Abstract

The study explores caregivers’ perspectives and experiences around the barriers or facilitating factors to their involvement in their children’s schooling lives. Qualitative semi-structured focus group discussions with fifteen caregivers from four different socio-economic status schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, were conducted and analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis. Caregivers were selected via purposive sampling. The study’s findings were that caregivers perceived their children’s educators as easy to collaborate with, viewed school meetings as important and the school reception as welcoming, which encouraged their involvement. Setting up meetings with the school was seen as a challenge which discouraged caregiver-involvement. There are thus facilitating factors for caregiver-involvement in place in schools which demonstrates that the schools sampled, are aware of the important role of caregiver-involvement in reducing the risky-behavior engagement by youth in these communities. Caregivers are also more inclined to be involved, given the encouraging efforts made by the schools; and aware of their children’s schools’ LO education, policies which are in support of the messages taught in the LO curriculum and extra-curricular activities to prevent learners’ engagement in unhealthy behavior. Caregivers are therefore, better able to reinforce the messages taught via the LO curriculum. Caregivers are more likely to perceive their children’s LO educators as credible sources of life skills education and to partner with educators, to reduce the health risks in their children’s lives. More awareness for the importance of caregiver-involvement in reducing adolescent engagement in risky behavior engagement can be provided by schools and the government.

摘要

该研究探讨了看护人对他们参与孩子学校生活的障碍或促进因素的看法和经验。使用主题内容分析与来自南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省四所不同社会经济地位学校的 15 名护理人员进行了定性的半结构化焦点小组讨论并进行了分析。通过有目的的抽样选择看护人。该研究的结果是，看护人认为他们孩子的教育工作者易于合作，认为学校会议很重要，学校招待会很受欢迎，这鼓励了他们的参与。与学校举行会议被视为一项挑战，阻碍了看护人的参与。因此，学校中存在促进照顾者参与的因素，这表明所抽样的学校意识到照顾者参与在减少这些社区青年参与危险行为方面的重要作用。鉴于学校做出的令人鼓舞的努力，看护人也更愿意参与；并了解他们孩子学校的 LO 教育、支持 LO 课程中所教授信息的政策以及防止学习者参与不健康行为的课外活动。因此，看护人能够更好地强化通过 LO 课程教授的信息。看护人更有可能将他们孩子的 LO 教育者视为生活技能教育的可靠来源，并与教育者合作，以减少他们孩子生活中的健康风险。学校和政府可以提高对照顾者参与在减少青少年参与危险行为方面的重要性的认识。