Home environment and educational achievement among high-school pupils living in three-generation urban black households

South Africa's education system is currently undergoing structural reform to undo the damage of 'Bantu' education. Since 1976, black school children have protested against inferior education with frequent boycotts and demonstrations. In the 1990s teacher chalkdowns and strikes have further disrupted education in schools attended by black pupils. There is widespread concern that the 'culture of learning' has been eroded in South Africa's black townships. It is against this background that a study of the influence of the home environment on educational achievement was conducted in October 1992. A questionnaire and time-use survey explored educational values, aspirations, motivations and behaviours in 300 multigeneration urban black families. In each of the surveyed households, subjects included a designated high-school pupil and the same-gender parent and grandparent, yielding a sample size of 900. Each subject gave a personal interview and completed a time-use diary for a specified weekday. Positive generational effects were observed with regard to higher educational aspirations and attainment and opinions of self. The profiles of high-school students indicated that high achievers came from cohesive families and were more likely than others to find school rewarding and to exhibit a commitment to learning. It is acknowledged that multi-generation families may represent special instances of township family solidarity which have withstood the disruptive effects of the political turmoil of the past decade. Nevertheless, findings do make a case for greater parental involvement in the future educational delivery system to improve the chances of black youthfulfilling their educational aspirations.