CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
A parent is the child's first and most important teacher in life and he or she is expected to play an active role in the child's preschool journey because it is believed a parent and child should grow together and have a rewarding preschool experience. This follows subsequently by school life where academic performance is expected to be high. The parent is supposed to be supportive to the child in all aspects which include socially, physically, mentally and also emotionally (Epstein, 2018). Studies have indicated that children whose parents and/or other significant adults share in their formal education tend to do better in school. Some benefits that have been identified that measure parental involvement in education include; higher grades and test scores, long term academic achievement, positive attitudes and behaviors and more successful programs (Epstein, 2018).
When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more. Parental involvement over the past decade, indicates that regardless of family income or background, "children with involved parents are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, be promoted, pass their classes, earn credits, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, adapt well to school and graduate to postsecondary education" (Henderson & Map, 2020: 67).
Curry (2006) lamented that parents becomes poor due to their hard measures, they can no longer provide shelter, and clothing and special need of their children in school such as provision of textbook, school uniforms and good medical bills cannot be met. Many rural and sub-urban dwellers can no longer pay the school fees of their children.
The structure of many schools can also deter parents from helping their children. Organizing a nursery school so that at least one person knows each child well and sponsoring parent-to-parent communication and events are key parts of an effective parent-involvement program (Berla, Henderson, & Kerensky, 2019). According to the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS), for parent involvement to flourish, it must be meaningfully integrated into a school's programs and community. The network developed a framework of six types of parental involvement that schools can use to guide their efforts. (i) parenting (ii) communicating (iii) volunteering (iv) learn at home (v) decision making (vi) collaborating with the community
National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) says schools can; help families with parenting and child-rearing skills, communicate with families about school programs and children progress and needs, work to improve recruitment, training, and schedules to involve families as volunteers in school activities, encourage families to be involved in learning activities at home, include parents as participants in important school decisions and coordinate with businesses and agencies to provide resources and services for families, children, and the community (Epstein, 2018).
Parental participation in pre-school activities includes a wide range of behaviors but generally refers to parents' and family members' use and investment of resources in their children's schooling. These investments can take place in or outside of school, with the intention of improving children's learning. Parental involvement at home can include activities such as discussions about school, helping with homework, and reading with children. Involvement at school may include parents volunteering in the classroom, attending workshops, or attending school plays and sporting events (Rain and William, 2021).
The ideology of "motherhood" portrays mothers as being the ultimate caregivers. They invest most if not all of their time on their children which sometimes affects their job and role in the labor market. Although “stays at home moms” are less common, women are seen as spending more time with children than men. They are commonly the nurturers of the children and support emotional growth and stability. Fathers now more than ever are spending more time with their children. Whereas in the past, fathers were the breadwinners and the mothers stayed at home to cook, clean and take care of children. The roles are starting to reverse. Fathers are participating more in parenting roles and taking on responsibilities such as bathing, dressing, feeding, changing diapers and comforting children (Rain and William, 2021). In the morning, the first thing before the child report to school, he or she has to take breakfast, which gives him or her energy to stay in class comfortably. The child needs to take another snack at ten o’clock since energy is highly required. At lunch time the child is expected to take a well balanced diet. At 3 or 4 o’clock the child need to have a bite again for example a snack can be provided. When the child is comfortable and not hungry he/ she can listen to the teacher well and follow the instructions hence performs well when given an examination.
The other requirement the child needs is playing materials. Parent must provide some of demonstration and instructional materials. These materials are important because they help the child to be able to play, assist in concept building, promotion of discovery and creativity and enhance interaction with others as they play. These playing materials include the balls, track suits, toys, Picture books, clay ,paints, blackboard, beads,, large blocks, medium blocks, dishes, flower title, concentric figures, nest of eggs, nest of dolls, nest of rings, nest of trays, cars, puzzles, pyramid, wooden animals, balls, pull toys, cars, trains, trucks, wagon, seesaw and slides (Frost, Wortham & Reifel, 2018). Research clearly demonstrates that there is a direct relationship between parent engagement and children’s language and reading skills, ability to relate to and interact with others, they may be peers or adults, and their feelings of positive self-image (Berla, Henderson & Kerewsky, 2019)
There are many factors causing poor academic performance in Nigeria; such as lack of facilities in school, lack of teachers, indiscipline, unfavorable home environment, low intelligence, anxiety, pupils' need to achieve (Maundu, 1980; Ndirangu, 2007). While these factors have been identified as possible factors that contribute to the variations in academic performance, not much has been done in Nigeria to show the role played by the pupils parental care on pupils academic achievement. Parental involvement in their children's academic affairs has been shown to contribute to better academic scores. Preschool level is important in grounding learners in educational matters which affect their later years of schooling. This study will investigates the level of parental care on preschool pupils learning outcomes in Eredo. The results of this study will shed light on the influence of parental care in general performance in education in the area under study.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The main purpose of the study was to establish the influence of parental care on preschool pupils learning outcomes in Eredo, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The research study addressed the following specific objectives:
i) To find out whether home environment has an influence on academic performance of preschool learners.
ii) To establish whether the parent-school communication has an influence on academic performance of preschool learners.
iii) To examine the impact of parents in early childhood preschool pupils’ learning outcomes
iv) To recommend measures to increase the rate and involvement of parents in preschool pupil’s learning outcomes
1.4 Research Questions
The study addressed the following research questions:
i) How does the home environment influence academic performance of preschool learners?
ii) To what extent does parent-school communication influence academic performance of preschool learners?
iii) How does parents’ participation in educational activities at home influence academic performance of preschool learners?
iv) To what extent does parents’ participation in educational activities at school influence academic performance of preschool learners?
1.5 Significance of the study
Parental care plays a significant role in academic performance of preschool pupils. The findings of this study will assist in improving parental involvement in academic performance of pre-school children. The findings could also be useful in managing education of the learners and to identify the types of parental involvement such as parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making and collaborating with the community that impact on improvement of preschool children acquisition of academic performance. The study will also provide intellectual inputs for future researchers in search for knowledge on parental involvement on academic performances. This will form a foundation for further studies too. The findings can be helpful to teachers and the parents in developing programs to upgrade their skills, knowledge, positive altitude and competencies of handling children.
1.6 Scope of the study
The study focused on the influence of parental care on preschool pupils learning outcomes in Eredo, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State. The study dealt with home environment, parent –school communication, parental activities at home and school. The study will be done in Eredo which is one of education division in Epe Local Government and therefore the findings may not apply in other geographical region within and outside the county unless prevalent circumstances exist.
1.7 Definition of terms
Academic performance: The outcome of education, the extent to which a student, institution has achieved their educational goal
Communication: Home to school communication regarding children’s academic development and other academically relevant information.
Child: A young human being who is not yet an adult i.e. under 18 years
Parental Involvement: Refers to participation of parents in every facet of children’s education and development from birth to adulthood, recognizing, parents are the primary influence in children’s lives.
Preschool Education: Provision of learning of children before the commencement of statutory and obligatory education. Usually between the age of zero and five depending on the jurisdiction.
Parental volunteering: Refers to parental attendance in a variety of school events ranging in scope from class room activities to school wide event.
Parental Participation: Refers to the level of involvement that a parent has in their child’s education and school.
Development: A specified state of growth or advancement.
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