Home Visitation: A Strategy to Improve Students’ Academic Performance and Encourage Parental Involvement in a school System at Gelephu Higher Secondary School (Day School)
Shambay Dawa
Ugyen Dorji
Tashi Tshering
Abstract
Home visits have a large influence on the academic achievement of students and the relationship between teachers and students. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of home visits on students’ academic success and behavior in the classroom. This study investigated the parent involvement of the students who were visited by teachers compared to students who were not visited by teachers. An explanatory mixed research method was used to determine the influence of the home visits on the academic achievement and classroom behavior of students compared to students whose homes were not visited. The first phase of the study was a survey instrument to measure the perspectives of teachers regarding the academic success and behavior of students. The second phase of the study included interviews with teachers to investigate their perceptions of the home visits. This study used a sample of 15 volunteer-students from grade nine and their parents/guardians, 4 teachers teaching those students in Gelephu HSS. The results of the study indicate that home visits and family engagement have positive impacts on students’ academic achievements and attitudes in school. Findings also state that home visit is an effective strategy to influence a child’s perception on developing the quality student-teacher relationship and strengthen the relation between parent and teachers for encouraging child’s academic performance.