Optimising parental involvement in school activities: problems facing principals

Abstract

Research and practice indicate that parental involvement remains a crucial topic in efforts to enhance school effectiveness. However, principals in schools still experience a number of problems in this regard and do not succeed in obtaining optimal involvement of parents. The present research, therefore, investigated the problems facing secondary school principals in optimising parental involvement in school activities. The major finding of the research was that principals are of the opinion that parents in rural areas and lower socio-economic areas present a special problem to parental involvement. Although it is possible to isolate factors responsible for noninvolvement of parents, it was clear that each ofthese factors must not be seen in isolation; they cumulatively compound the problem of parental involvement.