Faculty of Education

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https://hdl.handle.net/10566/23

Research conducted in the Faculty of Education reflects the following areas of interest: education policy research, curriculum research, professional teacher education, adult education, science teaching, maths education, and the history of education in South Africa.

Electronic theses and dissertations are available in the Electronic Theses and Dissertations Repository.

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Browsing by Subject "Academic achievement"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Parents' and educators' perceptions of factors influencing high rate of academic failure of learners in Clarke Estate Primary Schools
    (University of the Western Cape, 2010) Petersen, Lucille Jacoba; Bojuwoye, N.; Faculty of Education
    The purpose of this study was to investigate parents' and ducators' perceptions of factors influencing high rate of academic failure of learners in Clarke Estate primary schools. A quantitative, descriptive study design was used in this study. A descriptive study is used to gain information about characteristics within a particular field of study. The instrument used was a research questionnaire as it is a quick and cheap instrument to obtain a lot of information covering a large area within a relatively short time. The study population was confined to two schools in Clarke Estate. The participants were randomly selected. The sample from the two selected schools comprised twenty educators and two hundred parents. The sample was heterogeneous, comprising both male and female.
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    Protective factors that could foster resilience in first year students
    (University of the Western Cape, 2005) Moleli, Malehlohonolo Florence; Johnson, B; Tshiwula, L. J.; Faculty of Education
    Large numbers of students tend to experience failure and dropout in their first year at university. The fundamental aim of this research was to explore protective factors that could foster resilience amongst first year students. It is hoped that resilience research can give young adults the skills and support to survive academic challenges with the help of the university. This study undertook to determine resilience traits that could contribute to academic success. Students who enrolled at the University of the Western Cape for the first time during the year 2003 participated in this study.
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    The role that parents play in their children's academic progress at a previously disadvantaged primary school in Cape Town
    (University of the Western Cape, 2016) Page, Richard Daniel; Moodley, Trevor
    Different studies indicate that parents, who offer their services as volunteers at their children's school, assist with homework and participate in school activities, can influence the learners’ academic success in a positive manner (Lunenberg & Irby, 2002; Sanders & Sheldon, 2009). Therefore, parents are considered to be one of the most important and indispensable stakeholders in education. Parental involvement in their children's schooling is a critical factor that influences academic success of learners, but despite its importance, parental involvement at previously disadvantaged primary schools appears to be discouragingly low. This study explored the role parents play in their children's academic progress at a previously disadvantaged primary school in Cape Town. The study attempted to answer the following research questions: (i) How does parental involvement influence the academic achievement of their children? (ii) What roles do educators expect parents to play in the development of their children's academic achievement? (iii) Which factors enhance and hinder parental involvement across the phases of primary schooling? (iv) How does parental involvement in children's academic progress change over time as learners' progress through the primary schooling phase? The study is located within the interpretive paradigm, using qualitative case study design. The study began by undertaking a literature review to explore the phenomenon of parental involvement in their children's schooling and its relationship to the academic achievement of learners. Therefore, data was collected using three groups of participants. Participants were purposively chosen with the aim of exploring perspectives about parental involvement (in their children’s schooling) from diverse role players. Data was collected via questionnaires and individual semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed thematically. The study's findings report on parental involvement in terms of both school-based (e.g. voluntary assistance at school) as well as home-based involvement (e.g. homework activities). The findings of this study revealed that parental involvement can positively influence academic achievement of primary school learners. The parent participants regarded education as important and this notion was affirmed by the learner participants. There was also sufficient evidence in this study to suggest that the parent participants associated the concept of parental involvement with more home-based activities. The learner participants in this study expressed both positive and negative feelings about their parents' involvement with regard to their homework activities. The learner participants reported that their mothers rather than their fathers assisted them with homework. The weaker scholastic achievement learner participants reported that they received less homework assistance from their parents in comparison to the average and strong scholastic achievement groups. The parent participants also reported that they were unable to assist their children with certain homework activities. The parent participants reported that the homework workload was far too much for their children. Encouraging their children to read was more prevalent in the average and strong scholastic achievement categories than the weak scholastic achievement group. The findings revealed that those parents who were more involved in their children's schooling produced academically stronger learners than those who were less involved. The educator participants reported that parental involvement had a positive influence on the learners' academic achievement. The findings highlight the various factors responsible for enhancing and hindering parental involvement at a specific primary school. The study revealed that parental support declined as the learner's progressed from one phase to the next. There is no doubt that parental involvement plays a pivotal role in a learner's academic achievement. Furthermore, since education is often regarded as the primary way to develop our country, encouraging parental involvement in their children’s schooling is essential in developing an educational society