School-home partnership in the context of a private school located in Karachi, Pakistan
Date of Award
8-1-2007
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (M. Ed.)
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
This study explores how school-community partnership is developed as an improvement strategy in a private school located in Karachi, Pakistan, where most of the schools are operating without partnership with the communities. The study was qualitative in nature, in which interviews, observations and document analysis were used as different tools for data collection in order to get knowledge about different partnership practices. The practices were found to be the different modes of communication between the homes and school, involvement of the community in different curricular and co- curricular activities, exchange of resources between the homes and the school and various voluntary services by the parents. The study also identified the factors which enhance or hinder school home partnership and explored the perceptions of the school staff regarding their roles in building school-home partnership. The communication between the school and the homes was found to be the fundamental practice for improving the learning environment for the students both at home and at school. It is done through formal meetings, circulars, provision of reading materials, telephonic contacts and different awareness programs arranged at the school. Partnership with homes was also found in terms of involvement of parents in curricular and co-curricular activities, which include story-telling, project works, formal discussions, and classroom observation. Similarly, voluntary services by the parents and the resources which are exchanged between the school and the families were also closely examined in this study. The factors which enhance school-home partnership were found to be: the support and guidance provided by the principal, availability of the resources, location of the school and the learning environment of the school. Meanwhile, while the factors which hinder schoolhome partnership were language problem of some of the parents, hesitation of novice teachers in interacting with the parents and the presence of certain strict rules and regulations. The perception of the school staff and parents about the roles of the principal showed that s/he should be a role model for other staff, develop a collaborative environment within the school and encourage team work, so that parents can be motivated and involved in the education of their children.
Recommended Citation
Khan, A. (2007). School-home partnership in the context of a private school located in Karachi, Pakistan (Unpublished master's dissertation). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.