Exploring school principals’ experiences of parental involvement in primary schools situated in low-income communities.

Abstract

This study is a qualitative case study that took place in three schools within the township of Phoenix. This study explored how primary school principals working in low-income communities experienced parental involvement. Purposive and convenience sampling were used to select three primary school principals with varying years of experience working in the low-income community. Data was generated through semi-structured interviews and document review and analysed thematically. Findings from this study have indicated that South African schools in low-income communities are still challenged by socio-economic factors that negatively influence parental involvement. The amount of parental involvement in schools is dependent on the leadership attitude and the strategies in place to promote and sustain parental involvement. These findings indicate that even though socio-economic factors cannot be eradicated in low-income communities, there can still be an improvement to parental involvement based on the schools’ strategies and the school leaders’ attitude towards parental involvement.