Many secondary schools in the Eastern Cape and else where in South African are facing a drop out crisis but a proportion of these dropouts return to school to complete their education. The kind of social experiences that dropouts have as they reenrol and reintegrate in school remains an under-research aspect in the discourse on education access. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that prompted dropouts to reenrol in school and the social life experiences of these learners in school. It was also to explore school leaders‟ reactions towards these experiences, and the implications for school leadership of the dropouts‟ experiences. Using qualitative methodologies, involving a sample of 15 dropouts and two school leaders, the study found multiple motives, associated with individual characteristics of dropouts and the institutional characteristics of their family and the labour market, prompting reenrolment. Institutional characteristics at the school level were not featured. Regarding social life at school, it found that while some participants had positive social experiences, which reinforced their motivation to pursue their education, others experienced the school context as socially hostile. The nature of the social hostility is described, but school leaders seem insensitive to many of the social integration challenges that confront dropouts. Several implications for school leadership have been drawn out, including the view that while there are a variety of leverage points for addressing the social hostility problems, the social development of dropouts who experienced hostility stand to wither if supportive measures are not implemented to help them reintegrate. While the research provides new insights into the experiences of dropouts in school, it had the limitation of being a case study whose findings cannot be generalised.

Thesis (MEd (Faculty of Education and Social Sciences))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009 / Baie leerders verlaat sekondêre skole voordat hulle by daardie spesifieke skool matrikuleer. Sommige migreer bloot na ander skole terwyl ander hul opvoeding by skoolgebaseerde Verdere Onderwys en Opleidingskolleges (VOO) voortsit of beroepsgerigte kursusse volg. Navorsing het egter bewys dat baie leerders sekondêre skole verlaat en bloot dropouts word, dit wil sê leerders wat nie hul opvoedingsloopbaan op een of ander manier voortsit nie. Hierdie studie is daarop gefokus om, deur ’n gevallestudiebenadering, die redes waarom ’n spesifieke sekondêre skool in die Wes-Kaap jaarliks hoë syfers van skoolverlatings beleef, te identifiseer. ’n Deeglike literatuurondersoek het aan die lig gebring dat push out of school- en pull out of school-faktore oorwegend die redes is waarom leerders skole verlaat. Uit die literatuur kon ek ook identifiseer dat meer pull out of school-redes tot skoolverlatings gelei het. My navorsing is binne die teoretiese raamwerk van push out of school- en pull out of school-redes onderneem. Ek het ’n gemengde-metodebenadering, wat kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe ondersoeke ingesluit het, gevolg om data te bekom. Die navorsingsperiode was vir die eerste sewe maande van 2008. Die instrumente wat aangewend is om data in te samel, sluit in vraelyste wat na 80 skoolverlaters versprei is, semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met 12 skoolverlaters en hul ouers, asook ontleding van skooldokumentasie. Die inligting vanuit die vraelyste word deur middel van grafieke (histogramme) aangebied, ontleed en bespreek. Die inligting wat verkry was deur middel van onderhoude is in tabelvorm saamgevat, in beskrywende vorm aangebied en tematies ontleed en bespreek. Daar is bevind dat pull out of school–faktore, soos huislike omstandighede, swangerskap, verhuising, siektes en groepdruk, sowel as push out of school-faktore soos onderprestasie, graadherhaling, onveiligheid by die skool, die feit dat die leerder uitgesit was, weiering van gesag en taalprobleme, tot skoolverlatings bygedra het. Aanbevelings rakende die bevindinge tot die studie word in hoofstuk vyf uiteengesit.

Once learners reach high school, they seem to lose focus and become less interested in fulfilling their educational goals. This leads to learner dropout in schools. Yet, the government expects all children to attend school daily and receive the best education so that they can have a bright future. Education prepares the child for life, if the child drops out, he or she will struggle to succeed in life. There are real social reasons that make it difficult for some learners to succeed and lead to them dropping out of school. For example, many learners in South Africa are extremely poor and they dropout because their parents cannot provide for their families. Dropout learners from poor backgrounds also tend to be involved in crime. Young people are under a lot of pressure and consequently, they end up using drugs, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol instead of going to school. Teenage stress also contributes to learner dropout. The transition from childhood to adulthood brings challenges, thus making teenagers vulnerable to physical and emotional stress. Many learners do not get the support they need when they are experiencing stress. The high stress levels experienced by learners tend to result in high levels of absenteeism. Pregnancy seems to be another contributing factor to the dropout of learners from school. Thus, learner dropout is a significant problem within the South African context. Not only is learner dropout a problem, but it is linked to many other issues that negatively affect society. This study has examined factors influencing learners to dropout. It employed a qualitative research methodology, using interviews and questionnaires to elicit and investigate the causal factors of learner dropouts. The researcher made use of non-probability sampling because it can be regarded as the only sampling method that makes possible representative sampling design. Purposive sampling was used for the research, because it was convenient for the researcher in terms of time. By using purposive sampling the researcher was able to include participants according to the relevant criteria based on the emerging research questions. The principal, one educator and 18 learners in each of the two high schools were chosen as participants of the study. These participants were coming from two high schools, which are located in King William‟s Town District. Learners who participated in the iv study were chosen from grade 10, 11 and 12. There were six learners chosen per grade. The sampling method used to select learners from grade 10 to 12 and educators was purposive sampling. This type of sampling was used because the researcher wanted rich information from participants and individuals who can express themselves very well about the reasons of learners dropping out at school and also who met the sampling criterion of having had the experience of dropping out of school. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors contributing to the dropout rate of learners at selected high schools in King William‟s Town District. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants. The study population was confined to two public high schools in the King William‟s Town District. Using qualitative methodologies, involving a sample of 36 learners, two educators and two principals, the study found multiple motives, associated with individual characteristics of dropouts and social problems emanating from their family background and influence of the community, prompting the learners to dropout. It emerged from the empirical findings of this study that learner dropout is inter alia caused by social factors such as teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, HIV or AIDS infection, gangsterism and learning barriers. These factors are complex issues, which should be handled by skilled people. As learners spend a great deal of their time in the school environment, the educator has become an important role-player to assist learners to alleviate social problems. It is essential that learners with social problems should at an early stage get professional help. The educators who are, due to circumstances, are obliged to help these learners, are not necessarily equipped to give the required assistance. Suggestions and recommendations are espoused to alleviate the situation.

Contrary to many efforts by the new South African government in its commitment to widen access to educational opportunities and the provision of a free education for all, dropping out of school episodes remain a major threat to the gains of the past nines years in the new South Africa. Using the second wave of 'Transitions to Adulthood in the Context of Aids in South Africa' dataset, this dissertation investigates dropping out of school episodes. A dropout refers to an adolescent who discontinued his/her education before completing grade 12. In particular the study investigates the major determinants of dropouts. Reasons cited for dropping out of school varies from economic, individual, social and school based. It was found that the major contributor to the dropping out of school episodes in KwaZulu-Natal is poverty. Hence the impact of poverty is widely acknowledged as being among the most serious problems facing post-apartheid South Africa. It is against this backdrop that this dissertation seeks an immediate response by government to invest in human capital, particularly in education, as means to alleviate poverty. The government among others therefore should recommit itself in providing and funding education for all. Both access and opportunities to schooling need to be widened. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 2003.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / Educationists and political leaders are concerned about the high dropout rates experienced in South African high schools. For the purposes of this research, “dropout” is defined as “one who has not graduated from high school”. Research indicates that the high school dropout rates, both in South Africa and globally, culminate in challenges for the school, the community and society. The multigrade primary school environment sees learners doing well academically, but when these learners move on to high school, the dropout rates increase for these learners. The purpose of this study is two-fold: to determine the reasons for dropout of learners who have ably and successfully completed their primary education within the multigrade system; and to propose a strategy to assist rural multigrade primary schools in reducing the foreseen dropout rates in high schools. A sequential explanatory mixed-method approach was designed in order to determine what strategy could assist rural multigrade schools in Circuit 2 of the West Coast Education District to prevent the dropout rate experienced in high schools. During the preliminary research a scrupulous literature study was done, to determine global trends and to determine which current intervention programmes exist. The quantitative phase of this study was conducted first and consisted of a content analysis of school documents to determine which learners did not complete high school. The qualitative phase followed and the data was collected through face-to-face interviews with principals of rural multigrade primary schools, and learners who had dropped out. This was done in order to determine the perceptions of the principals, and the former learners who had dropped out of the schooling system. This research elucidates the challenges – the inexorable odds – that these multigrade learners have had to overcome in order to complete Grade 12. In closing, it proposes pragmatic strategies which may decrease the high dropout rates that learners, from a multigrade primary setting, experience in future.

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Phil. (Educational Psychology) / The high incidence of school dropout in South African schools led to a joint research project by the Rand Afrikaans University and the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Social Ecology at the Ben Gurion University. Various facets of the school dropout phenomenon were researched with the aim of identifying the at risk student. Possible causes were hypothesised and researched under the broad categories of: self-concept, locus of control, family relations and school climate. These aspects were individually researched and this study culminates from these pilot studies. The aim of this study is an integrated approach to ascertain the interaction of variables that place students at risk. These variables were incorporated into a research design done with a sample group of 734 students taken from five schools in the Pretoria - Witwatersrand Vereeniging area. The findings of the research indicate that the above mentioned variables cause dropout but were not the best predictors of students at risk. Making use of Chaid's exploratory technique variables such as attitude towards school, own evaluation of performance, age and family size were identified as good predictors of students at risk. A logistical regression was used to design a model of prediction that could effectively be used in schools to identify the at risk student. The hope is expressed that early identification will lead to the application of appropriate remedial measures in order to prevent the at risk student from becoming a "school dropout".

M.Phil. (Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The objective of the study was to investigate learner drop-out and sustainable community development. The study was conducted in Kwazakhele Township in Nelson Mandela Bay. This study used qualitative research approach- interviews and structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the participants. The sample consisted of 40 respondents both Females and Males between the age 15 and 35 years. In Kwazakhele Township most of the youth are learner drop-outs who exited educational system before attaining National Certificate (Matric). This had an effect on the acquisition of skills for sustainable development. United Nations report on Sustainable Development requires members of the community to be able to handle matters concerning their own development. This means community members should possess skills that would enable them to cope with constant demands of development. In the same Kwazakhele Township the consequences of the learner drop-out phenomenon is that lot of girls get pregnant at an adolescence stage. In most cases the boys who impregnate these girls are not working, they themselves depend on their parents for living. Because of the poor socio-economic status and high rate of unemployment of households in the area, this result in a situation where both girl child and their babies depends on the old age social grant for basic needs such as food etc. These dropouts are political risks in a sense that they are sometimes being used in community protesting marches which are unnecessarily hindering community development projects aimed at enhancing and promoting general welfare including better life for all. So the study will investigate and examine effect of learner drop-out in the community and recommends on what to be done in order to address shortfalls and challenges faced by the Kwazakhele community members. This will enable local authorities to be proactive in establishing programs that brings directive and solutions to the existing problems.

The fact that an understanding of the self determines one's self-esteem and that self-esteem is an important contributor to one's achievements is seemingly undisputed. Self-esteem is not only a product of how others evaluate an individual but also, and most importantly, how an individual evaluates himself or herself. At times people tend to evaluate themselves unrealistically while at other times they evaluate themselves realistically. Unrealistic self-evaluation is mostly a characteristic of adolescence and if this is not managed properly it can have a dire consequence for the adolescent's future. Adolescence is an important but also a difficult stage in the development of an individual. During this stage profound physical, emotional, psychological and cognitive changes occur. It is a period during which decisions about careerpaths and the demands that such decisions will place on the individual are made. It is therefore during this stage that realistic self-evaluation becomes critical. This research study was undertaken in order to determine how the Venda-speaking adolescents evaluate themselves and whether such self-evaluation is realistic or not. The research was motivated by an observation that the school drop-out rate is high and that an increasing number of girl learners fall pregnant before completing Grade 12. It is assumed that these tendencies and behaviours are a product of the learners' self-evaluation. A theoretical background on self-evaluation was then given through a literature review. In the process a link was established between self-evaluation and constructs such as self-concept, self-esteem, self worth, self-identity as well as personality. Different theories used to explain present and expected future behaviour were also discussed. After this review question items were drawn and compiled into questionnaires to be administered to randomly selected learners, teachers and parents. The question items, sixty in number, were categorised into the following dimensions of self-evaluation: * Physical self * Academic self * Social self * Value self * Family self * Psychological self Each dimension was covered by ten question items which were tested for validity and reliability. The research study came up with the following findings: * Parents and teachers agree in their evaluation of adolescents regarding the dimensions mentioned above * Adolescents rate themselves significantly more favourably than teachers and parents evaluate them. * Venda-speaking adolescents evaluate themselves unrealistically. It is hoped that the findings and recommendations of this research will be beneficial to schools, policy-makers and parents. Learning areas such as Life Orientation can be used to help learners evaluate themselves more realistically. Programmes can also be developed to ensure that adolescent self-evaluation is congruent with present behaviour. / Educational Studies / D. Ed (Psychology of Education)