Contextually responsive leadership for successful school-parent engagement in rural Limpopo secondary schools

Abstract

School leadership plays a critical role in school improvement across the world. However, school leaders in rural schools face many contextual challenges that hamper school success. These challenges include socio-economic conditions and the educational backgrounds of parents. Many parents in rural communities face economic difficulties and find engagement with schools problematic, but they still have a strong desire to be involved in their children`s learning. School leaders need to respond to the challenges by engaging parents in their children’s education to succeed. They should acknowledge that parents' participation may influence children`s learning outcomes. A child’s learning depends on the contributions a parent may bring into the learning process. Parent engagement is therefore critical for a child`s holistic development. Parent engagement is associated with higher academic achievement, successful high school completion and a better social environment. Parents play a critical role in providing a learning bridge between the school and the home while instilling positive attitudes and values towards learning and life in their children. However, parents cannot achieve the holistic development of their children without school leaders. Parents should work closely with school leaders. In other words, a partnership between school leaders and parents is critical as education is a collective responsibility. Despite studies showing that parent engagement influences learner achievement positively, parent engagement remains elusive. The conceptual framework derived from the context-responsive leadership construct of Bredeson, Klar and Johansson, this study sought to examine how contextually responsive leadership can establish successful school-parent engagement in rural Limpopo secondary schools. A qualitative research methodology based on a case study design was followed in collecting data using semi-structured interviews with principals and parents. The viii participants were selected from 13 secondary schools in one rural Limpopo district. The study’s findings show that contextual factors such as socio-economic status and parents’ educational backgrounds hamper collaboration and engagement needed to support children’s learning. The study recommends aligning school leadership practices with the socio-economic dynamics of the school’s context to ensure successful school-parent engagement. Since parent engagement is affected by multiple contextual factors, the study also recommends contextually responsive leadership strategies that principals can apply to strengthen school-parent engagement geared towards learners’ achievement.