An educator's intervention to involve parents with english literacy homework of primary school learners

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore parental involvement within an English Literacy intervention programme focusing on a group of 38 Grade 4 primary school learners enrolled at a primary school in the Cape Peninsula area of the Western Cape, South Africa. The study postulates that active involvement of parents in their children’s education can enhance learning, and argues that learners and parents should actively engage with the learning processes; by doing so they should become more emancipated in the process. The study is framed by a qualitative approach. The parents of identified learners were invited to participate in an English literacy homework intervention programme, implemented to practically investigate the benefits of parental involvement in homework activities. A small, multilingual focus group was formed afterwards to determine the success of this particular intervention programme. To give credence to both researcher and authentic responses, the research paradigm used leaned towards a critical theory paradigm, as framed by an action research model. The theoretical frameworks of Habermas and Horkheimer largely underpin the literature review, to which further views of educational researchers were cross-referenced and acknowledged. Based on findings derived from interviews, it became apparent that (1) authentic texts used to frame intervention programmes can foster a real sense of awareness, even in socio-economically-deprived areas, (2) greater triadic relationships between schools, educators and learners can yield meaningful relationships that can scaffold learning, and (3) parental involvement can increase motivation among learners and parents.