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In South Africa, Grade 10 subject streaming is a critical stage in secondary schooling that shapes learners' future educational and career opportunities. Informed subject choices align with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), which promotes inclusive and equitable learning opportunities. Although parental involvement is widely recognised as important during this transition, limited research has examined how parents in rural contexts prepare their children for subject-stream selection. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, this study investigated whether and how parents prepare their children for Grade 10 subject streaming in rural secondary schools in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province. A qualitative case study design was employed. Participants included parents of Grade 9 learners, learners, and educators responsible for subject guidance. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that parental participation in subject selection was often procedural rather than informed. While some parents attempted to guide their children, many lacked adequate knowledge of subject streams, curriculum requirements, and their links to further study and career pathways. Document analysis further showed that subject-choice forms largely functioned as administrative tools requiring parental signatures, with limited explanatory information regarding subject requirements and career opportunities. Socioeconomic challenges, limited educational attainment, and weak school-parent communication further constrained parental involvement. As a result, learners frequently relied on Life Orientation teachers, peers, and personal interests when selecting subjects. The study concludes that parental preparation for Grade 10 subject streaming in rural schools remains limited and uneven. It recommends strengthening school-parent partnerships, providing parent-focused subject-choice guidance, involving parents more directly in career-guidance activities, and improving access to subject-selection information through clear and accessible communication.

The purpose of the research was to explore how parents were engaged in the education of Grade 1 learners during the COVID-19 crisis in the Rakwadu 2 Circuit of Limpopo Province. On the 18th of March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the abrupt closure of all schools in South Africa. The closure of schools was a good move to prevent the virus from spreading among learners and teachers. The study was grounded in Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems theory, and the findings were discussed within this framework. An exploratory research design was used. This qualitative research study was conducted with 8 parents and 4 teachers, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data. Before the researchers gathered data, ethical steps, such as obtaining permission from the Department of Basic Education, principals, and teachers, were taken. Hence, the participants were assured of anonymity, confidentiality, the non-violation of their rights, safety, and no interruption to their teaching responsibilities. The findings demonstrated unique issues of a lack of parent involvement in the school environment. The study suggests that schools must provide practical examples to help parents teach their children at home.

The learning process of a new language implies many different aspects to be considered and one of those aspects is the social component, family and society, that is always present in the learning processes. It is important to get to know what those roles are in the specific social context; how families/caregivers are supporting their children and the connection these actions have with academic performance in the English first additional classroom. Thus, this, this paper addressed the following research question: What is the importance of parental input in English first additional language? The aim of the study is to explore parental input in English first additional language. Data was gathered through a systematic literature review, and during the search, only English language was the subject of teaching in settings where English is not the language of the majority. After screening the papers, settled for only those that met all inclusion criteria for data extraction and analysis. Findings revealed that that parents are their child’s first teachers; thus, their involvement in additional language development is critical in enhancing academic performance. As the children’s ?rst learning experiences are tied to their home environment, the parents are important in creating a favourable learning environment for their children. Also, parents who read books with their child before the child goes to school, particularly primary school, and parents who participate in their child’s reading and managing homework outside school hours are the best predictors of academic achievement. However, some parents in disadvantaged communities had literacy challenges, thus unmotivated to assist their children with homework, unlike the educated parents, especially in semi- and urban areas who possess some   academic knowledge to manage EFAL homework.

This study examines the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on the academic performance of primary school learners in the Nzhelele West Circuit of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Despite national attempts to enhance educational results, considerable performance gaps remain, especially in rural and semi-rural areas. The study used a qualitative descriptive approach to acquire a thorough knowledge of the lived experiences of learners, parents, and teachers. Data was produced by semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion in chosen primary schools of communities with different socioeconomic backgrounds. The findings reveal the conditions of low-SES, which include unemployment, low parental education levels, poor learning materials and unstable family conditions, as those that result in obstacles that weaken the ability of learners to concentrate, attend school, have motivation, and perform well as learners. Among the problems that were emphasized by the participants was food insecurity, inadequate literacy provisions at home, and overcrowded families. The study found that SES has extensive effects on educational achievement and suggests context-sensitive intervention, such as enhanced school-community collaborations, parental empowerment programs, and special support programmes to eliminate SES-based obstacles. The results can help in gaining a better insight about the intricate nexus of SES and academic performance in rural South African primary school education

The main aim of this study was to explore the impact of parental engagement on learner achievement in primary schools. A case study was used as a qualitative research design. Data were gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data collected through interviews was systematically analyzed using thematic analysis, a qualitative method that involves identifying, analyzing, and interpreting patterns or themes within the data. The key findings of the study highlight the concept of parental engagement, the role of parents in helping children with homework, parent-teacher communications, and parent-teacher partnership as aspects of the impact of parental engagement. The findings further indicate that working parents are less interested in their children’s education due to work responsibilities and a lack of time, which proved to be a difficulty for parental engagement. The findings suggest that effective parental engagement can be positively impacted by a strong parental-teacher relationship. However, implementing parental engagement presents several difficulties that, if specifically handled, could enhance parental engagement for the benefit of the learners.

Parental involvement is recognised as a significant factor in education globally. However, evidence suggests a scarcity of research focusing on parental involvement in education of vulnerable children in South Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the perspectives of house parents at Sunshine Haven Children’s Home regarding parental involvement in the education of vulnerable children. Informed by Epstein’s theory of overlapping spheres of influence, the qualitative study adopted an interpretivist paradigm and a case study design. Data were obtained through focus group interviews with a group of five purposefully selected house parents at Sunshine Haven Children’s Home. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study reveal that, according to house parents’ perspectives, parental involvement in education for vulnerable children is not satisfactory. House parents experienced challenges in offering educational support, including lack of resources, lack of confidence in assisting with children homework and lack of effective communication between school and home. Therefore, the study recommends the forging of a viable partnership between teachers and house parents, the development of targeted interventions and training programmes and the allocation of resources to enhance parental involvement and ultimately improve the academic performance and wellbeing of vulnerable children.

The literature links significant parental involvement in school activities to good school outcomes. The two-fold study examined factors affecting parental participation in rural primary school governance and its advantages. The qualitative case study method was used to collect data from nine purposively recruited individuals from three rural elementary schools. Individual semi-structured interviews collected thematically analyzed data. The study found that negative school attitudes caused parental animosity toward school. Lack of role awareness, inadequate professional connections caused by academic gaps, and language difficulties also discouraged parental involvement in school governance. Parental involvement promotes collective accountability and school-home integration. Home and school characteristics affected parental participation in school activities, the study found. Based on the findings, recommendations included improving parent-teacher interactions to help students succeed and training SGBs to improve their performance.