Background: Parental involvement is one of the important factors in pupils’ academic achievement. Aim: The study sought to assess whether an intervention to enhance the interaction of parents with Grade 4 learners (aged 10–15 years) in homework would improve the learners performance in Chitonga and Mathematics. Setting: This study was conducted with two rural primary schools in the Kalomo District of Southern Province, Zambia. Methods: The participants were Grade 4 learners and their parents. A total of 168 participants were enlisted (84 learners and 84 parents). Elementary tests in Mathematics and Chitonga, the quality of parent–child interaction in homework, the quality and frequency of parent–school communication in homework, and the use of home resources in the instruction of children to increase Chitonga and Mathematics skills were assessed. One school served as a control while the other was the target of intervention. Parents in the intervention group received a 10-week programme of sensitisation on how to support their children in homework using available local resources and on parent–child interactions. Questionnaires and interviews were sent to collect data from parents while tests in Mathematics and Chitonga, systematically developed by the national regulatory body, were set to assess the learners’ performance. Results: Post-test scores of learners in Mathematics and Chitonga in the intervention school were significantly higher, in addition to increased parent–child interaction and the use of home resources in instruction. Conclusion: The authors conclude that interventions which empower parents with knowledge and skills for greater involvement in their children’s homework can be effective in improving the learners’ performance.

中文翻译：

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赞比亚农村基础学校的家长参与和学习者的表现

背景：父母的参与是影响学生学习成绩的重要因素之一。目的：该研究旨在评估一项干预措施，以增强父母与4年级学习者（10至15岁）在作业中的互动，是否会改善学习者在Chitonga和数学上的表现。地点：这项研究是在赞比亚南部省卡洛莫区的两所农村小学进行的。方法：参与者为四年级学习者及其父母。共有168名参与者（84名学习者和84名父母）参加。评估了数学和Chitonga的基础测试，家庭作业中亲子互动的质量，家庭作业中父母与学校交流的质量和频率，以及在儿童指导中使用家庭资源来提高Chitonga和数学技能的能力。一所学校作为对照，另一所学校作为干预目标。干预组的父母接受了为期10周的提高意识计划，内容涉及如何利用可用的本地资源以及亲子互动来支持孩子的家庭作业。发送了问卷调查表和访谈，以从父母那里收集数据，同时由国家监管机构系统地开发的数学和Chitonga测试旨在评估学习者的表现。结果：除了增加了亲子互动和在教学中使用家庭资源之外，干预学校的数学和Chitonga学习者的测验分数也明显更高。结论：