Abstract
Introduction: Researchers in hope theory have found parental hope to be a powerful predictor of children’s academic achievement. This study set out to determine the factors that raise hope in parents of neurodivergent (ND) children in private schools in Zimbabwe, with the intention of informing hope-based interventions among parents in this context. This research considered parental hope to include the knowledge of what their neurodivergent (ND) child needs in order to achieve academically (pathways), and confidence that such success is possible (agency). Method: The research employed a qualitative approach within an interpretivist paradigm to understand how individuals construct and ascribe meaning to their experiences. A phenomenological case study design was employed to learn from lived experiences in the specific context and to inform research beyond the participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and supported by the administration of Snyder’s adult trait hope scale (Snyder, 2002), which provided a descriptive context for interpreting participants’ narratives. Results: Instead of pathway and agentic thinking both being low, as expected, a careful reading of participants’ narratives revealed determined agency despite few apparent pathways to success in Zimbabwe’s challenging socio-economic context. Discussion: The surprising findings suggest the need for a more nuanced contribution to the field of inclusive education than hope based interventions alone can provide: the wise leveraging of the social dynamic we have called parental adaptive agency – a resource that can be of great value in parent-school collaboration toward inclusive education in Southern Africa.