One Purpose, Multiple Realities: Parental Involvement in Two Private Secondary Schools in Malawi

Abstract

Parental Involvement has been associated with better academic achievement. However, some studies indicate that parental involvement diminishes duringadolescence. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive multisite case study wasthree-fold: (a) to explore the nature of Parental Involvement in children’s educationat the secondary level; (b) to determine types of involvement; and (c) to examineparents’ and educators’ attitudes towards Parental Involvement in private schoolsin Malawi. The 90 participants comprised of six administrators, 19 teachers and 62parents. Grounded theory, an inductive methodology that uses constantcomparative data analysis process was used to make generalizations and discoveremergent themes from the data. The cross-case analysis portrayed a package ofcontrasting ideologies held by proprietors, educators and parents which formed thebedrock of the type of partnership that existed between parents and educators. Theseideological influences resulted in the formation of perspectives and attitudes, whichin turn translated into the schools’ practices and participants’ actions. Based on thefindings, recommendations were developed with the intention of improvingParental Involvement in the two Malawian private secondary schools.