Influence of Parental Expectations and Involvement on the Learning Outcomes of Children with Special Educational Needs in Tamale

Issaka Cecilia Alimatu,Fatima Iddrisu Abu,Isaac Nyame

doi:10.13189/ujer.2021.090806

Issaka Cecilia Alimatu, Fatima Iddrisu Abu + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2021.090806

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of parental expectations and their involvement on the learning outcomes of students with special educational needs and disabilities in the Tamale Metropolis. The study was a quantitative survey. Parents of students with special needs formed the population of the study. A total of 50 participants were sampled through snowballing. These parents had various levels of education from basic to tertiary levels. Questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection. The data were obtained personally by the researchers after they had made personal contacts with the parents. The data obtained were analysed in SPSS. Frequency distribution tables and percentages were used for analysing the descriptive data while the hypotheses were tested using multiple regression and Spearman Browns' correlation coefficient. It was revealed that parents had high expectations from the school and teachers concerning the education of children with special needs and disabilities. They were also actively involved in the education of their children however; a number of factors such as family health issues, transportation and language barriers influenced their involvement in the education of their children with special needs. A multiple regression was run to predict learning outcomes from parental expectations and their involvement. The two variables combined to show a statistical significant prediction of learning outcomes, F(2, 47) = 24.427, p (.000) <.0005, R2=.510. However, only parental involvement added statistically significantly to the prediction, p<.05.

Highlights

All children, including those with disabilities and special educational needs, have the right to an education
Responses to items on parental expectations, their involvement, and factors affecting parental involvement were rated on a five-point Likert scale of Strongly Disagree (SD); Disagree (D); Agree (A); Strongly Agree (SA); and Neutral (N)
To find the impact of parental expectations and involvement on the learning outcomes of children with special needs, a multiple regression analysis was run in SPSS

Summary

Introduction

All children, including those with disabilities and special educational needs, have the right to an education. This has been entrenched in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights [2]. The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights emphasizes the importance of education in developing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms (Emmert, 2021). Several international and national policies and laws acknowledge this right governments all over the world have improved efforts to uphold the right to education. In Ghana for example, the 1992 constitution, 2006 Persons with Disabilities Act (Act 715), and the Education Act of 2008 among others make provision for the universal basic education for all children regardless of their differences. It is widely accepted that the socioeconomic development of every nation greatly depends on education

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