Abstract:
This study, which considers the complexity of parenting for both parents and, in particular, for single mothers on the nurturing and supporting of a child psychologically, emotionally and academically, was conducted in the Free State Province of South Africa. The study also noted that the Free State Province has achieved at least 80% pass rate in Matric results from 2012-2018, which contrasts with existing studies, such as Spaull (2013) that state that fewer students who start school in South Africa will make it to grade 12 just as fewer students will qualify for university education. As a result, the study focuses on the perceived effect of single mother parenting on learners’ academic performance in selected high schools in Free State. The philosophical assumption that guides this study is Pragmatism, this study adopted mixed method approach and Convergent parallel design. A total sample size of 176 respondents was used. A questionnaire and semi-structured interview were the research instruments used to obtain data.
The study results were varied, based on each research questions. The results revealed that there is significant relationship between single mother parenting and learners’ academic performance, there is no significant relationship between a single mother's level of education and the academic performance of the learners and that there is no significant relationship between the possible effects of single mother parenting on learners' academic performance. The majority single mothers interviewed reported that they give adequate financial support to their children and mutual communication existing between them and their children. They further reported that, they are highly involved in their children education. Overall, the study concludes that, most Free State Province’s single mothers’ adequate support through interactional motivation and involvement financially and academically is significantly related to learners’ academic performance and yields a positive effect. It is therefore, recommended that single mothers should always have an interactional and a motivational communication with their children to enhance positive academic performance. It is also recommended that schools should also endeavour to assist children from single mother homes who are having academic challenges by organising ‘after school’ classes for them.
