Repeated Retention or Dropout? Disputing Hobson's Choice in South African Township Schools

Autor/inn/en	Grossen, Silke; Grobler, Adelene A.; Lacante, Marlies
Titel	Repeated Retention or Dropout? Disputing Hobson's Choice in South African Township Schools
Quelle	In: South African Journal of Education, 37 (2017) 2, Artikel 1367 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Grossen, Silke) ORCID (Grobler, Adelene A.) ORCID (Lacante, Marlies)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0256-0100
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Grade Repetition; Academic Failure; Low Achievement; Educational Policy; Educational Improvement; Academic Achievement; Career Development; Maturity (Individuals); Student Surveys; Grade 11; Grade 12; Dropout Rate; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Repeat a school year; Repeating; Sitzen bleiben; Sitzenbleiben; Unterdurchschnittliche Leistung; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Teaching improvement; Unterrichtsentwicklung; Schulleistung; Berufsentwicklung; Reifung; Schülerbefragung; School year 11; 11. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 11; School year 12; 12. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 12; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	South Africa, like many developing countries, is heavily burdened by high dropout and unemployment rates and an undersupply of skilled workers. Grade retention is a common practice when learners do not meet the specific requirements--especially in countries with limited socio-economic resources. In South Africa, 52% of the learners are retained at least once before they reach Grade 10. However, the results of this study clearly suggest that the policy of repeated scholastic retention does not contribute positively to the academic achievement or to career maturity of Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners in township schools in South Africa. This study emphasises the importance of improving learner performance, starting in the Foundation Phase (Grade 0/R to Grade Three) and the need for accessible career guidance and counselling for all learners. By guiding these at-risk learners into vocation-oriented or technically oriented directions before the career maturity and academic achievement decline emerges, a decrease in dropout and an increase in the outflow of skilled people in the short term and unemployment in the long term may be addressed. The latter can be regarded as the cornerstone of socio-economic development and enhanced social capital in all developing countries. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Tel: +27-12-420-5798; Fax: +27-12-420-5511; Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01