Influence of Parental Care on Children’s Intellectual Skills
Chapter One
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to critically examine the Influence of parental care on children’s intellectual skills. The specific objectives include the following:
- To examine the impact of parents in early childhood preschool pupils’ learning outcomes.
- To investigate if the socio-demographic characteristics of the parents have an impact on preschool pupils’ learning outcomes.
- To examine the factors affecting parental involvement in early childhood education.
- To recommend measures to increase the rate and involvement of parents in preschool pupils’ learning outcomes.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
The chapter explores related literature that other researchers have established in regards to the role of parental involvement and the enhancement of performance of the pre- primary school learners. The chapter covers; overview of parental involvement, level of parental involvement on pre-primary children education, parental involvement and academic performance of children, activities parents involved in pre-primary school and strategies of involve parents in education of their children.
Parental Involvement
Different definition models and traditions underpin the understanding of parental involvement (Kertins & Greene, 2011). Adding to the confusion is the fact that the term “involvement” cannot be used synonymously with ‘participation,’ ‘collaboration or co- operation’. Forms of parental involvement as noted by Disgorger and Abouchaar (2003) in a review of their English literature identified ways in which parents can be involved. These include but not limited to: good parenting in the home, including; the provision of a secure and stable environment, intellectual stimulation; parent-child discussion; good models of constructive social and educational values; high aspirations relating to personal fulfillment and good citizenship. Contact with schools to share information, participation in school events, participation in the work of the school and participation in school governance. Most recently, the term parental engagement has been used in world-wide literature although differently on the basis of the source.
Good and Vorhaus (2011) use the phrase to mean learning in a home setting, communication from home and school respectively, decision making, in-school activities and partnership with the community. In a project focusing on enhancing the school readiness of disadvantaged pre-school children in the US, parental engagement is defined as comprising parental warmth and sensitivity, support for a child’s emerging autonomy and active participation in learning process (Sheridan et al, 2010). Based on the current study, parental involvement has been considered as a composite of all the support a parent gives to a child in perspective to educational foundation and achievement in pre- primary schools.
Level of Parental Involvement in Pre-Primary Education of their Children
In Latino, parental participation is only perceived as effective if they engage with their children outside of the school consistently on those activities that focus on the enhancement of their discipline and academic performance (Nye, Turner & Schwartz, 2006). Desforges and Abouchaar (2003) opine that parental involvement in learners’ academic performance refers to different activities which include: good parenting at home and providing the necessary assistance with homework. Zoppi (2006) concurs with this by positing that parental involvement in learner’s academic performance is a wholesome term that means they participate by responding to school obligations, giving encouragement, supervise their homework, model the desired behavior, and provide supplementary tutoring.
Subsequently, parental involvement in learners’ academic performance can be categorized into two; school-based and home-based involvement. Hoell (2006) determined that school-based involvement is further divided into two; explicitly school communication involvement which infers to direct contact with their child’s school particularly with the teachers. The second school involvement is actively participating and volunteering for activities within the school and school activities and establishing regular attendance of school functions and being active during decision making. According to Vogels (2002) the provision of material resources such as catering for teaching materials, school buildings or furniture and fittings maintenance constitute a vital part of school based involvement too.
Parhar (2006) emphasizes that parental involvement in children’s education leads to transformation of the parents from being passive education supporters to proactive members of the school community and society in general. Moreover, if learners can perceive their active participation and support towards their learning between home and school, they too become excited. As a result, they thus tend to realize the importance of learning, and consequently their intrinsic motivation for learning increases. Findings from research also show that if learners’ parents are actively involved in the education of their children then their attendance, achievement, discipline and health improve remarkably (Brooks, 2009). Vassallo (2001) confirms that parental involvement in their children’s education is a strong predictor of the learners’ overall academic performance. Therefore, if the child is to achieve more, the parent likewise must be more involved in their learning.
Involvement in children’s education is more if parents are confident they can be of help to the child and if they have high educational aspirations for the child (Eccles and Harold 1996). Ndani, (2008) and Epstein, (1990) noted that institutional policies and teacher practices also have great impact on the level of natural caregivers involvement in children’s learning. Parental involvement may also vary as a result of school characteristics, for example it tends to be better in smaller as opposed to large public institutions. Research has found that school factors greatly influence on parental involvement in their learners education (Ndani, 2008), Eccles and Harold, 1996), Epstein and Dauber, (1991). Crucial school aspects include whether it is a public or private institution, size of the school, its environment, established policies and practices as well as teachers attitudes and practices (Epstein & Dauber, 1991, Coleman & Hoffer, (1987). Ndani (2008) found that there was a remarkable difference in the level of involvement in pre-school activities among the communities in various pre-school sponsorships. She noted that higher involvement of parent was in private schools where the respondents with higher academic qualification took their children.
In private schools the most popular method of involvement was communication as most private schools required the guardians to make comments and append their signatures in their children’s home assignments. Other activities in private schools include one to one conference between the teacher and parents, suggesting places for field trips, accompanying children in trips and end of term discussion on children’s performance. Public schools in addition to attending meetings, parents were sometimes involved in deciding on matters related to provision of learning materials among others. Ndani, (2008) noted that paternal and maternal parents in both two-parent and single-parent families are most likely to be highly involved if their children attend private as opposed to public schools . The policy framework in private schools makes parental involvement higher (Ndani, 2008, Eccles & Harold, 1996, Epstein & Dauder, 1991).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried out to examine the Influence of parental care on children’s intellectual skills. Selected pre-primary schools in District III, Ikoyi Lagos State form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of hundred and twenty (120) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which 100 were returned. The analysis of this study is based on the number returned.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This section presents the summary of the findings. Additionally, conclusions and recommendations, made in line with study objectives, are given. Finally are suggestions for further studies.
Summary of Findings
Findings were summarized based on the objectives of the study.
The first objective of the study sought to establish the frequency of parents’ care in pre-primary education in selected public and private schools In District III Ikoyi Lagos. Findings revealed that despite the high number of parents who always prepared time and space for their children at home, only 4(13.3%) would always assist their children in homework. The findings further indicated that a high proportion 17(56.7%) of teachers reported that parents rarely attended meetings in schools which are related to their children’s progress both socially and academically.
The second objective of the study sought to investigate if the socio-demographic characteristics of the parents have an impact on preschool pupils’ learning outcomes. Findings of the study indicated that majority 60(60%) of the pupils reported that socio-demographic characteristics of the parents have an impact on preschool pupils’ learning outcomes. The results show that the relationship between parental involvement and pupils’ performance was significant. This implies that parental involvement influence pupils’ performance. Therefore, the more the involvement of parents in children’s education the higher the pupils’ performance academically.
The third objective of the study sought the factors affecting parental involvement in early childhood education. It was found that a big number 35(70%) of the parents reported that parents do not usually visit school whenever pupils do any exam. Parents perceived themselves as incapable of being involved in the education of their children because they either were ignorant of how to be involved or because they felt incapacitated due to the little education they had. Therefore their understanding of parent involvement in education was clearly limited.
The fourth objective of the study sought to suggest ways of improving parents’ involvement in improving learning achievements of learners Challenges such as inadequate teaching staff, poor infrastructure in schools and lack of learners’ active involvement were majorly reported to be barring parents from involving in children’s education. Parents emphasized more on self-efficacy in upbringing and education of their children. It is thus necessary to assist parents have self- worth in order to assist their children with the necessities of education.
Conclusions
Parent involvement in children’s education at early stages is characterized by different levels of interactions between educators and parents. However, all teachers and parents do not engage in all activities on all types of involvement simultaneously. It is evident that parents do not always engage in helping their children with homework at home.
The study concludes that there is a significant relationship between parental involvements on academic performance among children enrolled in ECDE centres. Therefore, effective academic improvement requires educators, parents and the community as a whole to engage in parenting, communicating, volunteers, learning at home, decision making and collaboration with the community. Thus parental involvement in their children’s education is a strong predictor of the learners’ overall academic performance. Therefore, if the child is to achieve more, the parent likewise must be more involved in their learning.
Involving parents in each type of involvement has certain challenges, which have been highlighted in the theoretical framework. Several reasons can explain the insufficient involvement based on home based challenges such as low level of education and poverty. Therefore, stakeholders need to be cognizant of such challenges first before designing measures aimed at fostering productive parental and community involvement in learners’ academic performance.
Recommendations of the Study
Various recommendations were suggested drawn from the study findings for various stake holders and for future research.
Recommendations for Parents
- i) Findings revealed that parents were involved in the children’s academic performance but at different frequencies. It is therefore recommended that parents in particular should create time from their busy schedule to participate more in their children’s education activities if they expect improved academic performance.
Recommendations for School Managers and Administrators
- i) Findings indicated that involvement of parents in children’s education is absolutely significant yet the level of parental participation in school activities is wanting. Therefore there is need for school managers and administrators to find ways of introducing programmes to ensure that fathers closely monitor and participate in; assisting their children with school work, buying children a present when they perform well, attending school meetings and discussing with teachers about their children‘s progress. This is likely to motivate children to work harder and to do their school work better. This can be achieved if open days can be introduced in school where once in a term fathers come to school to view children‘s work and discuss with teachers.
- ii) There is also need for school managers and administrators to have programmes where once in a term or in a year they have a special day for fathers and their children to educate them on the important role they play in their children‘s education and development.
- ) It is evident that parents were not fully involved in children’s education due to lack of knowledge on the importance of parental involvement. Schools therefore need to design special parent education programmes that cater for the needs of the parents with parenting skills. Schools are not averse to having parents volunteering their services. They therefore need to provide some form of training to parents, so that the assistance provided will have a meaningful impact on the child’s development.
- It emerged from the study that several challenges hinder effective involvement of parents in improvement of learning achievements of pupils in pre-primary schools. In order to curb the challenges, both parents and teachers should collectively explore alternative avenues and measures that circumvent the problem appropriately to eliminate unrealistic expectations and strain on parental involvement. The teachers should therefore empower parents if they feel incapacitated due to their low education level.
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