Abstract
This study focusses on parental support and its impact on the academic performance of grade 9 learners in Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng province. This study was conducted in a disadvantaged community. It highlights the certitude of many parents deferring responsibility for their children's educational success, primarily to educators, expecting schools to address most challenges. This reliance is compounded by low attendance at parent meetings and minimal participation in school activities. This, consequently, has an egregious effect on the academic performance among grade 9 learners in the region. This study aims to offer strategies for parents to enhance their children's academic outcomes and to provide recommendations to schools on fostering better parental involvement. Following a qualitative approach within the interpretivism paradigm, data was acquired through semi-structured interviews and document analysis involving 10 purposefully selected parents, though only five participated. The study is theoretically grounded in the Hoover-Dempsey, Walker & Sandler’s Model of Parental Involvement, which explores parental motivations and perceptions regarding participation in their children's education. Key findings indicate that issues such as parental knowledge gaps and strained relationships between schools and parents contribute significantly to the lack of parental support in secondary schools. A primary recommendation is that schools need to provide transportation for parents who stay far from schools especially in indigent areas. The Hoover-Dempsey et al. (2005) model of parent involvement can be used to provide guidance to schools, stakeholders, and parents in enhancing parental support in secondary schools.
Key words: Parental support, Academic performance, Secondary school, Grade 9, home based parental support, School based parental support.