Parental Academic Support: Basis for School Governance Council Concept Development

Abstract

This study examined parental academic support as a basis for the development of a context-specific School Governance Council concept. It focused on how parents support learners through schoolwork monitoring, provision of learning resources, communication with teachers, and creation of a supportive home learning environment. It also explored the challenges parents encounter in providing academic support and the perceptions of parents, teachers, and school heads regarding the role of parental academic support in school governance and decision-making. The study was anchored on the Input-Process-Output model, where parental academic support practices and stakeholder perceptions served as inputs, data collection and thematic analysis served as processes, and the proposed School Governance Council concept served as the intended output. A qualitative research design using a descriptive-interpretive and phenomenological approach was employed. The respondents were six parents, four teachers, and four school heads selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and document analysis and were analyzed through coding, categorization, thematic analysis, and triangulation. Findings revealed that parental academic support was present but uneven. Some parents actively monitored schoolwork, provided learning resources, communicated with teachers, and maintained structured home learning environments, while others showed limited involvement due to work demands, time constraints, financial limitations, academic difficulties, communication barriers, and digital or knowledge-based limitations. The study also found that parents and school stakeholders perceived parental academic support as essential to inclusive governance, collaboration, empowerment, equity, accountability, consultation, volunteerism, leadership, and shared responsibility. The study concluded that parental academic support can strengthen learner-centered governance when meaningfully integrated into School Governance Council planning and decision-making. It recommended parent-training programs, stronger home-school communication, support for learning materials and digital resources, workshops on home learning routines and emotional support, and active parental consultation before school policies are finalized. The study is aligned with SDG 4 on Quality Education, SDG 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, and SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals. Its sustainability impact lies in strengthening educational, institutional, governance, and community sustainability by promoting shared responsibility, transparent school decision-making, and stronger collaboration between parents and schools.