The notion of parental involvement and education in Burkina Faso

Abstract

This study investigates parental involvement in the sponsorship schools of the Christian Relief and Development Organization in Burkina Faso. It was examined if the appeared forms of parental involvement could be related to western standards of parental involvement set by Epstein (1984). Research shows that parental involvement leads to higher educational success for children. Factors that were expected to relate to parental involvement were school policies, responsible actors in the education of the child and the functions parents allocated to education. Central to the study was the relation between class related cultural factors and parental involvement. Focus group interviews were held in nine schools with parents with a child in sponsorship by the Christian Relief and Development Organization – abbreviated as C.RE.D.O - (n=155), teachers and headmasters (n = 55).