Parental involvement in the education of their children with disabilities in primary schools of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia: Do education, income and employment status matter?

Abstract

AbstractThis study explored the extent of parental involvement (PI) in the education of children with disabilities (CwDs), focusing on the influence of parents’ socio‐economic status (SES) on their involvement, and guided by Epstein’s PI framework. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed to measure six dimensions of PI from 143 parents (n = 143) and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Analysis revealed that among the six dimensions (parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision‐making and collaborating) 'parenting' is more prevalent than others. Further ranking of the means of dimensions proved that parental participation in ‘parenting’ was the top‐ranked one, while the ‘decision‐making’ and ‘volunteering’ were the lower ranked dimensions. Significant differences were observed in PI based on employment and income status. However, no significant difference in PI was found for parents at different levels of education. Thus, irrespective of SES, the study found parents appeared to have minimal involvement in their child’s education. Similarities and divergence from previous research are highlighted. Educative programmes designed to help parents discharge their multifaceted responsibilities and support their child's education is a key recommendation.