Parental involvement in educational activities in Tanzania: understanding motivational factors

ABSTRACT

In Tanzania, the education system focuses on schools and teachers as key educators of children, while little attention is paid to the home environment. This study examines motivational factors that may influence parental involvement at home and at school, using Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s model of parental involvement as a theoretical framework. Participants were 580 parents of Grade 2 children attending primary schools in three districts of Dar Es Salaam. Parents were invited at school to complete a questionnaire. Regression analyses showed that parents’ expectations for children’s school success predicted home involvement, next to parents’ perceived time and energy, child invitations and parents’ self-efficacy. School involvement was predicted by perceived time and energy, and school and child invitations. In a mediation model role construction had an indirect effect on school involvement through child and school invitations and perceived time and energy. Implications for educational policy are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Parental involvement
• motivational factors
• school–family partnership
• primary school

Acknowledgements

This study is part of the project. The authors want to thank all South team members for their cooperation in the data collection for the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received funding from the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR-UOS) for a TEAM project “Enhancing equal opportunities through participation of families and schools in basic skill formation” (ZEIN2015PR410), a cooperation between KU Leuven (promotor Karla Van Leeuwen, co-promotor Pol Ghesquière) and the Open University of Tanzania (promotor Michael Ng’umbi).

Notes on contributors

Janeth Kigobe

Janeth Kigobe is a PhD student in Educational Sciences at the Parenting and Special Education Unit at KU Leuven. Her research interests include: assessment of effectiveness of educational interventions, parental involvement in educational activities and the impact of parental involvement in literacy development.

Pol Ghesquière

Pol Ghesquière is a full professor at the Parenting and Special Education Unit at KU Leuven, Belgium. He is an expert in learning disabilities (dyslexia/dyscalculia): Causal models – Development of diagnostic instruments - Evaluation of intervention techniques and remedial teaching – Learning disabilities in broader psychological, pedagogical and social perspective.

Michael Ng’Umbi

Michael Ng’umbi is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education at the Open University of Tanzania. His research focuses on academic achievement and school-based teacher education.

Karla Van Leeuwen

Karla van Leeuwen is a full professor at the Parenting and Special Education Unit at KU Leuven, Belgium. She has particular expertise in assessment of parenting, evaluation of parenting support/education, parenting in specific samples, e.g. children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, physical complaints, and developmental disorders.