Staff in an Inner City School at Foundation Stage - Essay Example

How Staff is Encouraging Parental Involvement in an Inner School at Foundation Stage Table of Contents Chapter 3 3 Chapter 4 5 Chapter 5 6 Chapter-6 10 Chapter 7 13 References 16 Appendices 18 Chapter 3 Qualitative research The term, qualitative research, is used for describing various investigative methodologies like naturalistic, ethnographic, anthropological and field research. It is one of the most popular research methodologies in the industry. Almost all type of companies conduct such research in order to have a clear understanding regarding various aspects related to the market. Not only companies, qualitative research can be conducted by any individual also. In this research method, it becomes difficult to analyze the data as they are not quantitative in nature. This research is also qualitative in nature; hence the analysis is also qualitative in nature. Method of gathering data There are several ways of gathering data. Data can be collected from primary as well as secondary sources. Data that are collected from the primary sources are called primary data and when they are collected from secondary sources, are called secondary data. In primary research direct interaction takes place between the researchers and the sample of the research as the data are collected directly from the sample. On the other hand in secondary research data are mainly collected from books, journal and scholarly articles that are already published. Less amount of cost is associated with secondary research as compared to the primary research, but on the other hand secondary data are not as reliable as primary ones. Moreover analysis of primary data is more convenient than that of secondary data. This research is based on the primary data that are collected by the help of a properly designed questionnaire which is one of the most important data collection tool. A questionnaire is consisted of either close ended or open ended questions. Close ended questions are easier to analyze as compared to open ended questions. This is mainly because the answers of close ended questions can be put into statistical tools to analyse them, but it is not possible in case of answers of open ended questions. In quantitative research method it is very important to form a questionnaire that mainly includes close ended questions. However in case of a qualitative research open ended questions can be included in the questionnaire. This questionnaire is designed keeping the focus on the type of data that are required. The questionnaire is given at the appendices Population and sample selection Questions are mainly asked to the parents and the teachers as the main objective of the research is to find out the positive relationship between the academic achievement of children and parental involvement. Teachers are also involved in the process of students’ academic achievement; as a result they are also questioned. As far as sample is concerned 5 parents and teachers are asked questions. Main reason behind choosing such a small sample is to save valuable resources like time and money. It also makes the analysis process easier and simpler. Pupils’ characteristics This research aims to figure out the positive relationship between the academic achievements of the children and their parents’ involvement. Since the focus of the research is on children, questions are asked to those parents whose children fall in the age group of 1-6 years. Both types of pupils, children who are found to be achieving their academic achievements and who are struggling to achieve their objectives, are chosen. Interview procedure Parents and teachers are directly contacted for taking the interviews. Interviews were mainly informal in nature. Informal interviews are conducted because this type interview is expected to give the inside data regarding the subjects of the research. Significant amount of time was spent with the parents and teachers in order to have a clear picture regarding their activities and views. Chapter 4 Report on results of analyses It is found from the research that there is a positive relationship between the academic achievements of children and involvements of parents. It is observed that children are likely to perform better in their academic fields if their parents are actively involved with them in the overall process. It is also found out that parents, who spend significant amount of time with their children, know their children’s abilities. They have clear understandings about the strong points and weak points of their children. Moreover parents who have regular contact with the teachers of their children, know almost all the information regarding regular performance of the children in the class. These information and knowledge help parents in making better decisions about their child’s academic future. The research reveals that parents, who spend significant amount of time with their children, read story books to them and help them in doing their home work, have friendly and informal relationship with their children. Children also find their parents more approachable. They share almost all their daily experiences of the schools with their parents. Such a relationship is mainly found in case of those students who generally perform better in the class. The importance of dialogue Dialogue among the students, their parents and their teachers plays an important role in the process of achieving students’ academic objectives. Parents can know the real capacity of their children only through proper interaction with them. Interaction between teachers and parents is also very important. Parents can have a clear idea about what teachers are thinking about the students. Early literacy Early literacy is referred to the education that the child gets from its parents prior to the school going age. Quite obviously in the early literacy phase parents have important role to play. In fact parents are mainly responsible to literate their children before admitting them in a school. Children, who are familiar with alphabets at their early age (before school going age), are likely to find less difficulty in the school. As a result they face little difficulties achieve their academic objectives in future. However it is found that often parents cannot manage enough time to make their children familiar with the alphabets at the early age. Foundation for learning The education that children get at the early age from their parents is actually the base of the future learning process. This is the stage when foundation for future learning needs to be made strong. A child, whose base is strong, is expected to do well in his/her future academic career. However this is greatly dependent on the parents and the way they make their child’s base. Chapter 5 Family Involvement: According to Urie Bronfenbrenner, the pioneer whose work influenced Harvard Family Research Report, “The family seems to be the most effective and economical system for fostering and sustaining the child’s development. Without family involvement, intervention is likely to be unsuccessful, and what few effects are achieved are likely to disappear once the intervention is discontinued.”( Harvard Graduate School of Education-a, 2006) Family involvement influences a child’s social and cognitive developmental skills. Research shows that family involvement is extremely crucial to a child’s development. In the early days of child development, family is the one where a child feels most secured. A child’s behavior is a reflection of whatever he learns from his parents. Family involvement plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s values, attitudes and behavior. (Source: Harvard Graduate School of Education-b, 2006) Community: Community involvement is a very important aspect of early childhood education, because early childhood education segment is highly fragmented. Many childhood education providers don’t get the funds required to provide quality education services. They need the support of local foundations to enable them provide better services. Moreover the extent to which a community values the importance of education depends on the culture and literacy rate of the community (Mississipi State University, 2009). Support to School: Parent’s must regularly communicate and support the initiatives taken by school. It includes attending parents-teacher meetings, following up the tasks given by school and helping the school financially so that they can provide quality training and education to their child. The community must encourage early childhood education. The government also needs to formulate programs and allocate funds to foster an environment to support primary education since it forms the foundation for all future developments of a child. Barriers to Parental Involvement: There are many factors which affect parent’s involvement like diversity issues, available resources, parent’s education level, time constraints and communication skills of parents. Research shows that race and ethnic origins of parent’s have a significant impact on parent’s involvement specifically African, Asian Americans, Hispanics and Caucasian families. The education level of parent’s determines the kind of education that they desire for their child (Rous, B. et al, 2003). Parent Teacher Communication: Parent teacher communication is the most important aspect of early schooling to ensure better performance of the child. The various steps to ensure effective parent teacher communication are: Partnering with the school teacher Establishing a friendly rapport with the teacher inside the school: This can be developed by: Chatting with the school teacher. Participating in parent’s activities and programs at school. Communicating with other parents and staffs in the school. Make the first move to communicate with the tutor through emails, phone calls and personal meetings. Communicating with the tutor at the initial stages after the child is admitted in the school which helps in solving the child’s problems at the bud Communicating frequently with the tutor and taking feedbacks. (Annonymous, n.d.). Social/Emotional Support: A child is entirely dependent on his/her parent’s for all his needs. A, loving, caring and friendly parent child bond helps in developing a child’s self esteem and confidence. It helps a child become more socially competent and positive towards life. School involvement: School involvement refers to the degree to which the school authorities’ i.e. teaching and non-teaching staffs are motivated towards healthy development of a child’s mind. The school must be highly dedicated towards overall improvement of the child. It must take the necessary steps like recognizing words, developing vocabulary, differentiating between right and wrong which are foundations of a child’s future learning and growth. Teachers should make sure that there is no discrimination among children on racial grounds or on social economic class. Child development: Child development is the psychological and biological changes that take place as one grows in life. The early school years play a vital role developing the psychological aspects of a child. A child has various needs as he grows like vision, hearing, speech, learning, social behavior etc and each of these are crucial for the child’s future. Chapter-6 Effect of Parental Involvement: In childhood parent’s support are crucial for developing a child’s verbal communication skills and literacy. Parent’s involvement in early education has significant effects on a child’s development. For example, parent’s who read out to their child at home start recognizing alphabets and can write their name quicker than others who don’t do it. Children learn the language spoken by their parents at home faster than other languages. Children whose parent’s use rich words in their daily conversations are likely to develop rich language communication skills. A child whose parents is inclined towards problem solving and emphasize on education is likely to become analytical and academically sound ( Harvard Graduate School of Education-c, 2006) Moreover parent’s involvement also plays an important role in developing a child’s social and emotional behavior. A child whose parents friendly, are happily married and social are likely to become more socially competent and thus have better communication skills, confidence and a positive frame of mind. This type child is expected to do well in future also as he/ she can cope up with the new situations more effectively than others. A study showed that in comparison to all other factors, parental involvement by way of “at-home good parenting” plays the most important part on a child’s ability to achieve and adjust. In early years of a child, parental involvement in shaping a child’s behavior is much more important than the role played by school (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003). Parents as role models: The first role model in a child’s life is his/her parents. In the early years parents are the only source of love, care and trust for a child. Children unconsciously copy their parents by a psychological process called identification. Identification with a high achieving parent promotes achievement orientation in a child. Parents can either be a positive or a negative role model for their child. Parents who respect their accomplishments act as positive role model. They value and respect others and their child shares a friendly and supportive relationship with them. They have a positive outlook towards life and nurtures good family values. On the other hand parent’s who do not gel well together and have a disturbed family life will act as a negative role model for their child which would subsequently affect their life (Rimm & Rimm, 2008). As a role model it is the duty of the parents to help their child understand themselves, their responsibilities and duties which help them in becoming good human beings. A child whose parents are honest is likely to be honest as he grows up. A child whose parents have a frenzied, unorganized lifestyle is likely to foster those qualities in the child. Parents as resources: Parents are the most valuable source of resources for their child. Early school does equip a child with some training, but parents still remain the most indispensable source of resources for a child because of the love and trust associated in this relationship. Parents can act as a valuable resource in providing the basic education to their child. They can teach them to recognize alphabets, words, pictures, images. Parents should take their child to places like zoo, amusement parks, cartoon movies which can be a fun as well as a learning experience for their child. Parents should make the child realize the importance of education. They should help their child develop a logical and analytical frame of mind. They should explain things logically to their child so that even they start thinking on the same lines. Parents are important resources to develop a child’s hobbies. They should encourage hobbies like painting, playing musical instruments, photography, sports which would encourage creativity, passion and ensure overall development of a child. Most importantly parents are important resources for developing a child’s character. Chapter 7 Study Design: The aim of the project was to find the correlation between parental involvement and a child’s academic performance. A qualitative research was carried out to the correlation between the two. The important elements of the study were parents, school teachers and staffs. Accordingly five different set of parents and teachers from different communities were chosen as a sample to get a correct picture of the correlation between the two variables. A questionnaire was then designed which tried to investigate parental involvement and academic performance of their child. Based on the answers given by the respondents, conclusions were drawn on how the two variables are inter-related. Research Questions: The primary aim of the research is to find out the influence of positive parental involvement in a child’s academic performance especially for children attending inner city schools. Accordingly the research question is “What is the effect of parental involvement on academic performance of a child attending inner city school?” Discussion: The case examines the effect of positive parental development on high academic performance of children. Based on the questionnaire it is found that there is a positive correlation between a child’s academic performance and positive parental involvement. It has been found that parents who keep communicating with the teachers and follow up their child’s performance are better placed academically than others. Moreover the education level of the parents is extremely important for the level of involvement they have towards their child’s education. Educated parents are likely to be more involved in their child’s education. Children whose parents read out to them develop good listening and writing skills faster than other children. Thus, for better academic results of a child, it is extremely important that parent’s are involved in the process, establish good communication with the teachers and follow up whatever is taught in school. Conclusion: Positive parental influence is a critical factor which affects a child’s academic performance. Parents act as role models for their child in the early years because of the love, care and sense of security that a child shares with his parents. Parents should foster an environment which leads to positive development of a child. Teachers, on the other hand act as external agents who try to teach and educate a child. In such a condition, there should be constant communication between the parent and teacher so as to ensure that both of them are on the same platform as far as the development of the child is concerned. Parents should constantly communicate with the teachers and build a good rapport. This would help them in understanding their child’s progress and development. Moreover communications should be frequent and timely so that gaps can be quickly identified and corrected. Parents should regularly read out to their child so that develop listening and writing skills faster. Parents should make all efforts to break down the communication barriers which prevent them from effectively communicating with the teachers. A child’s development is a joint responsibility of the parents and the teachers but the role of parents is much more pronounced and important. Parents need to understand their child and hone his skills. They need to support the teachers in order to ensure a better future of their child. Recommendations for further research This research tries to set up a base for any future research on the related topic. This paper can be consulted before conducting any further research on this topic or any related topic. Since this research mainly focuses on the academic achievement of children, any further research can be conducted focusing on the teenagers’ academic achievement and the influence of parental involvement on that process. References Harvard Graduate School of Education-a. 2006. Family Involvement IN Early Childhood Education. Family Involvement Makes A Difference. Retreived April 26, 2010 From http://www.hfrp.org/content/download/1181/48685/file/earlychildhood.pdf Harvard Graduate School of Education-b. 2006. Family Involvement IN Early Childhood Education. Family Involvement Makes A Difference. Retreived April 26, 2010 From http://www.hfrp.org/content/download/1181/48685/file/earlychildhood.pdf Harvard Graduate School of Education-c. 2006. Family Involvement IN Early Childhood Education. Family Involvement Makes A Difference. Retreived April 26, 2010 From http://www.hfrp.org/content/download/1181/48685/file/earlychildhood.pdf Key, J. No Date, Qualitative Research, Research Design in Occupational Education, Retreived April 26, 2010 From http://www.okstate.edu/ag/agedcm4h/academic/aged5980a/5980/newpage21.htm Mississipi State University. February 23, 2009. The Mississippi Early Childhood Community Involvement Initiative. Retreived April 26, 2010 From http://www.earlychildhood.msstate.edu/initiatives/community.htm Rous, B. et al. July, 2003. Parent Involvement in Early Care and Education Programs: A Review of the Literature.Parent Leadership Initiative. Retreived April 26, 2010 From http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/pli/Documents/ECPLI_Literature_Review_Report.pdf Annonymous. No Date. Effective Parent- Teacher Communication. Centre for Creative Parenting. Retreived April 26, 2010 From http://www.parenting-ed.org/handout3/Parental%20Involvement/Communicating%20with%20Teacher%20Handout.pdf Desforges, C & Abouchaar, A. 2003. Executive Summary. The Impact Of Parental Involvement, Parental Support And Family Education On Pupil Achievement And Adjustment: A Literature Review. Retreived April 26, 2010 From http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/rr433.pdf Rimm, S.& Rimm, S.B. 2008. Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades and What You Can Do about It: A Six-Step Program for Parents and Teachers. Great Potential Press, Inc. Appendices Parent 1 Questions 1. Your age group 2. Child’s age 3. Child’s gender 4. Child’s class 5. Educational qualification 6. Occupation 7. How much time do you spend with your child in a day? 8. How often you interact with the teachers? 9. Do you participate in parent teacher meeting? 10. Are you part of any parental activities in your child’s school? 11. How often do you read out a book to your child? 12. Do you help your child in completing his/her homework? 13. Do you check his/her write ups regularly? 14. Do you check his/her progress report regularly? 15. Academic performance of your child Answers Questions Answers 1 35-40 2 5 3 M 4 Graduate 5 Business 6 5 7 once a week 8 No 9 No 10 NA 11 Try to 12 Yes 13 Yes 14 Medium Parent 2 1. Your age group 2. Child’s age 3. Child’s gender 4. Child’s class 5. Educational qualification 6. Occupation 7. How much time do you spend with your child in a day? 8. How often you interact with the teachers? 9. Do you participate in parent teacher meeting? 10. Are you part of any parental activities in your child’s school? 11. How often do you read out a book to your child? 12. Do you help your child in completing his/her homework? 13. Do you check his/her write ups regularly? 14. Do you check his/her progress report regularly? 15. Academic performance of your child Answers Questions Answers 1 30-35 2 6 3 M 4 Graduate 5 Govt. Employee 6 6 7 twice a week 8 yes 9 yes 10 Once in two days 11 Yes 12 Yes 13 Yes 14 Good Parent 3 Questions 1. Your age group 2. Child’s age 3. Child’s gender 4. Child’s class 5. Educational qualification 6. Occupation 7. How much time do you spend with your child in a day? 8. How often you interact with the teachers? 9. Do you participate in parent teacher meeting? 10. Are you part of any parental activities in your child’s school? 11. How often do you read out a book to your child? 12. Do you help your child in completing his/her homework? 13. Do you check his/her write ups regularly? 14. Do you check his/her progress report regularly? 15. Academic performance of your child Answers Questions Answers 1 30-35 2 4 3 F 4 undergraduate 5 Private organisation 6 2 7 once a fortnight 8 No 9 No 10 NA 11 Try to 12 No 13 No 14 Poor Parent 4 Questions 1. Your age group 2. Child’s age 3. Child’s gender 4. Child’s class 5. Educational qualification 6. Occupation 7. How much time do you spend with your child in a day? 8. How often you interact with the teachers? 9. Do you participate in parent teacher meeting? 10. Are you part of any parental activities in your child’s school? 11. How often do you read out a book to your child? 12. Do you help your child in completing his/her homework? 13. Do you check his/her write ups regularly? 14. Do you check his/her progress report regularly? 15. Academic performance of your child Answers Questions Answers 1 28-35 2 5 3 M 4 Post graduate 5 Business 6 3 7 once a fortnight 8 no 9 No 10 3-4 times in a week 11 Try to 12 No 13 Yes 14 Poor Parent 5 Questions 1. Your age group 2. Child’s age 3. Child’s gender 4. Child’s class 5. Educational qualification 6. Occupation 7. How much time do you spend with your child in a day? 8. How often you interact with the teachers? 9. Do you participate in parent teacher meeting? 10. Are you part of any parental activities in your child’s school? 11. How often do you read out a book to your child? 12. Do you help your child in completing his/her homework? 13. Do you check his/her write ups regularly? 14. Do you check his/her progress report regularly? 15. Academic performance of your child Answers Questions Answers 1 32-37 2 5 3 F 4 Graduate 5 Business 6 5 7 once a week 8 No 9 No 10 NA 11 Try to 12 No 13 Yes 14 Average Read More