ATTITUDE OF PARENTS’ TOWARDS NURSERY EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN

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ATTITUDE OF PARENTS’ TOWARDS NURSERY EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the Study

Parents’ positive attitude towards child’s education is important in determining school attendance and academic achievement of the child. Favorable attitude towards schooling and education enhances parental involvement in children’s present and future studies (Rojalin, 2012). Parent’s attitude towards their children’s education is affected adversely by low socio-economic status and since the tribal constitute the advantaged population, it is expected that the attitude of parents of tribal children will be favorable towards education. However, the present study aims to examine whether the tribal parents, today, exhibit a positive and favorable attitude towards their children’s education as a result of increasing awareness of values of education through Government Endeavour’s and initiatives (Rojalin, 2012).

Parental attitude is a measure or an index of parental involvement. A child, brought up with affection and care in the least restrictive environment would be able to cope up better with the sighted world. Therefore, the family shapes the social integration of the child more than a formal school. Turnbull (2009) has identified four basic parental roles- parents as educational decision makers; parents as parents; parents as teachers and parents as advocates. Since the parent’s attitude is so important, it is essential that the home and school work closely together, especially for children with disabilities. The Warnock Report (2007) stresses the importance of parents being partners in the education of their children. The role of parents should actively support and enrich the educational processes. Korth (2004) states that parents should be recognized as the major teacher of their children and the professional should be considered consultants to parents. Tait (2010) opines that the parents’ psychological well-being and the ease or difficulties with which they decipher the cues that facilitate the socialization process influence the personal and social development of the child. It is the parents who exert the major influence on the development of the child from birth to maturity. One of the most important attributes of parental attitude is consistency. As children mature into adolescence, family involvement in their learning remains important. Family involvement practices at home and at school have been found to influence secondary school students’ academic achievement, school attendance, and graduation and college matriculation rates (Dornbusch and Ritter, 2011). Despite its importance, however, families’ active involvement in their children’s education declines as they progress from elementary school to middle and high school (Epstein, 2003). Research suggests that schools can reverse the decline in parent involvement by developing comprehensive programs of partnership (Epstein, 2002).

ATTITUDE OF PARENTS’ TOWARDS NURSERY EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN