The Attitude of Parents Towards the Primary Education of Children
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The central objective of the study is to examine the attitude of parents towards the primary education of their children in Kwali Area Council Abuja. The specific objectives are:
- To find out the perception of parent about the value of primary education on their children educational development in Kwali Area Council.
- To evaluate parents involvement in their children academic work in Kwali Area Council.
- To determine whether the declining standard of primary education affect parent attitude towards their children education.
- To identify that parental attitude that is militating against primary education in Kwali Area Council.
- To make recommendation for practice, policy and future research on the subject matter.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Bogunović Blanka and Polovina Nada (2007) found in a study that the family stimulation is the resultant of the influence of cultural and educational profile of the family and active parental attitudes regarding education and attainment of their children. They examined the students‟ attitudes towards schooling, and to obtain answers to the question: which stimulating aspects of family context are the most predictable for the development of educational aspirations, i.e. attitudes towards school and gaining knowledge, educational interests and plans for further education. The sample consisted of 1.464 eighth-grade sample students, aged 15, from 34 primary schools in Serbia. The data were collected by the use of questionnaires filled in by the students and school principals. The results indicated a trend of interrelatedness of cognitively and educationally favorable conditions within the family and positive attitudes towards school, attainment, high aspirations and cognitive and intellectual interests for out-of-school activities. Sen, (1992) in his study found that the cultural factors may play an intermediate role. They influence the choices made by individuals, through their own attitudes, and those of the people in their close environment. With respect to culture, India is part of what Caldwell (1982) has called the belt of classical patriarchy that stretches from North Africa to China and includes both Muslim, Hindu and Confucian cultures. His result indicated that the cultural factors show that belonging to a disadvantaged caste or tribe is negatively associated with schooling. Girls belonging to a scheduled caste are less in school in rural areas and girls belonging to a scheduled tribe are less in school in urban areas. The odds of being in school are also significantly reduced for children whose mothers had their first child at a young age and for children whose mothers have a preference for boys over girls. The percentage of women compared to men in the age group 20–59 is positively related to the odds of being in school in rural areas, thus his result indicated that in districts with less “missing women” the chances of children being in school are higher. From the above literature it can be assumed that the education of a child is determined by several factors. So the review can be categorized into different sub parts as given below for better understating.
ATTITUDE OF PARENTS AND IMPACT ON EDUCATION
TNS Social research (September 2003-June 2004) stated that parents‟ attitudes towards education were generally very positive. The majority (97%) agreed that a good education would help their child to get ahead in life. While 93% thought the qualifications were important to their child‟s future, 90% also agreed that children learn important life skills at school. Three quarters of parents (76%) agreed that their child‟s school is good at communicating with them and the majority (86%) agreed that their child‟s teachers do a great job.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to the attitude of parents towards the primary education of children
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information on the attitude of parents towards the primary education of children. 200 residents in Kwala area council was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain the attitude of parents towards the primary education of children
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of the attitude of parents towards the primary education of children
Summary
This study was on the attitude of parents towards the primary education of children. Four objectives were raised which included; To find out the perception of parent about the value of primary education on their children educational development in Kwali Area Council, to evaluate parents involvement in their children academic work in Kwali Area Council, to determine whether the declining standard of primary education affect parent attitude towards their children education, to identify that parental attitude that is militating against primary education in Kwali Area Council. To make recommendation for practice, policy and future research on the subject matter. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 residents in Kwala area council, Abuja. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up civil servants, married women, married men and students was used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
There has been rapid expansion of education system in terms of enrolment, number of institutions, growth rate, etc since independence. The system has undergone a unique transformation from elitist to an egalitarian one (Powar, 1997). Therefore, all sections of the population have gained as a result of the enlargement of the system. However, the disparities between the disadvantaged groups (Gandhe, 1999) viz. minorities and non-disadvantaged groups have continued. Therefore, there is need to provide special care and opportunities to the traditional disadvantaged population in a democratic society such as ours, which stresses egalitarianism, social justice and economic development for all sections of society. It is with this in view that the Indian constitution provides an ideal of „Equality of opportunities‟. Efforts have been made to ensure greater access to the disadvantaged groups by making provisions for free ships, scholarships and reservation (Powar, 1997). Education Commission (Kothari Commission 1964-65), also observed and states, “One of the important social objectives of education is to equalize opportunities enabling the backward and under-privileged classes and individuals to use education as a level for the improvement of their conditions. Every society that values social justice and is anxious to improve the lot of talent must ensure equality of opportunity to all sections of society
Recommendation
The study recommended that school administrators and policymakers should find ways of enhancing parental involvement towards education. It was also recommended that the ministry of education uses these findings to sensitize teachers about the importance of parental involvement in education and how it is important for every child’s educational achievement.
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