Socio-economic factors affecting parents’ involvement in homework: practices and perceptions from eight Johannesburg public primary schools

This paper examines socio-economic factors influencing parental involvement in homework at the Foundation Phase in eight Johannesburg public primary schools. The research was conducted among over 600 parents from schools in different geographical and socio-economic areas such as the inner city, suburban and township. Two primary schools were chosen from each of these settings. This research offers a form of classification of parents, with the view to analyse the relationship between the types of parental involvement in homework and different categories of parents. In this study, I argue that the socio-economic status of parents has a major influence on participation in their children’s homework. Findings suggest that the higher the income and socio-economic status, the more parents are likely to become involved, whereas parents from a poorer socio-economic background are less likely to be involved in their children’s homework.