Student perceptions on the role of parental involvement in the success of TVET students: A case study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Parental involvement in children's learning in diverse contexts is welcomed across cultural, nationaland international boundaries. The significance of parental involvement transcends the boundaries ofemotional, intellectual and social development. The literature of the last decade links children'sholistic development of essential skills, good and acceptable values and resilience to parentalinvolvement. In addition, research confirms that when parents make conscious decisions to supporttheir children, these children feel empowered, make responsible decisions and strive towardsachieving their personal and academic goals.The extent to which parents support their children is, to a great degree, influenced by factors such asthe child's age, the structure and socio-economic position of the family and the willingness of theeducational institution to involve parents in issues of learning. In South Africa several calls havebeen made to improve the extent to which parents, the family and community networks collaborateto inhibit barriers to learning. White Paper 6 (2001), which deals with special needs and inclusiveeducation, recognises the role of parents in minimising the detrimental effects of barriers hinderingchildren's progress.This research inquiry set out to explore the insights that could be gained from students' perceptionsof the role of parental involvement on late adolescent students pursuing a second opportunity toachieve a matric qualification. The study followed an eco-systemic theoretical approach with thefocus on insight gained from student's experiences and perceptions within a specific context.The findings of the case study were informed by data collected in three different ways, namely bymeans of individual interviews, a focus group discussion and a collage activity. From their individualand collective experiences, the study confirms an interaction between the student's parental andfamily involvement and community networks, and issues relating to education, support andadolescence. In addition to self-expression, the co-analysing, in a group context, of a collage onparent, family and community involvement and issues of success created empowering opportunitiesfor the participant, the researcher and the reader, to arrive at rich descriptions of what life is likewhen parents are involved in their children's education from within their marginalised positions.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University