Abstract:

This paper focuses on the importance of parental involvement in the teaching and learning of learners in their early years of schooling in rural South Africa. Previous research suggests parental involvement in early childhood education is of paramount importance as it provides opportunities for them to become familiar with school, and the education system. This is a conceptual paper which will focus on the review of literature between the year 2018 to 2024. Located within the interpretive paradigm, this is a qualitative study which used data collected from existing literature. The data extracted from the chosen literature was analysed using thematic content analysis, and is also used to answer the research questions for better understanding of the research topic.

Data collected from these articles were used to:
(a) investigate how well are parents involved in their children school activities especially in the rural areas
(b) identifies challenges parents faces in rural areas when trying to get involved in the teaching and learning of their children
(c) determine suitable strategies for involving parents especially in rural areas in a meaningful way.

The Bioecological Systems Theory of Bronfenbrenner (1994) was used to guide this study. The theory posits that children develop within a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of environment (Berk, 2000).Bronfenbrenner (1994)'s bioecological theory on education recognises that among the many different spheres of social influence that create contexts for learner development, there are many possibilities for intervention. The involvement of parents in the education of their children is one example. The placement of the child in the middle of concentric circles means development is a function of the interplay between the individual child and his or her environment(Hayes, et al.,2017). The findings from the study suggest the following constraints: lack of thorough knowledge of teachers and parents on parental involvement (PI), parents don’t know their exact role in (PI) especially getting involved in formal school activities in the early years of schooling. The paper recommends that the Department of Basic Education in South Africa should introduce compulsory Parental Involvement programmes, effective workshops for teachers, and training/orientation activities for parents in trying to address this issue.

Keywords:

Parental Involvement, Department of Basic Education, Rural, Teaching and Learning, Early Childhood.