Dissertation janeth emanuel kigobe finalversion 1

FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES PARENTING AND SPECIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH UNIT Parental Involvement in Literacy Development of Primary School Children in Tanzania Janeth Kigobe Doctoral thesis offered to obtain the degree of Doctor of Educational Sciences (PhD) Supervisor: Prof. Karla Van Leeuwen Co-supervisor: Prof. Pol Ghesquière 2019 Parental involvement in literacy development of primary school children in Tanzania Janeth Kigobe Supervisor: Prof. Van Leeuwen; Co-supervisor: Prof.

Pol Ghesquière Despite several initiatives to enhance primary education provision in Tanzania, and as a consequence high enrollment rates, there have been limited improvements in early literacy development of Tanzanian children. The current education system of Tanzania focuses mostly on schools and teachers as the key educators in children’s learning with little attention to the role of parents and the home environment. This PhD project aimed at exploring and supporting parental involvement in primary school children’s reading development, and at creating a framework to encourage teacher-parent partnership in Tanzania. The research in the dissertation (a) explored motivational factors that influence parents’ decisions to be involved in educational activities at home and schools, (b) assessed the relationship between parental reading support activities with children’s reading skills, and (c) evaluated the effectiveness of a one year intervention programme that intended to enhance children’s reading development.

We used Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s model of parental involvement as our theoretical framework. The intervention was based on practices that were shown in the research literature to be effective for children’s learning, and included a teacher and parent training, teacher- parent communication, reading at home, and parent involvement in their child’s homework. Participants in the study were 600 second grade primary school pupils and their parents (68.2% mothers) from 24 schools in Dar es Salaam. Questionnaires and tests (reading, intelligence) were used to measure the study variables.

We used a school based cluster randomized controlled trial with baseline, post-intervention and follow-up measurement to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention (n = 336 intervention group, n = 224 control group). Statistical analyses included regression analyses and multilevel modeling. Findings showed that parents are willing to be involved in their children’s education. Involvement at home was related to parents’ expectations for children’s school success, next to parents’ perceived time and energy, child invitations and parents’ self-efficacy.

School involvement was predicted by perceived time and energy, and school and child invitations. There were weak associations between parental reading support activities (modeling, reinforcement, encouragement and instruction) with three aspects of children’s reading (decoding, fluency, and comprehension). The evaluation of the intervention revealed that children in the intervention condition made more progress in reading (decoding and comprehension) compared to children in the control condition. Throughout the study we found a relationship between parents’ education level and children’s reading skills.

This indicates that parents with a low level of education need more attention and support. We can conclude that the intervention through feasible activities, is able to foster parental involvement. Schools need to support teachers and create a warm environment to all parents, regardless of their social economic status. The government should make parental involvement a policy issue by setting regulations and guidelines for effective parental involvement in the literacy development of children.

Ouderlijke betrokkenheid bij de ontwikkeling van geletterdheid bij lagere schoolkinderen in Tanzania Janeth Kigobe Promotor: Prof. Van Leeuwen; Co-promotor: Prof. Pol Ghesquière Ondanks verschillende initiatieven in Tanzania om deelname aan het onderwijs te verhogen, met als gevolg een effectieve grote toename van het aantal ingeschreven leerlingen, is er maar weinig vooruitgang geboekt in de ontwikkeling van geletterdheid bij kinderen in de lagere school. Het huidige onderwijssysteem in Tanzania focust vooral op scholen en leerkrachten als sleutelfiguren bij het leren van kinderen, maar heeft nauwelijks aandacht voor de rol van ouders en de thuisomgeving.

Dit doctoraatsproject wil de betrokkenheid van ouders in het leren lezen van kinderen in het lager onderwijs verkennen en ondersteunen, en een raamwerk scheppen om partnerschap tussen ouders en leerkrachten in Tanzania te stimuleren. Het onderzoek in het proefschrift had volgende doelstellingen: (a) het verwerven van inzicht in de motieven die de beslissingen van ouders mee bepalen om al dan niet betrokken te zijn bij de leeractiviteiten van hun kinderen thuis en op school; (b) het verband onderzoeken tussen activiteiten van ouders om de leesvaardigheden van kinderen te ondersteunen en de leesvaardigheden van hun kinderen, en (c) het evalueren van de effectiviteit van een eenjarig interventieprogramma om de leesontwikkeling van kinderen te bevorderen. Het Hoover-Dempsey en Sandler’s model voor ouderlijke betrokkenheid diende daarbij als theoretisch kader. De interventie is gebaseerd op praktijken die in de wetenschappelijke literatuur als effectief bevonden zijn voor de leerontwikkeling van kinderen, en omvatte een training voor leerkrachten en ouders, leerkracht-ouder communicatie, thuis lezen, en betrokkenheid van ouders bij het huiswerk van hun kinderen.

Deelnemers aan de studie waren 664 kinderen uit het tweede leerjaar lager onderwijs en hun ouders (68.2% moeders) uit 24 scholen in Dar es Salaam. Er werden vragenlijsten en testen (voor lezen en intelligentie) gebruikt om de variabelen in het onderzoek te meten. We gebruikten een Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (met school als basis) om de effectiviteit van de interventie te evalueren (336 kinderen in de interventieconditie, 264 in de controleconditie). Regressie- en multi-niveau analyses werden gebruikt om de data te analyseren.

De resultaten toonden aan dat ouders in Tanzania willen betrokken zijn bij het onderwijs van hun kinderen. De mate waarin ze betrokken zijn bij het leren van hun kind in de thuissituatie, hangt af van de verwachtingen die ouders hebben over het schoolsucces van hun kind, de tijd en energie die ze denken ter beschikking te hebben, uitnodigingen van het kind zelf om met het leren van het kind bezig te zijn en de self-efficacy van ouders. Het betrokken zijn van ouders bij de school hangt af van hun gepercipieerde beschikbare tijd en energie en uitnodigingen van de school en het kind. Wat de relatie tussen activiteiten van ouders om het lezen bij hun kinderen te ondersteunen (model staan, bekrachtigen, aanmoedigen en instructie) en drie aspecten van het lezen bij kinderen (decoderen, vloeiendheid en begrijpen) betreft, waren de verbanden eerder klein.

De evaluatie van de interventie toonde aan dat de kinderen in de interventieconditie meer vooruitgang toonden in het lezen (in decoderen en begrijpen) dan kinderen in de controleconditie. Doorheen de studies stelden we ook een verband vast tussen het opleidingsniveau van de ouders en de leesvaardigheden van hun kinderen. Dit impliceert dat ouders met een laag opleidingsniveau meer aandacht en ondersteuning nodig hebben. We concluderen dat de interventie er via haalbare activiteiten voor ouders in kan slagen om ouderlijke betrokkenheid te bevorderen.

Scholen kunnen leerkrachten ondersteunen om ouders een warme omgeving aan te bieden, los van hun socio-economische achtergrond. De overheid zou van ouderlijke betrokkenheid een beleidsaspect moeten maken, door maatregelen te treffen en richtlijnen te voorzien zodat alle ouders in Tanzania het leren lezen van hun kinderen kunnen ondersteunen. Table of contents Chapter 1 General introduction 1 Chapter 2 Parental involvement in educational activities in Tanzania: 17 Understanding motivational factors Chapter 3 The relationship between parental reading support activities and 41 children’s reading achievement In Tanzania Chapter 4 An intervention to promote parental involvement in children’s reading 61 Chapter 5 Effects of a parental involvement intervention to promote child literacy 81 in Tanzania: A cluster randomized controlled trial Chapter 6 General discussion 10 9 References 12 3 Acknowledgments No matter where you come from. Your dreams are valid Lupita Nyong’o I want to thank God for the grace and mercy that he provided for me to accomplish this important milestone of my education journey.

Thank you Jesus, without your presence, I would not be standing here today. I would like to thank my PhD supervisors Prof. Karla Van Leeuwen, Prof. Pol Ghesquière and my VLIR-UOS project south supervisor Dr.

Michael Ng’umbi at the Open University of Tanzania for all the support and encouragement they gave me in the whole journey of my PhD. Karla, there are not enough words to express how much I appreciate your presence in my life not only as a supervisor, but also as a colleague who always tried to wear my shoes. Karla, you are the best, not only as my supervisor, but also as a woman and a person. You always tried to make me see the possibility in me, you always made me feel valued, and you gave me all the trust and believed in my abilities.

When you took me in, I did not know anything about statistics, you were aware of that, but that did not put you off. Instead, you used that as the reason to train me, to teach me, to help me and nurture my inner abilities. You were always available when I needed someone to listen to me and you always have suggestions for any challenge I faced as a student as well as woman and mother. You always make balance in our relationship; you knew where to stand as a leader (supervisor) and how to make me comfortable with you as a colleague.

We had an amazing relationship, you always find good words to communicate even when I was wrong and I did something unpleasant as a student. You never get tired with helping me learn over and over. I must admit, there are times in this “hard journey” that I couldn’t even stand myself, but you pulled me up with love and full support. Thank you for not withholding your skills, knowledge and expertise but instead sharing with me everything that I needed to learn.

Thank you very much for your full support in my PhD project, may God bless you and your family abundantly. Pol, you have been of so much help to me, you always wanted to know how I am doing. At the beginning of my PhD it was not clear to me how I was going to study parents and children’s reading development. You helped me; you reshaped my thoughts and gave me a clear direction which really put my PhD on the right track.

I am also thankful for the time we spent in the coffee room and receptions at the research unit and the university. Your jokes and caring talks made me feel so wanted and cherished at the research unit. You always smile and laugh at me whenever we met; you always made me feel comfortable. I could be sad and tired but when I see you, we laugh and I regain my strength.

Thank you very much for the time you have spent to read my work over and over, for suggestions and corrections you provided to me. Thank you for sharing your expertise, knowledge and skills about children’s reading development. I am very grateful and I feel so lucky to have you as my co-promoter and best professor I ever worked with. May God bless you and give you endless health and happiness.

Michael, you have been not only my project promoter, but also an inspirational leader who gave me the opportunity to develop under your hands as a young leader and researcher. You trusted me and gave me freedom to work on the project without pressures and stress. Even with your many responsibilities as Dean of the Faculty of Education, you were always available for the project no matter where you were needed to be. We worked together with teachers and schools, and you always made the teachers feeling warm at the University.

I still remember how you made teachers sing and dance in our training days at the University. I really appreciate your dedication and time for the project. It is my hope that we will continue working together for more projects to come and find solutions to educational problems in Tanzania. Thank you very much and may God bless you in everything you do.

I want to give special thanks to the members of my supervisory committee, Prof. Hilde Colpin, Prof. Evaristo Karangwa, Prof. Katja Petry and Prof.

dr Wim Van Den Noortgate.