionally, community participation must be attained in the tasks of the regional
bureau of education, along with monetary and expert lines of community participation. Involvement in
1
parents’s commitments and study committees is community participation at the school level (Zenebe,
2006).

As far as community participation in school activities is concerned, a comprehensive and full-fledged

study has never been conducted in Aba Fransu primary school in Gubre Sub city at all. Specifically,
the factors affecting parent-teacher participation in school activities have not been studied so far in the
respective area of consideration. So, this is a direct manifestation of the glaring knowledge gap with
respect to community participation in school activities, affecting factors in Gubre Subcity. Therefore,
this study will lay the groundwork for the knowledge gap concerning factors affecting community
participation in school activities at Aba Fransu Primary School.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Taking part in every walk of school activities and association by the parent teacher is planning a heart
role to boost the school system in particular and the overall education system in general. Community
participation in school activities can certainly bring about the case for realizing the objective to which
education is devoted. Especially in a country where capital scarcity is staggering, community
participation in school activities is unquestionable for the strive to address multi-faced problems
rampant nationwide (Zenebe, 2006).

Education is an investment in human capital. Since this investment requires a protected gestation
period, a huge sum of money is expected to be incurred. These costs are labeled under the headings of
out-of-pocket costs, opportunity costs, and intangible costs, and they are incurred at individual,
parental, teacher, and governmental levels (Ascrew et al., 1998).

In developing countries, like Ethiopia, their capital scarcity problem is greatly affecting investment in
human capital, i.e., education. Basically, such countries are shacked by a scarcity of both human and
physical capital, and education can potentially curb such a problem. No matter how capital scarcity is
glaring in those countries, community participation becomes a mechanism by which dispersed and
insignificant capital is plod to tackle its scarcity and the economic effect on education. However,
failure to realize community participation is exacerbating the problem of strangling accomplishments
in investment in human capital, i.e., education (Shaffer, 1992).

In an account of the aforementioned, the researcher has conducted a pre-study survey on the line of in-
depth observation in so far as the extent of parent-teacher participation in school activities at Aba

2
Fransu Primary School is concerned. It has been figured out that parent participation in the respective
area has been in the form of participating only in parental committees.

The latter have never been observed in initiating school-based developmental projects that certainly
tackle problems in an overall educational setting in the area. Furthermore, the parental committees
have never been seen in recourse mobilization to finance the constructional demands of the school.
And it has not been notable for arranging events at regular intervals geared to increasing and fastening
the relationship among parents and parent associations.

However, parental committees have observed Gubre sub-city-based meetings discussing annual plan
accomplishments and the like points of the Gubre sub-city. In addition, parents and teachers have been
gathering to discuss disciplinary issues rising in the school. In a nutshell, there has been limited
community participation in school activities at Aba Fransu Primary School.

Therefore, in line with the aforesaid in this case, this study will be initiated to assess the factors
affecting parent-teacher association participation in school activities at Aba Fransu Primary School.

While pursuing this objective, the study will be determined to address the following questions:.

1. What are the challenge and the main causes of the problems of PTA?

2. To what extent does the school motivate PTA in discharging its duties and
responsibilities?
3. What measures should be taken to alleviate the existing problems?

4. Do the PTA members have sense of school partnership to support the school?

1.3 Objective of the study

1.3.1 General objective
The purpose of this study would be to investigate the factor that afects the practice of parent teacher
association in Abafransua primary school of Gubre subcity

1.3.2 Specific objectives.

In the process materializing its general objective were the following specific objectives designed
to realize too.

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  To assess the challenge and main causes of the problems of PTA activity
 To find out the possible solution of the problem.
 To encourage the PTA members to discharge their duties and responsibilities;
 To increase the effectiveness of PTA in supporting the school;

1.4 Significance of the study

With materialized the objective for which would be standing the study is essential in a number
of ways as follows.

This study has the following advantages.

 PTA members were be aware of their strong and weak parts in discharging their duties and
responsibility so that they may strive to improve themselves.
 Gubre sub city education office and schools can use the result so that they can take correct
measures that would be used to improve PTA performance.
 The problem properly identified is a problem half-solved. As the study is bound to realize
proper problem identification, it lays a strong ground to potentially solve the problem.
 The study was serve as stepping stone for those who are about to carry out a senior essay a
similar points of consideration.
 The successful completion of the study will certainly back the researcher to receive Bachelor of
Arts degree in educational planning and management as the study is compulsory practical
fulfillment of the requirement in the respective qualification

1.5 Delimitation of the study

This study focused on identifying the factors that affect the practice of PTA in the selected
school. So, it would mainly delimited to the PTA members and some selected teachers. Of
course, Aba fransu primary school is exceptional from any other Gubre sub city Primary
schools. However, the researcher was delimite the study in this area and the target population
due to the following reasons: first, the researcher was work there and directly has, to some
extent, observe the real problems that are encountered. Secondly, the researcher limited capacity
with respect to time and recourse to cover wide area. Therefore, the researcher would delimitate
both in accordance of depth and scope into simple manageable size.
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 1..6 Limitation of the study

While carrying out what’s study, it is natural to face limiting factor. In this study, time and financial
constraints was the prime notable factors. Thus, time and financial constraints have resulted to delimit
area of consideration other than affecting results of the study.

1.7 Operational definitions of Terms

1. Collaboration: it is the act of working with another person or group of people to create or
produce something (Dictionary of advanced Learner (Oxford, 2008)
2. Communication: mutual interaction between two groups or parties (Dictionary).

3. Community: it is the configuration of people we live next to, as well as of people with whom
we share deep common bonds; religion, culture, love etc. (Jones, 1995;4)
4. Quality Assurance: it is the practice of managing the way educational services are provided to
make sure it is kept at high standard (MOE).
5. School Community relation: it is the process of communication between the school and
community for their mutual purpose (Levin 2005 et al)
6. Parent-Teacher Association: an organization of local group of teachers and the parents of
pupils that works for improvement of the school and the benefits of the pupils (Abdulahi shi:
1996)
7. Duties: moral or legal obligation to perform an act or task without obligatory feeling (m.
business dictionary. com)
8. Responsibilities: a duty or obligation to satisfactorily perform complete task assigned by
someone or created.(online etymology dictionary:2012)
9. Motivation: the process that imitates guides, and maintain goal oriented behavior.
(kendera:2008)

1.8 Organization of the study

The study was organized into five chapters. Chapter one would be indicated with the background
of the study which is follow by statement of the problem, and then objective of the study. The
subsequent section, focus on significance of the study, delimitation of the study, definition of key
5
 terns, and organization of the study. Chapter two focuses on the review of related literature. The
third chapter deals with the research design and methodology and the fourth chapter Data
Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation and chapter five Summary of the study.

CHAPTER TWO
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 The concepts of parent-teacher participation

School activities in particular and the overall educational system in general are viewed as exerting a
cooperative community effort throughout the strive to materialize the Mobil objective for which
education is standing. More importantly, parent-teacher participation in school activities is an
excellent ground for building a symbolic sense of community ownership of the educational system.
Besides, it is a social process whereby shared needs are actively pursued and identified, as well as
making decisions and establishing mechanisms to meet these needs (Zenebe, 2006).

The concept of community participation in school activities is used to strengthen the relationship
between the school and the community. And it is geared towards building community support for the
schools and seeking collaboration among agencies to improve services for the students and other local
populations. Community participation in school activities helps pave the way for the supply of
resources (human materials and financial) and builds a symbolic sense of community ownership of the
educational setting with a strengthened parent-teacher relationship (William, 1994).

Taking part in every walk of school activities by the community is playing a heartbeat role to boast
the school system in particular and the overall education system in general. Community participation
and school activity can certainly bring about the case for realizing the what-ever objective to which
education is devoted. Especially in countries where capital scarcity is staggering, community

6
participation is unquestionable for the strive to address multi-faced problems rampant nationwide
(Zenebe, 2006).

Education is an investment in human capital. Since this investment requires a higher gestation price, a
huge sum of money is expected to be incurred. These costs are labeled under the headings of out-of-
pocket opportunity costs and intangible costs, and they are incurred at the individual parental and
governmental levels (Ascrew, 1998).

In a developing country like Ethiopia, their scarcity problem is greatly affecting investment in human
capital, i.e., education. Basically, such prices are shackled by the scarcity of both human and physical
capital, though education can potentially curb such a problem. No matter how capital scarcity is
glaring in those countries, community participation becomes a mechanism by which dispersed and
insignificant capital is pooled to tackle its scarcity and the concomitant effect on education. However,
failure to realize community participation is exacerbating the problem of strangling investment in
human capital, i.e., education (Shaffer 1992).

Through community participation in school activities, it is feasible to pave the way to attaining
educational objectives. A strong collaboration among the school, parents, and students is bound to be
realized. In doing so, problems inherent in the learning-teaching process are potentially tackled. And
the collaboration was a breeding ground for a diversified view and ideas supplementing the
sustainability of good practices attained in the learning-teaching process. In addition, resource
allocation efficiency can be realized when financing school-based developmental projects through the
pooling of resources in the form of community mobilization. Since community participation follows a
bottom-up approach to planning, a sense of ownership is spilling over and integrating with the
community at all. This can be conceived as a shield for the health, growth, and development of the
educational system (Ascrew et al., 1998).

2.2 Overview of countries experiences in parent-teacher participation

The Bharti Foundation is a community initiative for school programmers in India. Since the inception
of the foundation, the community has supported and contributed towards the materialization of school
construction and demands. The community members have been endeavoring to build boundaries and
7
paths to the school compounds. Besides, the foundation has been making monetary and tangible
contributions for school-based activities and events. And it set up contact points for parent-teacher
meetings and has arranged events to be conducted at regular intervals to increase parent and
community engagement with the program (Levin et al., 1998).

In Kenya, it has been conceived that community involvement is more effective when people are given
specific tasks and training. And it has been embraced that programs where the community has more
direct control over service providers tend to work better; practically, the training of school committees
improved how these committees handled teachers accountable to them, thereby creating a sound and
friendly school environment.

In addition, contact teachers employed and monitored by the local committees have been found to
perform better than civil service teachers. In Indonesia, there is a community participation program
called SayaBhati. The program has been developed for more students as agents in their community.
The students are involved in campaigns at regular intervals throughout the year for the sake of
increasing community participation on issues having social implications in general and education in
particular (Shaffer, 1992).

2.3 Factors affecting parent-teacher association and participation

According to Shaffer (1992), the degree of community participation is particularly low in socially and
economically marginalized regions. And these regions tend to have the following elements hindering
community participation in school activity:.

 Economic problems in the community

These countries are characterized by a subsistence level of whole, old income with a high marginal
propensity to consume. Thus, the community is falling short of participation in school activity, which
demands financial contribution, since the community is not capable of retaining a sum of many apart
from household consumption.

 Ignorance of the structure, function, and constraints of the school: without understanding the
structure, function, and constraints of the school, it is inconceivable for the community to exert
8
 and contribute its efforts in whatever stride of activity the educational setting is making. The
same way of elucidation conforms to factors such as lack of clarity about what would improve
the schools, a mismatch between parents expectations of education and what the school is seen
as providing, a lack of appreciation for the overall objective of education, and the uncertainty
of the community about the responsibility of the educational system. In a nutshell, all of these
factors can be seen under the heading of lack of awareness, which is exacerbated by having a
poor role model.

2.4 Parts of Community Participants

Communities and parents are participated in school affairs in different forms

2.4.1 Parent Teacher Association (PTAs)

PTA management committee consists of eleven members including the school principal, one
female and one male teacher, three mothers and three fathers and two members comprising
locally identified educational experts of local councils, as MOE,(2006:166).

Therefore, since PTA comprises those members of community, it would purposely promote
students wale fare in the home, school and community.

According to Don (2001:132), good school community relation starts when parents and
teachers come to know one another and talk about what they went for young people. Through
these conversations, parents soon learn to know the school to understand what teachers are trying
to do for student, and appreciate instructional conditions and problems.

In general, the role of PTA is school management, enhancing the academic performance of the
student, improving the school etc is very significant.

2.4.2 Parents

Parents are other parts of community who actively involved in the progress of a given school.As
stated by Don (2001). A good school community relations program should encompass the concept
of a partnership between the school and parents. Besides, parents are usually the first and most
influential teachers of student. Because of their vital roles, it is important that parents stay
involved in their student lives, both at home and at school MOE (2006:154).
9
To sum up, the role of parents in all school activities such as in school mapping and planning
school finance and the school academic progress as well has great importance

2.4.3 Community Advisory Councils

Community advisory council consist the membership of parent’s teachers and other community
members and students as well.

Such council is essential to sharing information with the school administration, establishing a
formal way of communication for community and faculty representatives and the possibility
suggesting alternative approaches to the solution of a problems encountered by the school. This
can provide the school management useful insights that will result in viable decisions Levin
(2005 et al).Therefore the role of community advisory council has its own contribution to the
school improvement programs, particularly in s school leadership or management its role is vital.

10
 2.5. The Role of Parent- Teachers associations

A local PTA may be described as a voluntary association whose membership consists of teachers and
parents of children in the school system. Good community relations start when parents and teachers
get to know one another and talk about what they want for the young generation. Through the
conversations, parents soon learn to know the school, to understand what teachers are trying to do for
children, and to appreciate interactional conditions and problems (Bagin 2001).

Community needs: qualified education, productive and creative outputs, good condition for the
children in the school environment, available materials and facilities for the students, well-qualified
teachers, and improved methodology, policies, and regulations that serve the interests and needs of the
school and the community are interpreted by members of this school committee. People’s
involvement in school activities such as collecting funds, maintenance of school buildings,
construction of new classes, and other activities are run by this committee.

The committee also controls and evaluates the effective utilization of school property, the proper
implementation of finance, and the practicability of the aim and objectives of education in the schools
(Kindered, 1957). Kindered also indicated that the school committee should come to the school and
find ways to involve the school in community development programs. Secondly, it reflects the needs
of the school in the community and tries to increase the supportive roles of citizens in the school
(1957).

Furthermore, these bodies should be well equipped with administrative skills because they are
interacting with people with different qualifications, statuses, and abilities. Their ability to coordinate
and/or manage is based on their social, technical, managerial, and conceptual skills (Kindered, 1957).

In general, school-community relations are structured to determine the status that designates the
allocation of responsibilities so that an individual member performs the assigned duties for the welfare
of the school and the children learning in it. In structurally established organizations, there may be
identified positions and fights of an individual. Regarding this,Dobbin (1979) notes that the status of
an individual in an organization is his or her right to privilege, immunities, duties, and obligations in
the organization.

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In addition to the above-mentioned roles, the school PTA is established to carry out the flowing
activities;

 To promote the welfare of children and youth at home and

 To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and
 To play roles in raising student participation, minimizing dropout, and the

This unit of research has raised issues, purposes, levels, responsibilities, expectations, and practices of
the school community relationships program, as indicated in the available review of literature. The
facts should be checked with how they function in Aba Fransua Primary School in Gubre Sub City.

The main purpose of this chapter is to give a dear idea about community perception, which has
increased community participation viewed by defender schools over the years, and to explain the
books as much as possible. The major contents include the concept of community participation in
school and the advantages of community participation in school. The concept of community
participation in school is the act of taking part in an activity or event and the group of people who
participate in the school activities in order to improve the quality of education, create a school
community, and develop relevant curriculum and learning materials for the children in the school
(Zanebe, 2006).

Parents featured as the principal community members in the research on communities as schooling
and are frequently constructed in defect, explicitly officials as children’s nine’s comment or
attendance is often ascribed to personal lack of education, ignorance about the importance of
schooling, lack of interest in property, and sometimes implicitly by authors (for example, Asian
Development Bank, 1998) Even when teachers are reported to be aware that the parents are too poor
to pay school costs to spare chider’s labor, they nevertheless still

parents in numerous studies construct teachers and schools as being in deflect, sometimes expressing
their dissatisfaction by refusing to enroll or by withdrawing their children from the school. As I
mentioned earlier, however, school officials are often more accountable to the state (UNESCO, 2003).

12
Forms of community participation in school improve student academic achievement, according to
Camp (1997). The mission of community participation is to use school activities to strengthen the
relationship between school and community to build community support for the schools and
encourage citizens. Involvement in the schools and to seek collaboration among agencies,
organizations, and institutions in the effort to improve their academic achievement.

A. As volunteer services

The education of citizens in schools helps to enhance the academic achievement and cultural talents of
youngsters.

B. As the local auditory council

It can be defined as a committee comprised of stakeholders such as parents, teachers, school

administration, businessmen, and other community members whose goal is to facilitate community
involvement in all aspects of school activities.

C. Public use of school facilities

The school board is responsible for adopting administrative support and implementation procedures
for public use of school facilities in education.

The advantages of community participation in school

Maximizing school resources, maximizing the quality of education, developing relevant curriculum
and learning materials, Identifying and addressing problems Promoting girls education Creating
community-school partnerships Realizing democracy.

2.6. Barriers to School Parent-Teacher Relations

The effective and close school-community relationship is affected by different factors. According to
Don (2001:23), he has identified three major obstacles to the participation of the community in
school:

13
 1. Structural obstacles: which comprise those factors that form part of the centralized political
system and are not oriented towards people's participation?
2. Administrative obstacles: the administrative structures that are control-oriented are operated
by a set of guidelines and adopt a blue-print approach, providing little significant space for
local people to make their own decisions.
3. Social obstacles, like the mentality of dependence, the culture of silence, the domination of
the local elite, or gender inequality, militate against people's participation. Therefore, creating
a good school improvement program is not an easy task. Rather, there are several potential
problems in the running of their relationship, and community participation in education is
implicated by a number of negative factors (Levin, 2005 et al.).

Though the factors that influence the relationship may vary from place to place, As Levin (2005 et al.)
stated, the following are some of the general factors that apply to most school situations: weak
democratic; undeveloped political and policy environment; socio-cultural barriers; lack of exposure
and experience in public affairs; lack of confidence and trust due to previous negative experience; lack
of awareness of the value of community participation; high level of poverty and illiteracy; long and
discouraging bureaucratic procedures.

14
 CHAPTER THREE

3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research design

The design and methodology of a research project were determined by the purpose of the study. Thus,
the main purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that affect the practice of PTA in Aba
Fransu Primary School, Gubre Sub City, Gurage Zone. To realize this objective, a descriptive survey
design will be employed. The researcher used a descriptive survey to get a description of the factors
that affect the practice of parent-teacher associations. The researcher insisted on using the descriptive
survey method to undertake the study for the following reasons: Firstly, the survey method is always
more applicable in most research fields, like social sciences, than experimental research. Secondly, the
nature of the research itself needs a wide range of data, which can be gained through a questionnaire
and an interview. Danle (2004: 44) argues that descriptive survey research is more appropriate
according to the following reasons: it is easier to generalize findings to the real-world setting; it is
efficient in terms of gathering large amounts of data; and it is also easy to guarantee respondents
anonymity, especially with pencil and paper.

3.2 Data source

In this study, the researcher was planed to gather more relevant and reliable data from both
primary and secondary data source. The primary source data is obtained from PTA and
15
 Teachers involves or direct contact with the study issue through questionnaire and interview. In
order to assess where research objectives would be feasible and to inform about the background
and the nature of the case the researcher believed in through search and secondary data source
was gathered from school. Document analyzed was conducted like in and out going letters and
report, annual planning books and so on, analyzed as a secondary data source.

3.3. Population, Sample size and Sampling techniques

The target populations of the study were PTA members and teachers at Aba Fransu Primary School.
There were seven members of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at the school level under the
study. Besides this, there are seventy-five (75) teachers. Total, there were eighty-two.

(82) target populations in the school.

The researcher could take the sample size from the population that resides in the target residence (Aba
Fransua Primary School). The sample size included PTA members and teachers. The details are
presented in the preceding section one by one. PTA members: there were seven members of PTA at
the school level; from these total members, the researcher took the whole population as a sample. The
reason why the researcher confined the whole population is that the population is easily managed by
him as the participants voluntariness will be confirmed. Teachers: out of seventy-five (75) teachers,
ten (28) or 37.3% were taken in order to get sufficient information. Mainly, two decisive sampling
techniques were used in this study. Purposive sampling and simple random sampling are used for the
targeted population. It attempted to illustrate that purposeful sampling would be utilized for selecting
the sample from PTA members. The reason why the researcher focused on this is that, firstly, the total
number of pupations is not beyond his capacity in terms of resources, manpower, and time due to the
limited number.

Secondly, the technique is free from personal bias and might avoid ethical problems. Yalllew, E.
(2004:132) argues that even though the purposive sampling method is determined by the researcher in
accordance with the purpose of his study, it always gives wide and deep information from the targeted
sources.

16
Simple Random Sampling: by carrying out this technique, the researcher assigns a population of
teachers. In view of this, “N and “n were incorporated in order to utilize the implementation. In a
nutshell, “N" stands for the number of people, while nstands for the sample or representative.
Subsequently, to illuminate this, Wiley, J. & Sons (2004:27) state, „If we have a population of N
items from which a sample of n is drawn and we choose the n items in such a way that every
combination of n items has an equally likely chance of being chosen, then this is called a simple
random sample.

3.4 Data collection Instruments

In order to collect reliable and relevant data, the researcher was used both questionnaire
and interviews.

3.4.1 Questionnaire

The questionnaire is prepared in the form of both open-ended and closed-ended questions, which
helps the researcher gain unlimited, full information from the respondents. Concerning the
participants educational background, the questionnaire was translated into their target language
(Amharic). Because of the researcher's great assumption, this exactly alleviates the barriers to
communication in line with the participants limited capacity for English language proficiency. The
variant feature of the questionnaire is its validity and reliability, so attention has been given to these
issues by fulfilling certain criteria. The questionnaire would be prepared carefully and then delivered
to well-experienced people in order to evaluate its appropriateness and quality in relation to ambiguity
and clarity. The second phase involves the researcher distributing a questionnaire to respondents about
their actual presence at their residence.

17
 3.4.2 Interview

According to different scholars, interviews are of various types and are used in various situations. For
instance, as to Gay and Airsian (2000), Kumar (1996), Nunan (1992), and Leornard (2003), interviews
vary in a number of ways. They are unstructured, semi-structured, or structured. Nevertheless, after
having various types of interviews, the researcher selected the semi-structured one. Therefore, data
gathering techniques are prepared in the form of semi-structured questions to be answered by some
selected PTA members and school leaders to get detailed information about the problem.

3.5. Methods of Data Analysis

Depending on the nature of the research question and the collected data obtained through the
questionnaire, it is presented in the table and needs to be analyzed quantitatively by using percentages.
Interviews were also analyzed qualitatively as supplementary. The data gathered is organized in
tabular and figure form and in terms of the frequency or percentage of responses to each item of the
questionnaire. Moreover, major information and opinions of the respondent were included in the
report through open-ended questions that were taken into account in data interpretation by
categorizing similar responses together, and the interview questions and analysis of the document
were analyzed narratively.

18
 CHAPTER FOUR

4. Data Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation

This part of the study deals with the presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data obtained from
respondents through questionnaires, interviews, and the analysis of documents on factors that affect
the practices of the parent-teacher association in Abafransua primary school. Based on the data
obtained from respondents, the analysis and interpretations of the data were presented accordingly in
the following: The study covers one (1) primary school. There are 8 questions that were prepared and
distributed to the 28 respondents, and they were filled out and returned on time. The interview
questions were administered to the chairman of the PTA and representative teachers. Based on the
data gathered from respondents, the analysis and interpretations of the data were presented, and the
items involved in the questionnaires were organized.

Items involved in the questionnaires were classified into two major categories. The first category
deals with general background information collected from respondents, and the second deals with
specific items of the study. So that the approach used in treating and organizing the data gathered
from the two categories would not vary in the analysis method

4.1. Characteristics of respondents

This section displays the personal background of sample respondents, including sex, level of
education, and work experience or service year of PTA and teachers, as well as generalization by
percentage. The respondents of the study were composed of members of the Parent Teachers

19
Association (PTA), and teachers have a diversified demographic background and area of
responsibility in the schools. The background of PTA concerns sex, age, and level of education, but
the teachers instead of age based on their experience or service of years.

Table 1. Rating on background of respondents

No. Item Category of Group of Respondents

item PTA Teachers
No % No %
1. Sex M 5 71% 6 60%
F 2 29% 4 40%
Total 7 100% 10 100%
2. Age 12-18 - - - -
19-25 - -
26-32 - -
33-39 4 57% - -
40-46 3 43% - -
Above 47 - - -
Total 7 100% - -
3. Level of education Grade 7-8 7 100% - -
Certificate - - 1 10%
Diploma - - 8 80%
BA - - 1 10%
Total 7 100% 10 100%
Experience or 2-4 - -
service of years 5-7 - - 2 20%
8-10 - - 5 50%
Above 11 - - 3 30%
Total - - 10 100%

According tothe data displayed in Table 1, the rating of respondents was 5 (71%) of school PTA, and
6 (60%) of teachers were male, while the rest of 2 (29%) of school PTA and 4 (40%) of teachers
were female. It is indicated that the participation of females in PTA relates to the rule of
establishment of PTA in primary schools. There is also female participation, which is comparable to
female teachers.

Concerning the age of PTA respondents, 4 (57%) were within the range of 33–39 years old, and 3
(43%) were 40–46 years old. This indicated that the participants of the study were young and strong
enough, both mentally and physically, to stay in school for better work.
20
Regarding the level of education 7 (100%) of school PTA were in grades 7-8, 1 (10%) of the
teachers were certificate holders, 8 (80%) of the teachers were diploma holders, and 1 (10%) of the
teacher respondent was a BA holder. This reveals that the participants in all PTA could not manage
the whole school activities properly, and one teacher regarding the level of education was not
qualified to meet the minimum standard set by the Ministry of Education.

Concerned about the experience or service years of teachers, respondents 2 (20%) of teacher
respondents were in the range of 5-7 years of service, 5 (50%) were in the range of 8–10 years of
service, and 2 (20%) of teacher respondents were above 11 years of service in the teaching
profession. From the data analyzed easily, we can conclude that most of the teachers were well
experienced and could contribute to their duties and responsibilities.

This section deals with the analysis and interpretation of the data obtained from each PTA member,
and teachers analyze it one by one based on the following basic themes that are related to the
research question: the assignment of PTA members and their duties, the major roles and
responsibilities of PTAs, factors that affect PTA members in discharging their duties and
responsibilities, and types of treatment to reduce the problem

Table2. Perception of respondents on establishment of PT

Respondents
Opinion

N Item
o PTA Teachers Total

No % No % No %
1 Has PTA been established according Yes 7 100% 9 90% 16 94%
to the guide line in you school?
No - - 1 10% 1 6%
2 Do you know PTA‟s duties and Yes 3 43% 5 50% 8 47%
responsibilities
No 4 57% 5 50% 9 53%

16 (94%) total respondents clearly stated that PTA has been established according to the guidelines,
whereas 1 (10%) of teachers and 1 (6%) of total respondents responded that PTA was not established
as the normal states. From this, we can conclude that most of the respondents have information about
the establishments of PTA at their school. In the same table, 3 (43%) of PTA members and 5 (50%) of
teachers said that they knew their duties and responsibilities. In contrast, 4 (57%) of PTA members
21
and 5 (50%) of teachers confirmed that they did not know PTA”s duties and responsibilities. From
this analysis, one can infer that the majority of respondents did not know what PTA did at the school
level or what responsibilities the PTA members had to manage and lead the school. This indicates that
it may not be expected that the PTA members would commit to their roles unless they knew their
duties and responsibilities clearly.

Table 3: major roles and responsibilities of PTA

Respondents
Item Response
PTA Teacher
No % No %
1. Has PTA discharged the following
major roles at your school?
a. Mobilizes the community and
Yes 3 43% 2 20%
raises fund
No 4 57% 8 80%
b. Strengthen the relationship of
Yes 2 29% 2 20%
parents and school
No 5 71% 8 80%
c. Manages and administrates school Yes 2 29% 4 40%
fiancé
No 5 71% 6 60%
d. Returns back dropout students Yes 2 29% 5 50%

No 5 71% 5 50%
e. Monitoring the teaching learning Yes 2 29% 4 40%
process
No 5 71% 6 60%
f. Prepares and implements the Yes 2 29% 4 40%
school annual plan
No 5 71% 6 60%
g. Working on teachers and students
Yes 1 14% 4 40%
discipline
No 6 86% 6 60%
h. Giving solution for the problems a Yes 5 71% 3 30%
countered
No 2 29% 7 70%

22
i. Conduct teachers’ performance
Yes 2 29% 4 40%
evolution
No 5 71% 6 60%
j. Evaluate the implementation of the Yes 3 43% 3 30%
school plan
No 4 57% 7 70%

2. Do you think that PTA Yes 1 14% - 0%

members properly discharge their No 6 86% 10 100%
duties and responsibilities?

As clearly demonstrated in Table 3, this shows the extent of the PTA's commitment and efforts to
discharge major roles at the school level. Regarding item A, 3 (43%) of PTA members and 2 (20%)
of teacher respondents responded that PTA was mobilizing the community and raising funds, while 4
(57% of PTA members and 8 (80%) of teacher respondents responded that PTA did not do the task.
Concerning item B, 2 (29%) of PTA members and 2 (20%) of teacher respondents said that PTA
strengthened the relationship between parents and school, while 5 (31% of PTA members and 8
(80%) of teacher respondents responded that PTA did not strengthen the relationship between
parents and school. In item C, 2 (29%) of PTA members and 4 (40%) of teacher respondents agreed
that PTA manages and administers school finance; in contrast, 5 (71%) of PTA members and 6
(60%) of teacher respondents responded that PTA does not manage and administer school finance;
concerning item D, 5 (71%) of PTA members and 5 (50%) of teacher respondents confirmed that
PTA does not return and drop out students. In the same table regarding item E, 5 (71%) of PTA
members and 6 (60%) of teachers agreed that PTA members were monitoring the teaching and
learning process. Besides this, in item F, 5 (71% of PTAs) and 6 (60% of teachers) respondents
responded that PTAs prepare and implement the school annual plan. Concerning item G, 6 (86%)
PTA members and 6 (60%) of teacher respondents agreed that PTA members did not work in student
and teacher discipline. Item H, 2 (29%) of PTA members, and 7 (70%) of teacher respondents
responded that the PTA did not provide a solution for the problem they encountered. While,
concerning teachers performance evaluation, 5 (71%) of PTA members and 6 (60%) of teacher
respondents confirmed PTA was not conducting teachers’ performance evaluation. More than this,
regarding item J, 4 (57%) of PTA members and 7 (70% of teacher respondents) believed that PTA
did not evaluate the implementation of the school plan. While 3 (43% of PTAs and 3 (30%) of
teacher respondents said to evaluate the implementation of the school plan,. In the same table, item 2,

23
the researcher asked the participants to ascertain whether the above major duties are set out properly
or not by PTA members. Of the total participants, 1 (14%) of PTA members responded that PTA
members had discharged their duties properly. Meanwhile, 6 (86%) of PTA members and 10 (100%)
of the teachers of the participants replied that PTA members did not commit to their roles as
expected. Form the analysis; we can summarize that when we compare the actual practice with the
given mission and the outcome. The PTA has not discharged their duties and responsibilities at the
school level effectively. The above ten decisive roles are the essence of duties, and they are also the
day-to-day activities of the PTA. This implies that the structure of the PTA malfunctioned.

Table 4 responses on factors that affect PTA members in discharging its duties and
responsibilities in the school (n=36)
Respondents
Item Response
PTA Teacher
No % No %
Are the following factors affecting PTA
members to discharge their major roles?
A.lack of knowledge and awareness Yes 5 71% 9 90%
No 2 29% 1 10%
B. not being able to get training and Yes 4 57% 7 70%
budget No 3 43% 3 30%
C. shortage of time to support the school Yes 4 57% 9 90%
No 3 43% 1 10%
A. Unable to engage to design the Yes 5 71% 6 60%
school plan No 2 29% 4 40%
E .lack of commitment and willingness Yes 3 43% 6 60%
No 4 57% 4 40%
B. Have not skill and experience Yes 5 71% 9 90%
No 2 29% 1 10%
C. Lack of acceptance in the community Yes 1 14% 8 80%
No 6 86% 2 20%
.

As displayed in Table 4, the researcher asked the participants to show which factors affect the PTA
members in discharging their duties and responsibilities. Concerning items A and F, 5 (71% of PTA
24
members) and 9 (90% of teachers) agreed that factors such as luck of knowledge, luck skill, and
experience affected PTA members in discharging their major roles. In item B, 4 (57%) of PTA
members and 7 (70% of teachers) respondents believe that lack of training, budget, and shortage of
ample time were the main factors that affected PTAs achievement. Regarding item C, 4 (57%)) of
PTA members, 9 (90%) of teachers, and 48 (80%) students—total 57 (72%) of the respondents
agreed that a shortage of ample time was one of the factors that affect PTAs duties. On the other
hand, in item D, 5 (71% of PTA members) 6 (60%) of the teacher respondents responded that
factors such as being unable to engage to design the school plan were the PTA’s duties, while item
E, 3 (43% of PTA members), and 6 (60%) of the teacher respondents agreed that lack of
commitments and willingness were the barriers for PTA members. Beside this, item G 1 (14%) and 8
(80%) PTA members and teachers, respectively, agreed that lack of acceptance in the community
was one factor in the weakness of the PTA. From this analysis, one can conclude that factors in line
with knowledge and awareness, pivotal training, time and budget allocated, impartial commitment
and willingness, acceptance in the community, skills and experiences, and harmonious cooperation
were the problems. Due to the presence of the above barriers, the PTA members have not discharged
their roles and responsibilities effectively.

Table 5: Types of treatment to reduce the problem of PTA

Respondents
Item Respon
se PTA Teacher
No % No %
1. What type of treatment should be employed to
eliminate or reduce the serious of the above
problems
a. Giving capacity building training
Yes 7 100% 7 70%
No - 0% 3 30%
b. Promote motivational system 8 80%
Yes 7 100%
No - 0% 2 20%
c. Provision of financial and technical support Yes 8 80%
5 71%
2 29% 2 20%
No
d. Select strong mediators. Yes 4 57% 9 90%

No 3 43% 1 10%

25
e. Plan, act, and evaluate together Yes 5 50%
6 86%
No 5 50%
1 14%
f. Build relationship, trust creditability and Yes 5 71% 6 60%
sense of ownership.
No 2 29%
4 40%
g. Assigning and monitoring PTA‟s progresses 7 70%
Yes 7 100%
No - 0% 3 30%
h. Scale up its good progress. Yes 4 57% 5 50%
No 5 50%
3 43%
i. Create smooth relationship with various
Yes 3 43% 6 60%
stakeholders
4 57%
No 4 40%

As indicated in Table 5, Item 1, the researcher asked the respondents to show which types of
treatment should be used to avoid or reduce the factors that affect the PTA in discharging its duties
and responsibilities. In item A, 7 (100%) of PTA members and 7 (70%) of the teachers respondents
believed that giving capacity-building training is the best treatment to minimize the factors that affect
PTA members, while in item B, 7 (100%) of PTA members and 8 (80%) of the teachers respondents
said that promoting motivation assistance is the best treatment to minimize the factors that affect
PTA members in committing their duties and responsibilities. Regarding items C and D, 5 (71%) and
6 (86%) PTA respondents agreed that provision of financial and technical support and selecting
strong mediators, respectively, are better treatments to reduce the problems that affect PTA
members, whileitems C and D, 5 (71%) and 6 (86%) PTA respondents agreed that provision of
financial and technical support and selecting strong mediators, respectively, are better treatments to
reduce the problems that affect PTA members, while item E and F (6 (86%) and 5 (71% of the PTA)
responded, and 5 (50%) and 6 (60%) of the teachers responded that planning, acting, and evaluating
together and building relationships, trust, creditability, and sense of ownership are useful
mechanisms to eliminate or reduce the seriousness of the above problems. In addition to this item, 7
(100%) of the PTAs and 7 (70%) of the teachers responded. Respondents assured that assigning and
monitoring the PTA's progress and creating smooth relationships with various stakeholder groups
would be valuable treatments to minimize the factors that affect PTA members in committing their
duties and responsibilities. Regarding item I, 4 (57% of PTAs) responded that they did not create
smooth relationships with various stakeholders.

26
From this discussion, we can summarize that giving capacity-building training, promoting
motivational assistance, providing financial and technical support, selecting strong mediators, etc.
are important treatments to reduce factors that affect the PTA members ability to accomplish their
duties. Particularly, training is the best measure to reduce the factors that affect PTA members
because training enhances knowledge, builds skills, and changes the attitude of a person. On the
other hand, promoting motivational assistance is also a better mechanism because it helps the PTA
members to be more initiated and motivated entirely by self-interest so as to achieve their desired
goals. Hence, factors that affect the PTA members ability to discharge their duties can be eliminated
or reduced by incorporating the above treatments, which have already been mentioned so far.

Table 6: Possible assistance to empower PTA members

Respondents
Item Respons
e PTA Teacher
No % No %
A. In your view, have the PTA members received any
Yes - - 3 30%
support from school leader to discharge their duties and
responsibilities? No 7 70%
7 100%
B. Does PTA get any means of motivation from the 1 10%
Yes 2 29%
school?
No 5 71% 9 90%
C. If you say “yes” item. ‟B”, do you think that the Yes - -
- -
means of the motivation is enough to encourage PTA
members to discharge their duties and responsibilities? 10 100%
No 7 100%

Table 6 displays item A. The researcher asked the participants to know the effort of the school
leaders to support the PTA. Concerning this question, 3 (30%) of the teachers responded that PTA
received support from the school leaders, while 7 (100%) of the PTA members and 7 (70%) of the
teachers responded that PTA did not receive any support.

From this analysis, we can summarize that the school leaders have responsibilities to build the
capacity of PTA members, support PTA by giving moral values and materials, and provide feasible
feedback on their progress. Acknowledging and recognizing their contribution, their performance,
etc. However, the school leaders had not performed for the past three years. Due to the lack of
support from the school leaders, PTA numbers did not discharge the given duties and responsibilities

27
effectively. In the same table item B, the researcher asked the participants, Did the PTA members get
any means of motivation from the school? 2 (29%) of PTA members and 1 (10%) of teachers of the
respondents confirm that PTA got certain incentives from the school; on the other hand, 5 (71%) of
PTA members and 9 (90%) of teachers of the respondents assert that PTA did not get any incentives
from the school. We may propose from the analysis that motivated PTA members help the school
survive, making motivated PTA members more effective in their tasks. However, the school did not
provide a means of motivation to motivate them. Because of this problem, PTA members hardly
performed their tasks. In items C, 2 (100%) of PTA members and 1 (100%) of the teachers of the
participants said that the motivation is not enough to encourage PTA members to discharge their
duties out of self-interest. This condition shows that the motivation that is provided for PTA is not
enough to satisfy the needs of PTA members. Then the school leaders should use a different
approach to enhance the PTA's involvement in school affairs.

Summary of the Interviews Response

To strength the response given by PTA members, teachers and students through questionnaires, 3
semi structured interviews which were directly related to the study were design and conduct with one
PTA‟s chairman, the teacher stands as representative and the student representative of the
school. To
begin with the first interview questions, the researcher asked the To supplement the questionnaire

responses, three semi-structured interviews were conducted with a PTA chairman, a teacher
representative, and a student representative from the school. hree selected participants separately,
combined their individual ideas together, and presented them in the following way: 1. What do you
think the main cause of the problems is that PTA members are not fulfilling their duties and
responsibilities? To this end, all the participants responded that the main cause of the problem is the
absence of PTA members readiness to take on any responsibilities since they have been elected; they
developed negative outlooks towards their duties and responsibilities. They also added that lack of
willingness and commitment; they did not know their duties and responsibilities clearly.
Furthermore, capacity-building training was not given They also stated that they lacked willingness
and commitment, as well as a clear understanding of their duties and responsibilities. them; this also
affected their day-to-day activities. Budget constraints are another cause of the problem, because

28
without a budget, PTA cannot conduct regular meetings, job evaluations, or other programs. In
concordance, this time constraint is also a factor that affects the PTA's ability to support the school
because all the members of the PTA quite busy with their personal tasks. Concerning the school
leaders, they did not give any technical or professional support to motivate and initiate. To sum up,
all three selected participants agreed that lack of awareness, experience, skills, and attitudes are the
powerful factors that affect their failure to discharge their duties and responsibilities. The next
question was designed to get a response to what circumstances the school encourages the PTA to
commit to their duties and responsibilities. In this respect, all the interviewees responded that the
school had not designed the motivation system for the past three years. Due to this, all members were
not entirely interested in and motivated to achieve the given mission. Hence, to alleviate the problem,
the school should motivate the PTA members by using different approaches.

The last question raised was to get a response regarding what solution should be taken to avoid or
minimize the problem. The interviewees forwarded the following general solution for this question:
Empower the PTA members by giving capacity-building training to increase awareness, develop
skills, and change attitudes among PTA members; motivate PTA members by employing various
mechanisms; give strong and immediate feedback for progress; support the PTA members by giving
technical support; enable them to plan, act, and evaluate together in order to develop a common
consensus; create a sense of ownership to commit to all the school’s activities; allocate the necessary
budget as much as possible to carry out their jobs effectively; and create smooth relationships with
other stakeholders, etc. may be a possible solution: get the ride off or reduce the problem.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter deals with the summary of major findings, conclusions drawn from the findings, and
recommendations that the researcher offers on the factors that affect the practices of parent-teacher
associations in Abafransua primary school.

5.1 Summary

The purpose of this study was to assess factors that affect the practices of parent-teacher associations
29
in Abafransua primary school and to suggest alternative solutions by determining the practices of
parent-teacher associations. In order to attain the fundamental objectives, procedural steps such as
gathering background information from pertinent sources, choosing the method of identification of
respondents, and caring for the data were employed. To this effect, the cross-section survey method
was employed with the assumption that it would help gather a large variety of data related to the
problem under study. The seven (7) PTAs as a purposive technique and 10 (37% of the respondents)
teachers were selected based on their job title and their job functions. The relevant data was gathered
through questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis. Questionnaires were analyzed and
interpreted using frequency and percentage. But interview and document analysis were analyzed
narratively.The following questions are the backbone of the study.

1. What are the challenges and the main causes of the problems with PTA?

2. To what extent does the school motivate the PTA to discharge its duties and responsibilities?

3. What measures should be taken to alleviate the existing problems?

4. Do the PTA members have a sense of school partnership to support the school?

Depending on the results of the data presentation and analysis, the following major findings were
obtained:.

1. According to 94% of the respondents, the PTA was established according to the guideline at
Abafransua Primary School. But the majority of the respondents didn’t know the PTA's
duties and responsibilities. Particularly, more than half of the PTA members didn’t know
their duties and responsibilities clearly.

2. According to 81% of the respondents, PTA members did not discharge their major duties and
responsibilities effectively.

3. Most of the respondents agreed that there are many factors that affect PTA members when
discharging their duties and responsibilities. Some of the factors are: Lack of knowledge and
awareness, not being able to get training, lack of commitment and willingness, lack of
acceptance in the community, lack of skill and experience, etc. are the common drawbacks
30
 that affect the PTA in discharging its duties.

4. The majority of the respondents believed that the barriers that hinder PTA members from
fulfilling their duties and responsibilities can be eliminated or reduced by: filling the gap by
training, motivating the PTA members, providing financial and technical support, and
encouraging the PTA members to plan, act, and evaluate in collaboration with different
stakeholders, etc.

5. More than 53% of the respondents assured me that PTA hasn’t received financial and
technical support from the school leaders for the past 3 years. Due to a lack of support, PTA
members have not discharged their duties and responsibilities effectively.

6. More than half of the participants agreed that the school didn’t provide a means of motivation
for PTA members. Sometimes there were certain efforts made by school leaders, but they
were not enough to satisfy the needs of the needs of the PTA members. Due to a lack of
motivation, the PTA didn’t discharge the given duties and responsibilities.

5.2 Conclusion

According to the findings, the researcher has drawn the following conclusion:.

1. PTA is established according to the guidelines at Abafransua Primary School. But most of
those PTA members didn’t know their duties and responsibilities clearly. If they don’t know
their duties and responsibilities, we don’t expect that PTA members will discharge their
duties and responsibilities. This indicates that there is a weakness in the school leaders ability
to inform PTA members of the duties and responsibilities they have.

2. This study confirmed that PTA members did not discharge the major duties and
responsibilities at Abafransua Primary School effectively. Most of the time, PTA members’
didn’t accomplish the dayto-dday activities of the school. Because of this, the structure of the
PTA was not functional at that school.

3. This study found that the general factors that contributed to the failure of the PTA to
discharge its major duties and responsibilities are
31
  Negative attitudes towards their duties and responsibilities

 Lack of willingness and commitment

 PTA members didn’t develop a sense of school partnership to support

 Lack of training and orientation to fill the gap for PTA members

 Most of the PTA members didn’t have good knowledge and awareness of how to
manage and lead the school.

 The problem of planning, acting, and evaluating together with other concerned bodies.

 Lack of enough time to give more attention to school activities.

 Shortage of budget and any other materials to carry out its work effectively, etc. are the
main drawbacks for PTA members.

4. The school leaders have decisive responsibilities to support the PTA members by giving
technical and financial support. But this has not been done for the past 2 years. This shows
that without getting any support from the school leaders, the PTA alone has not discharged
the given duties and responsibilities effectively.

5.3. Recommendation

According to the findings obtained and the conclusion reached, the following cogent solutions are
forwarded for better improvement.

1. Empowering the PTA members through:

 Providing orientation about their duties and responsibilities;

 Giving capacity-building training to increase awareness, develop knowledge, and

change attitudes;

 Assigning and monitoring its progress

32
  Evaluate their good performance and give value for their good progress.

 Giving strong and immediate feedback on progress

2. Motivate the PTA members with various approaches.

 Giving recognition and acknowledgment for their good contribution

 Award a prize for their good progress.

 Giving an incentive or bonus in the form of cash or an item publicizing the PTA
achievement at school and activities to the school community, parents, and local
community.

 Enables them to participate in decision-making and problem solving.

3. Supporting the PTA members through

 Providing the necessary budget and materials.

 Help them in coordinating and facilities their program.

 Scale up its good progress.

 Help them to create smooth relationships with various stakeholders.

 selecting strong facilitators.

 Assist them in planning, acting, and evaluating together with different stakeholders.

33
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Reevs, C.E. (1954). School Boards. New York: Prentice- Hall, Inc.

Shaffer, D(1992): the degree of community participation is low, journal of international

community participation ; p.22-25

Shane Harold G, and et,al. (1954). Creative School Administration. New York: HeneryMolt and
company

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 William (1994); played passive role in children’s education, Washington DC; Wendwiorth
printing press.

ZenebeBaraki(2006): community participation in education Alpha university college

Appendix A

Questionnaire for the respondents (PTA members)

Objective: The main purpose of this questionnaire is to gather full data or information based on
the factors that affect the practice of parent-teacher associations in Abafransua primary school in
the HawaGala-Woredakellemwallaga zone to assess the main causes of the problems, why the
PTA has not discharged its duties and responsibilities, and to forward a possible solution for the
problems.

The researcher of this study sincerely appreciates your enthusiastic thanks for fulfilling the
questionnaire effectively. Hence, your response greatly affects the feasibility of the results of the
research. Lastly, the researcher will also provide great thanks to those who fill out this
questionnaire by spending their priceless time.

General direction:

 No need to write your name.

36
  Tick this mark (√) in the box.

 Write an additional answer on the space proved.

Background information of the respondent

 Sex: male female

 Service in PTA’s:_________

 Age:___________

 Education status:

 Less than grade 8

 Grade 9-12

 Certificate

 Diploma

 Degree

1. Has PTA been established according to the guidelines in your?

Yes No

2. Do you know the PTA's duties and responsibilities?

Yes No

3. Do you think that PTA members properly discharge their duties and responsibilities?

37
 Yes No

4. In your view, have the PTA members received any support from the school leader to
discharge their duties and responsibilities?

Yes No

5. Does the PTA get motivation from the school?

Yes No

6. If you say “yes” to question no. “5, do you think that the motivation is enough to encourage
PTA members to discharge their duties and responsibilities?

Future bright Yes No

7. Has PTA discharged the following major roles at your school?

a) Mobilizes the community and raises fund. Yes No

b) Strengthen the relationship of parents and school Yes No

c) Manages and administrates school fiancé , Yes No

d) Returns back dropout students Yes No

e) Monitoring the teaching learning process. Yes No

f) Prepares and implements the school annual plan. Yes No

g) Working on teachers and students discipline Yes No

h) Giving solution for the problems a countered. Yes No

i) Conduct teachers’ performance evolution. Yes No

j) Evaluate the implementation of the school plan. Yes No

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8.Which factors that affect PTA members in discharging its duties and responsibilities?

A ) lack of knowledge and awareness Yes No

B ) not being able to get training and budget Yes No

C ) shortage of time to support the school Yes No

D ). Unable to engage to design the school plan Yes No

E ) . lack of commitment and willingness Yes No

F ). Have no skill with experience Yes No

G ). Lack of acceptance In the community Yes No

If you have any suggestion, you will justify:

__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

1. What type of treatment should be employed to eliminate or reduce the seriousness of the above
problems that have already mentioned so far?
a) Giving capacity building training. Yes No
b) Promote motivation system. Yes No
c) Provision of financial and technical support. Yes No
d) Select strong mediators. Yes No
e) Plan, act, and evaluate together. Yes No
f) Build relationship, trust creditability and sense of ownership. Yes No
g) Assigning and monitoring PTA ‘s progresses. Yes No
h) Scale Up Its Good Progress. Yes No
i) Create smooth relationship with various stakeholders. Yes No
j) All are amenable. Yes No

K) If you have any constructive views, please specify

________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Thank You for Your Cooperation!!

Appendix ‘B’

Interview

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What do you think the main cause of the problem that PTA not discharge it is duties and
Responsibilities -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. What do you think that the school does to encourage the PTA to discharge its duties and
responsibilities?________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

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 _____________________________________________________________________________
3. What measures should be taken to avoid the problem that affect PTA in discharging it is duties
and responsibilities?_____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

41