School of Human and Community Development (ETDs)

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Browsing School of Human and Community Development (ETDs) by Author "Baron, Justine Anne"

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    Parental influence of children’s performance within a schooling environment in South Africa, Johannesburg
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Baron, Justine Anne; Kasese-Hara, Mambwe
    The purpose of the current study was to explore the influence of parenting on children’s schooling and academic performance in South Africa, Johannesburg. The main focus of this study involved i) the relationship between parental involvement and school performance, ii) the importance of parental support and encouragement, and iii) the positive or negative influence of the involvement of parents towards their children at school. Eight (8) parents between the ages of 35 – 55 years old participated in the study, each having children between the ages of 6 -11 years old at the time of the study. The study involved in-depth interviews with parents whose children attended a private or a public school within Johannesburg. The research design chosen for this study was a qualitative research approach whereby thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Multiple themes arose from the analysis which focused on parental involvement in their children’s activities, specifically within a schooling environment. The participants expressed their views, perspectives and opinions on parenting and the study indicated the importance of support and encouragement, the opinions and beliefs of the parents relied on maintaining a consistent and dependable parent-child relationship. The parental involvement was explored in terms of Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development, specifically the fourth stage, namely Industry versus Inferiority. The study concurred with the above that a primary caregiver plays a fundamental role in teaching basic learning and life skills to their children leading towards the ability to become independent individuals. Diana Baumrind’s Parenting Styles were used to explore various approaches parents follow when parenting their children. The current study placed a major emphasis on the authoritative parenting style which displays the positive influence of maintaining a consistent, open-communicative and nurturing approach towards the child. This in turn results in a positive influence on the child’s school performance. The research demonstrates that the presence and availability of parents within a child’s school and home life is crucial to the performance of a child within a schooling environment.