THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ON THE LEARNING OF SLOW LEARNERS IN TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN PAKISTAN: A CASE-STUDY INQUIRY

Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate how parental involvement affects the learning process of slow learners in traditional public schools in Pakistan. The qualitative multiple-case study approach was used, which centered around two slow learners who were in the same government school, but had different socio-economic backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews with parents, teachers, and a school administrator, classroom observations, and the analysis of documents were used to collect data. The thematic analysis method by Braun and Clarke (2006) was used to analyze the data and the comparative analysis of the cases was done. The results have shown that parental involvement is very instrumental in developing academic as well as emotional behavior of slow learners. Unlike most existing studies that examine parental involvement in general student populations, this study focuses specifically on slow learners as a distinct and under-represented group, and situates parental involvement within the constraints of a traditional public-school context in Pakistan, where institutional support is limited. The difference in parental awareness, home-based learning support and the school-home communication processes were identified to play a significant role in shaping the course of learning even in the same institution. Parental engagement, especially learning at home and constant interaction with the teachers were linked to higher retention rates, enhanced confidence and consistency in academic status. Parental low level of involvement on the other hand was associated with emotional withdrawal, low self-esteem, and chronic learning difficulties. The research also notes that parental engagement has the capacity to counter the institutional limitations in part like crowded classrooms and a lack of personalized learning. The results underline the necessity to build better school-home relations and increase parental awareness to facilitate slow learners in the traditional educational setting.