Parental involvement in school activities for their wards’ early childhood education in the Effutu Municipality

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate parental involvement in school activities of their wards in early childhood education in the Effutu Municipality. The study sought to find out the activities and programmes in which parents are involved in early childhood education setting, determine the benefits of parental involvement in early childhood education activities, identify factors that inhibit parental involvement in early childhood education activities, and establish strategies put in place to promote parental involvement in early childhood education in the Effutu Municipality. The study was underpinned by pragmatic philosophical thought in line with mixed method approach. A concurrent mixed method research design was used with a sample size of forty-two (42) of which thirty are teachers and twelve parents. Questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data for the study. Data was analysed descriptively and thematically. The study found that activities and programmes in which parents are involved in early childhood education setting in the Effutu Municipality were helping children to do their homework, providing children with learning materials such as toys and attending PTA meetings/Open days’/Speech days. Also, the study revealed that benefit of parental involvement in early childhood education activities in the Effutu Municipality helps to work together to achieve a shared goals and help parents gain information about their children progress. Moreover, the study found that factors that inhibit parental involvement in early childhood education activities in the Effutu Municipality include; financial constraints/low in-come, large family Size, and unavailability of most educational materials in the market teachers. Finally, the study found that several strategies such as the school should keep parents informed of PTA activities, the school offers parents the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process in the school and the school should encourage all parents to be part of the PTA, were put in place to promote parental involvement of early childhood education in the Effutu Municipality. The study the study recommends that Stakeholders (Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service) should communicate to parents (via training programmes, PTA meetings, open days), that their contributions and support will make a great difference in the children’s school performance and that they are co partners in the education process hence they should devote time for their children’s education.