Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG
FACULTY OF EDUCATION

SUMMARISED PROPOSAL FOR MASTERS DEGREE STUDY

Student number 2 0 0 8 3 4 6 8 0 Title Dr Mr X Mrs Ms

Name THILANGIWI EDWARD THIKHATHALI
(Full names and surname as it is to appear on the degree certificate)

Department SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

Degree MEd Specialisation area ICT in Education

Date of first registration for this degree Month February Year 2014


Members of doctoral committee






PhD Dissertation Minor Dissertation X

Proposed title:
ICTs : The recipe of facilitating parental involvement

Discussion of research problem and motivation for study substantiated by ample reference to literature (Regulation A.11.1.7.4) Limit to 500 words
This study explores the influence of parental involvement that was enabled through an sms-based notification system on learner performance in
Mathematics. According to Hoover-Dempsey, Battiato, Walker, Reed, Dejong, & Jones (2001), parental involvement, for example the assistance with
homework, improves learner performance in schools. Parents involve themselves in their childrens work because they believe they have to be involved,
and that their involvement can make a positive difference, and that they perceived that their children or their childrens teacher need their involvement. This
view is supported by Epstein (2001), who accentuated the partnership between school, family and community.

The following typology of parental involvement is suggested by Epstein and her colleagues:
Basic obligations of families to provide for safety and health of their children
Basic obligations of schools to communicate with families about school programs and the individual progress of their children
Parental involvement at school
Parental involvement in learning activities at home
Parental involvement in decision making at school
And collaboration and exchange with community organisation

It has been argued by researchers such as Kruger (2003) that lack of parental involvement in schools results in discipline problems, poor performance,
absence of learner autonomy, and finally break down the morale of teachers. According to Eccles & Harold (1993) schools must assume their role of
fascilitating parental involvement in schools in order to improve performance through using ICTs to exploring strategies of involving parents in their
childrens education.

This study describes the facilitation of parental involvement as response to the barriers that prevent parental involvement. At Washu Primary School in
Orange Farm, the use of sms-based parental notification system was introduced in the Mathematics grade 7 class that I teach. The system notified parents
via sms whenever learners were given a task to complete, therefore making them aware of the task. It also notified parents of impending assessments,
tests, and exams, and the results of those were immediately forwarded to parents.
Noticeable improvements were seen on learner performance and it is argued in this study that the improvements in performance could be ascribed to
increased parental awareness and involvement.
Prior to the introduction of the system, learners achieve an average of 18% for mathematics from 2006 until 2011. Subsequently, after the introduction of
the SMS-notification system, to communicate with parents the average performance in mathematics improved to 43%.
0
10
20
30
40
50
Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Task 4
Maths Grade 7

Figure 1: improved performance due to parental involvement

Supervisor PROF D. VAN DER WESTHUIZEN

i) Co-
Supervisor


ii) Co-
Supervisor



The problem of this study is therefore to empirically determine to what extent parental awareness and involvement were facilitated by the introduction of the
SMS-notification system, and how that in turn influenced performance in mathematics.



Aims and objectives of the study
This study seek to explore ICTs factors that may impact positively on parental involvement based on
Reporting learners results of tasks written using SMSs which Eccles refers to as basic obligations of schools to communicate with families
about school programs and the individual progress of their children (Eccles & Harold, 1993).
And sending SMSs to parents as learners arrive to school in the morning which Epstein in Eccles & Harold (1993) referred to as Basic
obligations of schools to communicate with families about school programs and the individual progress of their children. It is believed that this
practice will help minimise discipline problems such as absenteeism and late coming which ultimately result in poor performance.
The aim of this study is to describe the impact of using SMS on parental involvement
To explain what happen to parental involvement when SMSs are used to communicate learners progress, behaviour, and other school events.
The study also seeks to speculate what might happen to the general learners attainment as a result of active parental involvement

Research design (including discussion of design logic)
RESEARCH DESIGN

Research design is a structure or plan Schumacher (1993) that holds the project together Trochim (2002). Yin 1994, described it as the logic that links the
study. It dictates how the study is to be conducted (Rubbin & Babbie, 1993). This study will therefore employ Case-Oriented Comparative Research. It is
therefore important to give a description of a Case-Oriented Study and Comparative Research in the subsequent paragraphs:

Research design is a structure or plan Schumacher(1993) that holds the project together Trochim(2002). Yin 1994, described it as the logic that links the
study. It dictates how the study is to be conducted (Rubbin&Babbie, 1993). I am going a case study as an empirical enquiry that investigates the
implementation of an SMS notification system within its real-life context, and especially correlations between the use of SMSs and parental involvement
and learner performance in Mathematics. The study will make use of both quantitative and qualitative data.

This study will examine three variables that are observed within the school setting, namely:

Attendance and punctuality
Learning attainment
Homework records

Sampling
Covenience sampling was done I teach Grade 7 Mathematics. The sample comprises 98 learners in Washu Primary school. The grade was divided into
two classes namely: grade 7A and grade 7B. Grade 7A has 49 learners with 23 boys and 26 girls. Grade 7B had 49 learners with 24 boys and 25 girls.
Grade 7 therefore has 47 boys and 51 girls.

Instrumentation
A 15 items questionnaire survey with 5 Likert-type will be used where 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=partially disagree, 4= partially agree, 5=agree, 6
= strongly agree . The questionnaires will be completed by the parents, and will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. The questionnaire will be consisted of 2
sections. The demographic information: details of pupils gender, age, grade, name of the school, and years at school. Parental involvement:
communicating task, communicating results of task, communicating safe arrival/departure of learners, communicating activities at school. The
questionnaires will be distributed to grade 7 parents to measure the effectiveness of the sms-based notification system.

Interviews will be with parents who visit the school to discuss issues of performance, punctuality, or behaviour of their children and the influence that the
SMS-based notifications had on their parental involvement.
Other source documents for the study are
The record of SMSs sent to parents in relation to their children attendance and performance will be downloaded from the system, as well as
record of parents responses to the SMS.
Records of attendance and punctuality prior and before and after the use of biometric system
Record of performance in mathematics before and after the SMS notification system

Data analysis takes place by means of a paired samples T-Test, or alternative measures of correlation. Qualitative data (Interview data) is transcribed to
text and analysed by means of coding, seeking themes that supports the results of the quantitative results.



List of sources


Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (2007). Comparative education research: Approaches and methods. Hong Kong, China: Comparative Education
Research Centre, the University of Hong Kong
Eccles, J. S., & Harold, R. D. (1993). Parent-School Involvement during the Early Adolescent Years. Teachers College Record , 94 (3), 568-587.
Epstein, J. L. (2001). SCHOOL, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. Colorado, Boulder: Westview Press.
Fox, K. R. (2014). Exploring Literacy In Our Own Backyard: Increasing Teachers' Understanding of Literacy Access through Community Mapping. Journal of
Praxis in Multicultural Education , 8 (2), 1-32.
Geddes, B. (2003). Paradigms and sand castles: Theory building and research design in comparative politics. Ann Arbor, Mich: Univ. of Michigan Press.
Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Battiato, A. C., Walker, J. M., Reed, R. P., Dejong, J. M., & Jones, K. P. (2001). Parental Involvement in Homework.
EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST , 36 (3), 195-209.
Kruger, A. G. (2003). Instructional leadership: the impact on the culture of teaching and learning in two effective secondary schools. South African Journal of
Education , 23 (3), 206-211.
Mumtaz, S. (2001). Children's enjoyment and perception of computer use in the home and the school. Computers & Education , 36, 347-362.
Oppenheimer, T. (2003). Philosohpy is Every body's Business. (M. J. Adler, & M. Weismann, Eds.) CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE GREAT IDEAS , X
(1), 1-28.
Victoria. (2014, February 06). Attendance. Retrieved 02 16, 2014, from Department of Education and Early Childhood Development:
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx


I . (supervisor) hereby declare that this proposal complies with regulation A.11.1.7 (1-9)

Regulation A.11.1.7: In motivation of proposals to programme groups or other Faculty committees and the Boards of the Faculties concerning student
admission to the research-based dissertation or mini-dissertation, the proposed super-visor(s) must state the following in writing:

11.1.7.1 that, in his/her opinion, the student is competent to undertake the proposed study and that the Chief assessors (and co-Assessors) of the
relevant M dissertation or M mini-dissertation have at least an M Degree or equivalent qualification.
11.1.7.2 that the proposed field of study suits the particular Department and/or supervisors special field of research and research methods;
11.1.7.3 that the proposed research is desirable in respect of the latest research on the subject and that it can substantiate this with reference
to relevant literature;
11.1.7.4 that the proposed field of study is of sufficient academic value to justify a Masters OR PhD study;
11.1.7.5 that the research will be undertaken in compliance with all applicable statutory and ethical guidelines, as defined in the Faculty-
specific regulations of the Faculty calendar or academic information brochures and the Policy document for Academic Ethics (which, for
these purposes, is an Appendix to the General Regulations);
11.1.7.6 that the proposed research can be done by making use of available equipment and means, and/or additional equipment and
means necessary and which are budgeted for;
11.1.7.7 that having checked the available information sources, the proposed, or similar study has not already been done or proposed elsewhere,
and if so, why it is necessary that it should also be done at the University;
11.1.7.8 whether essential controlling will have to be done by the supervisor outside the Gauteng area, and which must be budgeted for;
11.1.7.9 the estimated necessary expenditure that will result from the proposed study.



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Signature (Supervisor) Date


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Signature (Head of the Department) Date