CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
Good management in every organization is a necessary ingredient for higher
productivity. Where productivity goes up, the organization becomes important and
people are attracted to it. Performance of teachers and pupils makes a school
important. Where performance is high, the school reaps several benefits which
include increased enrolment leading to expansion. Regarding why performance is
low in some schools and high in others has been attributed to host of factors.
PTA is a voluntary association of parents and teachers in a particular school
established for its development. This concept of internal grouping arrangement
tends to facilitate good school community relationship. In this perspective,
obeying the principles of good school community relationship, parents are
opportune to understand what exist in school their wards attend and the constraints
school experienced in course of carrying out the administrative and instructional
functions. In Nigeria, PTA is backed by law in some states making it compulsory
for parents and teachers; while in other states it is voluntary. Whichever way,
parents mandatorily pay levies agreed by the association for their wards attendance
in that particular school ( Igwe, 1999).
The main tasks involved in teacher management and support include;
1. Supervising and monitoring the teacher regarding his punctuality and regularity to
school, his work output and involvement in all other activities outside the academic
area.
2. Providing decent housing accommodation and facilities that will improve his welfare

3. Supporting the teacher in handling domestic and social problems that may impact
negatively on his work
4. Providing opportunities for the teacher to develop his capabilities and potentials
Based on this practice, Enaohwo and Eferakeya (1989) note that in public schools it
is not well practiced and needs to be discouraged especially where PTA arrogates
themselves powers meant for Board of Governors, usually appointed by the
ministry of education to facilitate school governance. This assertion obviously
portrays what is tenable in contemporary struggling societies where education is
corruptly managed under the disguise of dwindling economy. This postulation
provided impeccable background for condemnation of PTA being an important
avenue for school financing.
Tasmania (2012), maintained that levy items are mostly consumables that student
uses during school year such as stationery, photocopying and printing paper; or the
costs of services such as bus hire and entry fees that are essential to delivery of the
education program. They suggested further that levies cannot be used to charge for
teacher salaries, or for the cost of relief teachers, either directly or indirectly, and
are not a source of general revenue or be raised to supplement areas of school
funding such as building maintenance, purchase of equipment or energy costs.
These are the obligations of school owners not parents in case of private
institutions.
In this circumstance, Igwe (1999) citing Anderson and Van Dyke (1963)
highlighted some functions of PTA as applicable to public school (a) promoting
better acquaintances and healthy working relations between teachers and parents
2

(b) serves as effective channel of communication between the school a community

(c) advise the school staff, the board of governs or the school committee on
pressing education needs of the community as perceived by parents amongst others.
The Board of Governors functions include (a) budgeting and preparation of
financial statement of the school (b) raising and management of funds, subject to
such guidelines as may from time to time be approved by the commissioner for
education (c) overseeing to the collection of funds and revenues as applicable (d)
authorizing and scrutinizing the disbursement of all funds to mention but a few. In
some public school the two exist, the Board of Governors stands prominently.
There are deviations of what the PTA stands on their roles in relations to the
concept of private school organizations funding.
Perceived Problem
In the Gushegu District, structures are in place to ensure that teacher support
system is operating well. The district education directorate of the Ghana Education
Service has the role played Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) in ensuring that all
the needed logistics are supplied and the teacher is effectively supervised to work
among others. The PTA supplies the infrastructural facilities and other needs that
are beyond the reach of the school. The teacher is expected to locate close to the
school he teaches implying that he should live in the community. The community
then takes care of his needs in terms of accommodation and other welfare. The
effective functioning of these management bodies will go a long way to improve
performance of the teacher and the pupils. However, it is observed that most
teachers are not living in the communities their schools are located and they appear

dissatisfied with their job. Additionally, parents in the community blame teachers
for the poor performance of pupils while teachers put the blame partly on the local
community and partly on GES management for lack of the necessary support to
enable them perform.

Problem Diagnosis
The role played by the Parent Teacher association has a direct effect on the
improvement of the academic performance of pupils. The study intends to identify
the strategies to improve the academic performance of pupil through the role of the
Parent Teacher Association. The study would use the action research design to
identify the causes of poor academic performance of pupils and identify the roles
that the parent Teacher Association can play to improve the academic performance
of pupils.

Evidence of the problem

The problem identified by the researcher was the poor academic performance of
pupils in Gushegu D/A Junior High School. A thorough analysis of the performance
of pupils in the Basic Education Certificate examination over the past four years
indicates a sharp decline in the candidates performance indexes. Candidates find it
difficult to get placement for their choice of schools due to poor performance in the
examination.

Causes of the Problem

1. The poor conditions of the classroom

2. Inadequate teaching and learning materials
3. Lack of supervision for teachers
4. Use of wrong methodology by teachers
5. Lack of parental interest and support for wards education
6. Child labour

Purpose and Objectives of the Study

The study seeks to identify the causes of poor performance among pupils of
Gushegu D/A Junior High School in the Gushegu District and also identify the
roles that parent teacher association could play in improving the academic
performance of pupils in Gushegu D/A Junior High School.
Objectives of the Study
The study seeks to achieve the following objectives:
1. Identify the causes of poor performance of Gushegu D/A Junior High School pupils
2. Identify the effect of the poor performance of Gushegu D/A Junior High School
pupils on the Gushegu Community.
3. Identify the role the parent teacher association could play to improve the academic
performance of pupils in Gushegu D/A Junior High School.

Research Questions
1. What are the causes of poor performance of Gushegu D/A Junior High School pupils?

2. What are the effects of the poor performance of Gushegu D/A Junior High School
pupils on the Gushegu Community?
3. What role the parent teacher association could play to improve the academic
performance of pupils in Gushegu D/A Junior High School?

Significance of the Study

It is the desire of the researcher that the study will uncover the difficulties teachers
face in executing their duties both inside and outside the classrooms and the
support they should give to the teacher which would improve his efficiency and in
the long run improve the academic performance of pupils.
Specifically, it is hoped the significance will be seen in the following areas.
1. How the communities can be made to work to support the teacher in the district
2. The knowledge acquired from the study will add to the body of literature and give
directions for further research
The outcome may enable planners to become more informed when considering new
policies regarding the welfare and support of the teacher.

Delimitations
The study covered pupils in Gushegu Junior High school. It covered improvement
of poor performance of pupils in Gushegu Junior High School. Specifically, it
covered personnel from the district education office, members of the school
management committees and parent teacher association and teachers.

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This review intends to bring out some of the views on the role of the Parent Teacher
Association as a stakeholder in improving the academic performance of pupils as
presented by various individuals and groups in previous and existing literature.

Poor academic performance in general has attracted the attention of many

intellectuals from different fields of studies. This compels them to investigate the
factors of low achievement. Some of these are as follows;
Agyeman (1993) in his studies of poor academic performance reported that a
teacher who does not have both the academic and professional teacher qualification
would undoubtedly have a negative influence on the teaching and learning of
his/her subject. However he further stated that a teacher who is academically and
professionally qualified but work under unfavorable condition of service would be
less dedicated to his/her work and thus would be less productive than a teacher who
is unqualified but works under favorable conditions of services.
Also, Neagley and Evans (1970) were of the view that effective supervision of
instruction can improve the quality of teaching and learning in the classrooms.
Nevertheless, Etsey, Amedahe, and Eldjah (2004) in a joint study of 60 schools
from pre urban (29 schools) and rural (31 schools) areas in Ghana found that
7

academic achievement was better in private schools than in public school because
of more effective supervision of work.
Another factor is motivation. A highly motivated person puts the maximum effort
in his or her work. Several factors produce motivation and satisfaction. Young
(1988) examined the job satisfaction of Califonia public school teachers in the USA
and found out that one of the overall job predictors was the salary one earned from
it.
More so, Lockheed Etal (1991) studies indicated that lack of motivation and
professional commitment produce poor attendance and unprofessional attitudes
towards students which in turns affect the performance of students academically.
In addition to the above mentioned the availability and use of teaching and learning
materials affect the effectiveness of teachers lessons. According to Bloom (1973)
the creative use of variety of materials increase the probability that the student
would learn more retain better than what they learn and improve their performance
on the skills that they are expected to develop. Also Ausubel (19973) is of the view
that young children are capable of understanding abstract ideas if they are provided
with sufficient materials and experience with the phenomenon that they are to
understand.
Class size has been identified as a determinant of academic performance. Studies
have indicated that school with smaller class sizes perform better academically than
school with large class sizes. Therefore Kraft (1994) in his study of the ideal class
size and its effect on effective teaching and learning in Ghana concluded that class
size above 40 have negative effect on students achievement and below 40

contribute positively in student achievement, also Aseidu Akroif (1978) indicated

that since children have difference in motivation, interest and abilities and that they
also differ in health, personal and social adjustment and creativity generally good
teaching is best done in classes with smaller numbers that allow for individual
attention.
Additionally, Butler (1987) in his studies found a correlation between homework
and academic achievements. He stated that homework bore a positive relation with
learning outcome when it is relevant to learning objectives, assigned regularly in
reasonable amounts, well explained motivational and collected and reviewed during
class time and used as an occasion for feedback to students.
Churchill (1965) found a positive relationship between a location of a school and
the students and teachers performance.
Planning and Evaluation findings, on National Assessment of Education Progress
(NAEP) achievement in high poverty school (A special evaluation report for the
national assessment of title) on September 1998 based on special tabulation
provided by Educational Testing Service in conjunction with National Center for
Education Statistics, on the purpose of examining students achievement in the
United States, giving US department of Education long standing concern in the gap
more advantage peer, analyzing of recent trend, national and state NAEP
assessment result in reading and math for fourth grade years old students in high
and low poverty schools came out with the following key findings,
Lastly, reading presents a more completed picture. The gap in reading performance
between students in high and low poverty school is dramatically larger than the gap

in math and NAEP reading scores have been stagnant, with no significant across
levels of school poverty.

Teacher Management and the Role of the Teacher in Education Delivery

When human resource management is poor, employees are seriously de-motivated.
Teacher management at the national and sub-national levels is not at its best. It is
contended that in most of Africa, for almost all administration regarding teacher
management, one notes a lack of clear rules which tend to generate conflict, power
vacuum, and overlap and duplication of effort (IIEP, 2004:35).
Bennel and Akyeampong (2007) have stated that teacher management tends to be
authoritarian, based on rigid hierarchical structures, which results in limited
participation, delegation, and communication by teachers with respect to major
school management functions and when teachers are subjected to these types of
management regimes they tend to have little sense of self-determination, which
seriously undermines job satisfaction and motivation.
UNESCO Publication on Education for All 11 (1992) indicates that the teacher is
very important in educational performance and has no effective substitute. The
following were mentioned as some of the major roles performed by the teacher:
1. Playing a central role in the delivery of learning opportunities
2. Acting through schools, teachers serve as the foundation for providing education that
will enable individuals to meet lifes challenges for their own wellbeing and that of
society.
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3. Serving as the primary source of removing ignorance and eradicating illiteracy.

Similarly, OShaughnessy (June 2005), has indicated that teachers are the most
critical part of the system that delivers education and that the children will never
learn to read, write and do arithmetic without them.
Fullan and Hargneaveg (1986) state that no matter how noble, sophisticated or
enlightened proposal for change and improvement might be they come to nothing if
teachers do not adopt them in their own classrooms and if they do not translate
them into effective classroom practice.
These roles make it necessary for the teacher to be well managed and supported to
enable him perform. Bennel and Akyeampong (2007) have indicated that teacher
motivation depends critically on effective management, particularly at the school
level. If systems and structures set up to manage and support teachers are
dysfunctional, teachers are likely to lose their sense of professional responsibility
and commitment. One area of management crucial to the teacher concerns the
community within which the teacher is working.

The Role of the Community in Managing Teachers and Providing Support

The Commonwealth Secretariat (1993), states that for any school to operate
effectively it must have funds. It continues that all over the world school education
is funded by government but in some countries schools are heavily dependent on
funds obtained from other sources such as parents, students, community groups,
charitable foundations, local authority and individual business people.

11

Talking about people who have their children in the local educational system,
Robbins and Alvy (1995) indicate that parents may play traditional role from
attending school open days and parent conferences to serving on school boards and
making general policy decisions to becoming a member of site based management
team involved in the everyday running of the school.
Seefeldt (1985) suggest that parents involvement should include decisions on
budget, selection of staff and general operating procedures and thus giving
credence to the invaluable contributions of parents bodies in school management.
An effective way of getting the parents involved is making them have a certain
degree of autonomy and this involves decentralization at the local level. Rondinelli
and Cheema (1983) define the concept decentralization in education as the transfer
of responsibility for planning, management, resource raising and allocation from
central government and its agencies to
1. Field units of central governments ministries (education level) or agencies (school
level)
2. Subordinate units or levels of government
3. Semi-autonomous public authorities or corporations
4. Area-wide regional or functional authorities
5. Non-governmental private voluntary organisations
It has been argued that decentralization of school management gives communities,
parents and teachers a stake in local school decision-making. Stakeholder
participation in school management is therefore seen as a mechanism that has the
12

potential to promote greater efficiency in the utilization and organization of

resources when decisions are made by those close to the point where services are
being delivered.
Bennel and Akyeampong (2007) support this view when they stated that it is widely
contended that the comprehensive decentralisation of school management functions
will result in significant improvements in teacher recruitment and deployment
practices and higher teacher motivation and overall performance. They however
indicate that the link between decentralisation and improved teacher performance is
often quite weak in government schools because education decentralisation has, in
practice, remained quite limited in many developing countries (especially in much
of South Asia) and that the capacity of parents and local stakeholders to exercise
control over school managers and teachers is limited.
Ozigi (1977), indicates that members of the community participates in some of the
school activities such as speech and prize giving days, sporting activities, school
social programmes, staff parties and others. Such occasions enable the public to see
some aspects of school life and to learn about its achievement and difficulties and
to appeal for support, cash or in kind for projects like libraries, books and others.
The Ghana Education Service Act (1995) Article 9 subsection 2 called for the
creation of District Education Oversight Committees (DEOC). It was empowered
to directly participate in the management of teachers and providing support.
Subsequent government official policy document have urged District Assemblies,
Parent Teacher Associations and School Management Committees to take active
participation in the management of schools in their locality.

13

The PTA/SMC Handbook (2001) spells out the participation in teacher

management and support by the stake holders in the community in detail.
According to the handbook the School Management Committee is a committee
designated under the Ghana Education Act of 1994 and constitutes the highest body
overseeing education delivery in the school in the local community.
According to the Headteachers Handbook (1994), published by the Ghana
Education Service, the Parent Teacher Association is an association of parents and
guardians of the children in the school. Similar to the SMC it is concerned with the
welfare of both teachers and pupils in the school in the community. In most of the
cases, the SMC and the executive committee of the PTA come together to address
issues confronting the school.
According to the handbook, the role of the PTA and SMC have been grouped into
three
1. Efficiency in management
2. Quality teaching and learning
3. Increasing access and participation

Regarding efficiency in management, the document focuses on the proper

constitution of the PTA /SMC, the training programmes that they should have,
planning and conduct of meetings, ensuring good relationship between the school
and the community, prepare school performance improvement plans and ensure the
projects are carried out and ensuring that there are productive links between the

14

school and the District Education Office, District Education Oversight Committees
(DEOC), government authorities and external agencies.
Regarding the effective way of ensuring efficiency in management by the
PTA/SMC, a training programme was organized for them to equip them with the
necessary skills. All PTA/SMC in the district were trained through the Community
School Alliance organized by USAID under the QUIPS programme in
collaboration with the Government of Ghana in 2003. The PTA/SMC was expected
after the training to bring the whole community up to understand what they need to
do about the school in the community.
OShaughnessy (June 2005), indicates that traditional and community leaders have
very special responsibility for the school and educating the parents about important
issues. In many places the chief determines how things work. In some places,
special rules have been passed to protect children from influences like video shows
and other late night activities. The parents are educated regarding the need to enroll
their children in school, providing basic school supplies the children need and
assisting the SMC in providing materials like books, developing and maintaining
school infrastructure by organizing communal labour, visiting schools to monitor
teacher attendance and finding out about what the school needs.
Teacher Housing and Welfare
When the work and living environment for the teacher is poor, it tends to lower
self-esteem and is generally de-motivating. According to Akyeampong (2003)
schools in many countries lack basic amenities such as pipe borne water and
electricity, staff rooms and toilets and that housing is a major issue for nearly all

15

teachers. He continues that in Ghana, the percentage of teachers who are housed
increased from only 5 percent in 1988 to 30 per cent in 2003. The availability of
housing is believed to be due to the nature of housing delivery system operating in
an area.
Richardson (1976) defines housing delivery as a set of institutional and technical
arrangement for mobilizing and converting widely dispersed resources into housing
goods and services. To him, housing delivery systems vary widely in size and
complexity according to context. The configuration, structure and performance of a
housing delivery system are determined partly by internal relationship between its
components and partly by socio economic and institutional factors in its context. As
a result there are many types of delivery systems.
Turner and Frichter (1972), state that the delivery system spans a spectrum from
centralized hierarchical systems network to decentralized delivery networks. They
mention indigenous traditional delivery system and participant system as some of
the types of delivery systems under the decentralized network. The indigenous
traditional delivery system is the case where the owner contributes towards the
cost. The actual house cost is within the means of most rural families. The
participant system is where individuals come together to form societies and
contribute to the cost communally. The centralized network comes under the
umbrella of organizations and the state.
This situation is in line with the view of Bennel and Akyeampong (2007) who have
indicated that major improvement in the incentives for teachers in rural schools is
identified as the top priority in nearly every country and that unless this is done, the

16

large majority of children who live in rural areas will continue to receive poor
quality education. They further assert that in the short term, the provision of good
quality housing with running water and electricity for teachers is probably the most
cost-effective way of attracting and retaining teachers at hard-to-staff rural schools.
They feel that in most countries, rural allowances would have to be at least half of
basic pay in order to staff schools with qualified and able teachers. According to
Musaazi (1985), there have been a number of occasions where parents have
willingly erected school buildings and built houses to accommodate teachers.
OShaughnessy (June 2005), has indicated that a problem that persists in many
schools is teacher attendance and punctuality and that where teachers have
accommodation in the community; it is easier for them to be on time every day. She
felt that it is the duty of communities to support teachers by helping them with
housing and food and preparing farms for them.
In their study of secondary schools in Cape Coast municipality for instance,
Owolabi and Edzii (2000) concluded that external incentives, specifically Ghana
Education Service packages of incentives like the Best Teacher Award, do not
motivate teachers adequately enough but internal incentive packages by way of free
meals, bonuses, staff welfare funds from which teachers are offered soft loans and
annual get-together dinners provided by the schools PTA are more attractive and
these retain teachers in the schools and make them more committed to the job. Page
99 of the SMC/ PTA Handbook has the following to say about teachers welfare
regarding what the community should do.
1. Set up welfare fund out of which needy teachers can be helped

17

2. Welcome teachers and help them solve their initial problems

3. Acquire suitable accommodation for teachers
4. Introduce teachers to prominent members of the community
5. Undertake income generating ventures to support teachers
6. Help teachers to acquire land for farming/houses
7. Counsel teachers on community way of life
8. Regularly interact with teachers to discuss their problems

Staff Motivation and Incentive as Part of Teacher Support

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs theory postulates that humans have specific needs
that must be met. According to him there are five levels of need, namely
physiological (thirst, sex, hunger), safety (security, stability and protection), love
and belongingness, self-esteem and self-actualisation (see Maslow, 1943). A key
proposition is that if the lower level needs remain unmet, the higher level needs
cannot be fulfilled. This theory seems particularly relevant to teachers in
developing countries because meeting the basic survival needs of food and shelter
as well as security in conflict situations are major daily challenges for teachers in
many countries. These can seriously impair the realisation of higher level needs
without which effective teacher performance cannot be attained.
Bennel and Akyeampong (2007) feel that teachers who are tired and hungry and
excessively preoccupied about meeting their households livelihood needs, are

18

unlikely to become strongly motivated by their involvement in professional

development activities. Based on survey data from five Francophone countries
(Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote dIvoire, Madagascar and Senegal), Michaelowa
however, finds that the salary variables showed no noticeable impact on teacher job
satisfaction. She concludes that the role of salaries does not seem to be as
important as many people believe (Michaelowa, 2002: 18).
Owolabi and Edzii (2000) maintain that the decision to remain in an environment is
influenced by rewards and incentive packages. Where these are present in the
school environment, teachers remain in the school. According to them, the urge to
perform, also depends on intrinsic rewards, recognition and achievement and inter
personal relationship. In this respect a teacher feels satisfied when he is entrusted
with some responsibility and he feels he is making progress and if this is
accompanied with a simple thank you from the community.
Roux, Ilukana, Averia and Truebody (1993), classify factors which affect staff
motivation into four categories namely personal needs, work situation factors,
management methods, and community values. The positive factors according to
them would boost morale and enhance output while the negative ones would hinder
productivity.
Holding a similar view, Hanson (1991), declares that motivation techniques must
respond to three organizational needs
1. The people must be attracted and retained by the organization
2. People must be induced to conscientiously and effectively perform their tasks

19

3. People must be spurred on to engage in creative and innovative work related actions
that resolve problems increasingly and efficiently.
Regarding staff retention, Adesina (1990), conducted a research among secondary
school teachers on factors affecting teacher retention and it came to light that
underpayment, poor promotion prospects, poor conditions of service, societal
disrespect for teachers and government insensitivity to the plight of teachers were
behind.
Antwi (1992) declares that in Ghana low teacher retention can be attributed to the
negative change in public attitude towards the teaching profession. The negative
change, he notes has driven some of the best brains away to other occupations that
enjoy high societal respect. He also adds poor remuneration as a factor.
A document issued by the Ghana Education Service Council on conditions and
scheme of service and the code of professional conduct and duplicated by the
Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in November 2000 mentioned
what is expected of a teacher and his welfare when entering into the service, issues
concerning his postings and transfers, remunerations due him and the entry points,
fringe benefits and working conditions he is entitled to, leave options available to
him, how grievances should be addressed, and the expectations required of him in
the service.
Regarding the communitys role in ensuring that there is quality teaching and
learning, the PTA/SMC is to ensure that there is performance based incentive
packages for teachers and pupils, catering adequately for teachers and pupils
welfare. Page 97 of the PTA/SMC handbook for instance indicates the following as

20

the specific steps PTA and SMC should take in providing incentives to teachers and
pupils:
1. Identify those who should be awarded
2. Be fair in the selection of award winners
3. Fix the date for the presentation of the award
4. Invite all stakeholders to the ceremony
5. Purchase and provide attractive awards
6. Invite award winners
7. Organize entertainment package i.e. brass band, cultural troupe, drama

The reviewed literature has clearly showed that the teacher is very important in the
nations progress. No meaningful development can be achieved if due attention is
not given to the teacher. It has also been noted that the teacher performs better and
go through all sacrifices if he is adequately supported and the management bodies
in education and the local school community has major role to play in this.

21

CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter is made up of research design, population and sample selection,
research instrument, data collection procedure, limitations and data analysis.

Research Design
Action Research is the research design used for the project. Action research is a
kind of research activity in which the researcher works collaboratively with other
people to solve a problem. It is an approach which aims at improving a problem
related situation through change. It also enable both the researcher and the pupils to
develop appropriate intervention strategies aimed at finding solutions to the
problem identified in the teaching and learning situation, action research is an
essential aspect of the teacher professionals responsibilities which help them to
understanding what actually goes on the teaching and learning situation
It also equips the modern teacher in term of understanding various methods and
approaches that suit his/her pupils.
It also enhances the teachers professional status, promotes teachers personal
development, and improvement of his/her practices.
Finally, the findings from Action Research provides the teacher the opportunity of
acquiring a better understanding of all aspects of his/her own practice be it in a

22

related subject content Curriculum or the method appropriate tool the level of the
pupils.
Population and Sample Selection
According to the Cambridge Learner Dictionary (2000), population is defined as all
the people living in a particular country, area, or place and sample is a small
amount of people or things taken from a larger group and used in tests to provide
information about the group.
Gushegu has about four public Junior High schools. In Gushegu D/A Junior High
School, the population of pupils is three hundred and eighty six (386). The school
has about thirteen teachers. The researcher however limited the study to form three
pupils. The total number of pupils in form three is fifty -five (55).
In selecting the sample, the researcher used the simple random sampling method to
create a sample for the study. The simple random sampling technique was
employed because most pupils performed poorly in class. The total number of
pupils selected for the study was twenty (20) pupils. The researcher also sampled 5
teachers from the school and 10 parents. The headmaster and the chairman for the
PTA in the school were also identified for interviewing.

Research Instruments
The researcher used three different instruments with the aim of obtaining perfect
and comprehensive results as each of the instrument had its limitation. For instance
interview which is face to face interaction between the interviewer and the
23

interviewee with the aim of collecting information has its limitation. This cannot be
used where each of the researcher not interviewee are not prepared to respond
during the interactions with the interviewer.
With observation in which the researcher collects information about pupils through
watching, listening and recording cannot study the opinion and attitude directly
despite the fact that it can be used where other instrument fails. Also it cannot
provide information about the past.
Lastly test was conducted to collect information about pupils performance in all
the subjects before and after the intervention.

Data Collection Procedure

This aspect is made up of pre intervention, intervention and post intervention.

Pre intervention
Observation and interview were used to gather information about the pupils. Test
was used to collect information about pupils relating to their academic
achievements. Observation was used to determine the attitude punctuality of pupils
towards schools.

Interventions
The PTA in their general meeting resolved that through the motivation of teachers,
there would be a significant improvement in the performance of their wards. The
association therefore approved that measures should be taken to look at the

24

accommodation problems of the teachers who have been posted from other regions
of the country to render their service to the people of Gushegu.
Also, the basic teaching and learning materials which were not available in the
school for teaching and learning to on efficiently were provided through the funds
raised by the PTA.
The PTA also paid visits to the school to interact with the teachers and to address
any problem they faced which is within their jurisdiction.
The PTA also organised compulsory extra tuition sessions for the pupils. This was
aimed at providing addition income for masters who were committed to improve
the performance of pupils.
Teachers who had interest in farming within the community were supported with
tractor services. This measure was aimed at improving the teacher retention ratio in
the community.

Post intervention
Tests were organized again and the results showed improvement in pupils
academic performance as compared to previous scores. It is the researchers hope
that the initiatives taken by the PTA would be sustained if not improved. This
would ultimately improve the performance of pupils in the Basic Education
Certificate Examination.

25

Limitation
This section of the researcher is devoted to the presentation of problems or
difficulties encountered during the course of study.
As a student on the Distance Education Programme, the preparation of lesson
notes; teaching and learning materials; giving of exercises being part of the
teaching, this has put constraints on the researcher for the conduct of the study.
More so the unwillingness on the part of the pupils, their guardians and other close
relation to give information limited the research. This made the collection of
information on the research difficult.

Data Analysis Plan

Test in terms were used to analyze the data of this piece of work. Tests were
marked and were grouped in tens e.g. 0 10, 11 20 etc. in such a way that any
student whose marks falls between the average range of marks in each subject was
recorded in the range of marks in relation to the subjects. This procedure was done
before and after intervention.
The data collected was analyzed using simple percentage and tables.

This

statistical instrument aided in the determination of the intensity of the problem and
the effectiveness of the intervention strategies.

26

CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS AND FINDINGS
Introduction
This chapter discusses the results that were realised after using the various research
instruments and the implementation of the interventions. The results are presented
in tables.
Table 1: Sample size
Members
Pupils

Number
20

Percentage (%)
57

Teachers

14

Parents

10

28

Total

35

100

Table 1 shows that pupils constituted 57% of the sample used for the study,
teachers represented 14% of the study whiles parents constituted 28% of the study.

27

Figure 1: Gender of Respondents

From the figure above, about fifty-two percent (52%) of the pupils were males
whiles forty eight percent (48%) of the pupils were females.

28

Table 2: who do pupils live with?

Who do you live with
Both parents

Responses
15

Percentage (%)
75.00

Father only

15.00

Mother only

10.00

20

100.00

Total

From the table above, 15 students representing 75% live with both parents (mother
and father) whiles 3 students representing 15% lived with only their fathers, 2
students representing 10% stay with their mothers only.
Table 3: number of siblings
Number of Siblings
1-4

Responses
8

Percentage (%)
40.00

5-8

35.00

Above 8

25.00

Total

20

100.00

From the table 8 pupils representing 40% stated that they had between 1-4 siblings,
7 pupils representing 35% agreed that they had between 5-8 siblings and five pupils
representing 25% stated they had above eight siblings.
Table 4: pre- intervention scores
Scores (20)

Frequency

Percentage (%)

29

1-5

10

50

6-10

25

11-15

15

16-20

10

Totals

20

100

From table four, about 15 pupils representing 75% scored below the past mark
whiles about 5 representing 25% pupils scored above the average score. This table
therefore shows that three- thirds of the pupils performed poorly.

Table 5: causes of poor performance among pupils

Causes
Poor classroom condition

Frequency
10

Percentage (%)
50

Lack of motivation for teachers

25

Lack of support from parents

25

20

100

Total

30

From the table above, 10 pupils representing 50% of the population agreed that the
cause of their poor performance was due to poor classroom conditions, 5 pupils
representing 25% agreed that lack of motivational programmes for the teachers
resulted in their poor performance whiles 5 pupils representing 25% attributed the
cause of their poor performance to the low support they receive from parents
towards their education.
Table 6: post intervention test results
Scores (20)
1-5

Frequency
2

Percentage (%)
10

6-10

25

11-15

10

50

16-20

15

Totals

20

100

According to table seven which shows the scores of pupils after the intervention
activity, seven pupils representing 35% of pupils scored marks below the average
score whiles thirteen pupils representing 65% of pupils scored marks above the
average score.

31

CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary
Parents may bold different beliefs and attitudes in the school policies that may
hinder the development of the school. Some teachers regard it as an interference in
their professional autonomy. It is possible that increased parent involvement in
school could result in increased political struggle with little or even negative impact
on student achievement and the culture and functioning ofthe school (MaCary,
1986).
32

It is mainly because a PTA will bring in the influence of another institution -the
family - into the school. When parents serve a. school managers, the influence will
be even stronger. The increased accountability and workload may have adverse
impact on the climate, the culture or even the ways of working of the staff.
The PTA had some favourable impacts on the involved parents perceptions
towards the teachers. These perceptions enhanced the parents relationship with the
teachers and facilitated them to view the teachers as partners in the educational
process.
The parents, though some of them claimed that teachers were their partners in the
educational process, did not expect to share with them the decision making in the
school management committee.
The involved parents perception of the teachers as partners in the educational
process bad enhanced parent-teacher cooperation in the remedy of the students'
problems and in the promotion of the wellbeing of the children.
The impacts on the perception of the non-involved parents was obviously less
significant and this was a barrier for the development of a closer parent-teacher
relationship.
The PTA had some impacts on the parents' practices, as the involvement extended
from home to school. Apart from the emergence of two-way and interactive mode
of communication, the parents acted as participants in school activities and as
helpers to teachers. Yet, it had to note that the impact on the parents roles as

33

"learners" and "teachers' were less significant. Certainly. The impact was even less
significant in the parents as the advocates for school policies.
Parent involvement was found discriminatory. The parents placed higher priority in
the academic activities than other involvement activities the parents of lower forms
students bad more involvement than the parents of senior forms students.
Many parents, who did not see the need and the merits of involvement activities,
had little participation in the educational process even the PTA offered them the
opportunities.
After the forming of the PTA, the teachers experienced some perceptual changes
and an improvement in relationship with the "involved' parents, which facilitated
them to take parents as partners in the educational process.
The teachers perceived that the PTA had no significant impact on the practices of
the non-involved parents who were still playing a passive role in the educational
process.
Most of the teachers viewed that parents were their educational partners with
working together relationship but not shared decision making relationship. Yet the
understanding of partners in this manner was adequate enough for the teachers to
work cooperatively with the parents to enhance the educational effects. The
teachers perceived that many parents were academic advocates, but they were
characterized with low efficacy.

34

The teachers' practices in parent involvement activities increased in number and in

kinds. They accommodated the parents as the participants and helpers in the school
activities.
It was found that the PTA was not in the priority of the school agenda. The
limitation of manpower and resources were the major reasons why the school
lacked of a whole school policy. In fact, many teachers were not involved in the
PTA activities.
To promote parent involvement in the educational process, the school employed
some specific and differentiated practices, such as parents as the organizers of the
school activities, and parents as the guests to give prizes.
The teachers found that since the formation of the PTA in the school, their
accountability to the parents had increased. Many were bemused in accepting more
accountability and accommodating the parents in the school management
committee.
The above are the most salient points drawn from the empirical study of the
impacts of the PTA on the perceptions and practices of the parents and the teachers.
They interweave into a holistic picture of the dynamics of parental involvement in
the case study school.
Conclusions

35

The major findings in this study imply that the educators and policy makers need to
extend their effort to understand the key elements that link up with the impacts of
the PTA in the educational process.
The impacts of the PTA in the educational process depends on the enthusiasm and
participation of parents and teachers in involvement practices. In other words, the
occurrence of parent involvement is related to the parents' and teachers needs and
their priority placed on the need.
Even parents have the need, they may not involve in the PTA activities because
they do not regard it as a priority when compared with other needs. For instance
despite that some parents realize the importance of home-school cooperation, they
may allocate their lime to do a part-time job as they may regard the need of earning
more money as more important than attending the involvement activities. Or they
prefer to attend other activities, such as having tea with their friends than to attend
the PTA activities. It accounts for the fact that, even a school makes the
opportunities available, there are very few parents who participate in the PTA
programmes.
Many parents prefer to attend the academic seminars than the PTA social activilies.
It is because that they place higher priority on the academic aetivities than the othes
activities.
Similarly teachers may claim that they take the parents as their partners in the
education of children and the home-school cooperation is an important issue in the
school. Yet, many teachers seldom attend and help in the parent involvement
36

activities. It is because that, with limited manpower they may regard the other tasks
even more important and with higher priority iii the school agenda, such as the
administration duties or the curriculum affairs.
This finding bears a policy implication for the Hong Kong Education Department
and the schools intending to form a PTA. If PTA is to be an influential body to
enhance the educational effects on the students, the basic task is to promote the
parents' and teachers' awareness of the priority of the involvement need. Merely
having the mission is not enough. In fact, action following the mission is vital in
accomplishing the success of parent-teacher cooperation.
Recommendations
There should be a Guidance and Counseling department in every school where the
psychological, emotional and academic challenges of students could be tackled. In
some countries in Asia, teachers do not end their interaction with their students at
the school premises. They go further to pay visits to their students to know what the
students do at home and the circumstances under which the students do extra
learning at home.
Religious bodies should not concentrate more on theoretical views of issues to the
detriment of realities children face. Children from single parent homes should be
thought to have faith in a super power to build self-esteem and control their
emotional traumas.
Parents should be flexible in handling the problems of their children. The study
advises that a parent could adopt different parental styles at different times to solve
37

the problem at hand. This approach would not expose children to the limitations of
one parental style.
Last but not least, teachers handling adolescents are encouraged to adopt different
instructional methods of controlling their behaviours in school because of the
individual differences of students and their socio cultural backgrounds.

38

Suggestions for further studies

This study has provided a description and an explanatory account on the impacts of
the PTA. With these findings as the starting points, further researches may be
conducted to explore the strength, weakness and applicability of the different types
of involvement practices in the local schools. Some other research directions are
also suggested -the impacts of the PTA oil the students learning and development,
on the parents' and teachers' efficacy, and on the issue of optimum level of parent
involvement in school. These research studies may provide useful information in
the management of a successful PTA.

39

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