Parental involvement in children’s homework : a comparative study of rural and urban school settings in Mityana District

Abstract

Parental involvement in home assignments of primary school children has continued to gain notable popularity. Homework is a significant part of pupils’ learning and consequently, parental involvement in homework has been described as desirable and a key strategy to improve pupils’ success in school. This study examined the extent to which parents are involved in the homework assignments of their children in Mityana district. Comparison was made between rural and urban school settings. Guided by the theory of planned behaviour, the study employed a comparative cross-sectional case study design using both qualitative and quantitative approaches in a two phased manner. In the first phase of the study, the researcher conducted qualitative interviews. The second phase took a quantitative approach which was heavily informed by issues that emerged from the first phase. A total of 12 in-depth interviews and 04 Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) were conducted with parents in both urban and rural settings. Eight key informant interviews were conducted with class teachers and head teachers of selected Private and Public schools in the first phase of the study. In the second study phase, a total of 273 interviews were conducted with parents using a questionnaire. Thematic analysis was adopted to categorize the data and establish patterns basing on the study objectives and the theoretical constructs that guided the study. Study findings reveal that a majority of parents are involved in the homework of their children although with differences in the regularity and ways of involvement. The study further notes that there is no significant variation in the extent of parental involvement in children’s homework between rural and urban school settings. There are noticeable but insignificant differences in parental involvement in their children’s homework across location and gender. In urban areas, female parents are more involved in the homework of their children compared to their male counterparts. The study concludes that parent’s regular participation in their children’s homework does not largely depend on their expectation for their children to perform better academically, but depends on pressure from teachers and children. The study therefore recommends that parents should be sensitized on the importance of parental involvement in their children’s homework. the government also needs to add practical activities to the curriculum, to enable the participation of illiterate parents, and perhaps consider homework for assessment as a criterion for passing.