AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT CONTRIBUTION ON THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN TANZANIA

Abstract

Parental involvement is very important in student’s learning and academic progress in primary schools. However, the combined impact of various factors, including poverty, illiteracy in some families, lack of time, language, and lack of knowledge about the curriculum, especially among the parents, makes their effective involvement in their children’s education challenging. This study utilized the social capital theory developed by Pierre Bourdieu and the community participation theory by Sherry Arnstein to have a clear understanding of the study. The combination of the two theories provided an understanding of parental involvement in primary school education in the study area. The study employed a descriptive research design that used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The targeted population consisted of public primary school students, teachers, head teachers, ward education officers, and school-going students' parents. Questionnaires, interview guides and documentary reviews were used to collect information about parental involvement in public primary schools. Qualitative data was analyzed mainly through thematic analysis, and SPSS software was used to analyze the quantitative data. Simple statistics have been presented in tables and figures to depict the frequencies, percentages and means in relation to the findings of the study. The study found that parental involvement contributes much to the lives of schools. Without it, it could be hard to run the school’s activities. This is because the schools are better managed through the collective efforts of both teachers and parents, as well as other educational stakeholders in the community. Therefore, the government should educate parents about the necessity of their involvement in schools so as to be ready to take responsibility for supporting their children in different ways.

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