Ph.D. (Marketing Management) / The ability of independent schools to survive and grow would be enhanced by knowledge of what motivates parents when selecting independent schools in order to assist these schools in better targeting their marketing efforts (McGovern, 2011:16). The primary objective of the study is to recommend marketing guidelines for independent schools and was achieved to identify the choice factors influencing parents’ selection of independent primary schools, identifying the most important choice factors and demographic differences regarding the importance parents attach to choice factors. The external factors influencing the selection of independent schools, the relative importance of price, school facilities and the enrolment process were determined. The usefulness of the sources of information used in the decision-making process was investigated. Both exploratory (qualitative technique) and conclusive (quantitative technique) research designs were followed. For the qualitative technique, dept interviews with ten parents from different independent schools in Gauteng were conducted. For the quantitative technique, a non-probability judgement sample of 669 grade one parents from thirty (30) independent schools in Gauteng participated in the study. The findings of the study identified 29 different choice factors with small class size ranked the highest as choice factor. Previous interactions with the school are the highest ranked external factor influencing the decision-making process of parents and they prefer discount when two or more children from the same household are enrolled. With regard to school facilities, a computer centre is the most important for parents, and a science laboratory is less important. Parents prefer an interview with the principal when enrolling their child and the school open day and school website are the most valuable sources of information for prospective parents. Social media are not considered to be particularly a valuable source of information …

There has been a radical exodus of learners from the townships schools to former Model C, Coloured and Indian schools and this has had an impact on township schools. In some schools in the Port Elizabeth townships, learner enrolment has dropped tremendously. This tendency has also been a concern of the Eastern Cape Department of Education. The focus of this research was to determine the reasons that prompted the learners to prefer schools that were far from their homes while there were schools situated nearer to their homes. To accomplish this, a review of literature on why learners in other parts of the world moved from school to school and or why their parents send them to particular schools was done. The literature assisted in identifying key issues pertaining to school choice. These issues were translated into questions used in questionnaires to learners and parents to determine the reasons for preference of schools outside the townships. The data gathered via the questionnaires led to interviews with the staff from the schools in the areas where the case study participants live. Apart from gathering data for interpretation the interviews were also used to triangulate data collected via the two questionnaires. The five most important factors that were common to the parents and the learners, identified and endorsed by the educators as influencing school choice, were firstly the fact that high status parents prefer high status schools; secondly that safety, discipline and the smooth running of the school are of high importance. Thirdly it was indicated that extra-mural activities in the school curriculum play an important role. The opportunity the school provides for parental involvement was rated as the fourth most important factor. The educator’s attitudes towards work were rated as the fifth most important factor. The research report finally emphasized the need to undertake a variety of projects for further research. Suggestions were also made by way of recommendations of possible factors that had to be taken into consideration when determining strategies to attract learners to township schools.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Twenty years after the end of apartheid, South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world. Socio-economic polarisation is entrenched by the lack of social capital and interactions across racial and economic divides, blocking pathways out of poverty. This dissertation examines social mobility and cohesion in post-apartheid South Africa by considering three related topics. Chapter 2 of the dissertation examines the impact of school quality on the academic performance of disadvantaged learners as one of the most important enforcing factors perpetuating the social and economic divides. Given the historic racial and economic stratification of the South African public school system, many black children are sent to historically white public schools as a way to escape poverty. Using longitudinal data, this chapter estimates the effect of attending a historically white school on the numeracy and literacy scores of black children. The main challenge is to address the selection bias in the estimates, for which a value-added approach is implemented in order to control for unobserved child-specific heterogeneity. In addition, various household covariates are used to control for household-level differences among children. The results indicate that the attendance of a former white school has a large and statistically significant impact on academic performance in both literacy and numeracy which translates into more than a year’s worth of learning. The main finding is robust to various robustness checks. In Chapter 3 the dissertation examines social cohesion by considering the concept of reference groups used in the evaluation of relative standing in utility functions. The chapter develops a model in which various parameters are allowed to enter the utility function without linearity constraints in order to determine the weight placed on the well-being of individuals in the same race group as the respondent versus all the other race groups living in one of three specified geographic areas. The findings suggest that reference groups have shifted away from a purely racial delineation to a more inclusive one subsequent to the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. Although most of the weight is still placed on same-race relative standing, the estimates suggest that individuals from other race groups also enter the utility function. The chapter also examines the spatial variation of reference groups and finds evidence that the relative standing of close others (such as neighbours) enter the utility function positively while individuals who live further away (strangers) enter the utility function negatively. Finally, Chapter 4 provides a summary of the dynamics of income in South Africa, using longitudinal household data. Chapter 4 is aimed at separating structural trends in income from stochastic shocks and measurement error, and makes use of an asset-based approach. It first estimates the percentage of individuals who were in chronic poverty between 2010 and 2012 and then estimates the shape of structural income dynamics in order to test for the existence of one or more dynamic equilibrium points, which would be indicative of the existence of a poverty trap. The findings do not provide any evidence for the existence of a poverty trap. In addition, contrary to earlier findings, the results do not provide evidence for the existence of an asset-based threshold at which the structural income accumulation paths of households bifurcate. Instead, the results seem to indicate the existence of a threshold beyond which structural income remains persistent with very little upward mobility. The robustness of the results is confirmed by making use of control functions in order to correct for any measurement error which may exist in the data on assets. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Twintig jaar nadat apartheid beëindig is word Suid-Afrika steeds as een van die wêreld se mees ongelyke lande gekenmerk. Sosio-ekonomiese polarisasie word verskans deur die gebrek aan sosiale kapitaal en interaksies tussen rassegroepe en ekonomiese klasse, wat lei tot die versperring van roetes uit armoede. Hierdie proefskrif bestudeer sosiale mobiliteit en samehorigheid in post-apartheid Suid- Afrika deur middel van drie verwante onderwerpe. Hoofstuk 2 van hierdie proefskrif ondersoek die impak van skoolkwaliteit op die akademiese prestasie van benadeelde leerders as een van die belangrikste faktore wat huidige sosiale en ekonomiese skeidings afdwing. Gegewe die historiese verdeling van die openbare skoolstelsel volgens ras en ekonomiese status, word heelwat swart kinders na historiese blanke skole gestuur ten einde armoede te ontsnap. Deur gebruik te maak van paneeldata word die impak van skoolbywoning van ’n historiese blanke skool op die geletterheid van swart kinders - in beide wiskunde en Engels - beraam. Die grootste uitdaging is om enige sydigheid in die beramings aan te spreek, waarvoor daar van ’n waarde-toevoegings inslag gebruik gemaak word ten einde te kontroleer vir enige individuele heterogeniteit. ’n Verskeidenheid kontroles op die vlak van die huishouding word gebruik ten einde te kontroleer vir verskille tussen kinders uit verkillende huishoudings. Die resultate dui daarop dat bywoning van ’n historiese wit skool ’n groot en statisties beduidende impak op die akademiese prestasie van beide wiskundige asook litterêre geletterdheid het, wat omgeskakel kan word in meer as ’n jaar se leerwerk. ’n Verskeidenheid verifikasie toetse bevestig die geldigheid van die resultate. Hoofstuk 3 van die proefskrif bestudeer sosiale samehorigheid deur die samestelling van verwysingsgroepe in die evaluasie van relatiewe posisionering in nutsfunksies te oorweeg. Die hoofstuk ontwikkel ’n model waarin verskeie parameters sonder liniêre beperkings in die nutsfunksie toegelaat word ten einde die gewig te beraam wat geplaas word op die welstand van individue in dieselfde rasgroep as die respondent teenoor al die ander rasgroepe wat in een van drie gespesifiseerde geografiese areas woon. Die bevindings dui daarop dat, na die land se eerste demokratiese verkiesings in 1994, die definiering van verwysingsgroepe weggeskuif het van ’n verdeling volgens ras na ’n meer inklusiewe definisie. Alhoewel meeste van die gewig steeds geplaas word op relatiewe posisionering teenoor individue van dieselfde ras, dui die beramings daarop dat individue van ander rassegroepe ook ingesluit word in die nutsfunksie. Die hoofstuk beoordeel ook die ruimtelike variasie van verwysingsgroepe en bevind dat die relatiewe posisionering van nabye individue (soos byvoorbeeld bure) die nutsfunksie positief beïnvloed terwyl individue wat vêr weg woon (vreemdelinge) die nutsfunksie negatief beïnvloed. Hoofstuk 4 van die proefskrif sluit af met ’n opsomming van die inkomste dinamika in Suid-Afrika, deur gebruik te maak van paneelhuishoudingdata. Die laaste hoofstuk mik om die strukturele tendens in inkomste van enige stogastiese skokke en metingsfoute te isoleer en maak gebruik van ’n bate-gebasseerde inslag. Dit beraam eerstens die persentasie van individue wat in kroniese armoede verkeer het tussen 2010 en 2012 en beraam dan die vorm van die strukturele inkomste dinamika. Dit word gedoen ten einde vir die bestaan van een of meer dinamiese ekwilibrium punte te toets, wat aanduidend sou wees van die bestaan van ’n armoedestrik. Die bevindings bied nie enige bewyse vir die bestaan van ’n armoedestrik nie. Ook bied die resultate geen bewyse vir die bestaan van ’n bategebasseerde drempel waar die strukturele inkomste akkumulasieroetes van huishoudings vertak nie, in teenstelling met vorige resultate. In plaas daarvan, blyk die resultate te dui op die bestaan van ’n drempel waarna strukturele inkomste volhardend bly met baie min opwaardse mobiliteit. Die geldigheid van die resultate word bevestig deur gebruik te maak van kontrolefunksies ten einde te korrigeer vir enige metingsfoute wat moontlik in die data van bates mag bestaan.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact that learner mobility has on teaching and learning. Although many factors affect teaching and learning, these factors need to be looked at in the context of the present situation. In South Africa, parents have freedom of choice to quality schools for their children in any area. The quest for quality schools has led to an unexpected increase in learner mobility around the country. Despite this, learners have to travel long distances to and from school daily which has an effect on learning and teaching. The researcher applied a qualitative research approach using an exploratory case study. Data was collected at only one secondary school by interviewing learners, educators, a School Management Team member and parents. Findings indicate that learner mobility has a direct and indirect impact on learning and teaching. Directly it results in exhaustion, increased late-coming, poor effort, poor results and bad behaviour of learners as well as frustration and demotivation of educators. Indirectly management of the school becomes difficult and there is also a lack of parental involvement in learners schooling. The outcomes of this study provided valuable awareness of the effects learners mobility has on learning and teaching. For quality education to be effective, it needs to be available at the learner’s doorstep. / Die doel van hierdie studie was om die invloed van leerders se mobiliteit op hulle onderrig en leer te bepaal. Die talle faktore wat onderrig en leer tans beïnvloed, moet ondersoek word. In Suid-Afrika kan ouers hulle kinders na ʼn goeie skool in enige gebied stuur. Die gewildheid van goeie skole het landswyd ʼn onverwagte toename in leerdermobiliteit tot gevolg gehad. Die groot afstande wat leerders elke dag skool toe en huis toe moet reis, het ʼn uitwerking op hulle onderrig en leer. Die navorser het ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering gevolg en ʼn verkennende gevallestudie onderneem. Data is by slegs een sekondêre skool versamel deur onderhoude met leerders, onderwysers, ʼn lid van die skoolbestuur en ouers te voer. Daar is bevind dat hul mobiliteit leerders se onderrig en leer sowel regstreeks as onregstreeks benadeel. Hulle mobiliteit lei regstreeks daartoe dat leerders moeg is, meer en meer laat kom, hulle skoolwerk afskeep, swak gedrag openbaar, en dat hulle punte teleurstel. Dit frustreer onderwysers en maak hulle moedeloos. Die onregstreekse nadeel van leerdermobiliteit is dat dit die bestuur van die skool bemoeilik. Daarbenewens is ouers nie by hulle kinders se skoolopleiding betrokke nie. Hierdie studie bevorder ʼn bewustheid van die nadele wat leerdermobiliteit vir onderrig en leer inhou. Goeie onderrig raak ondoeltreffend as die skool ver van die leerder se huis af is. / Sepheo sa phuputso ene ele ho fumana tshusumetso eo ho kgona ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho nang le hona ho ithuteng le ho ruteng. Leha ele hore ho na le mabaka a mangata a amang ho ithuta le ho ruta, mabaka ana a lokela ho shejwa maemong a boemo ba hajwale. Mona Afrika Borwa, batswadi ba na le tokoloho ya ho kgetha dikolo tsa boleng bakeng sa bana ba bona sebakeng sefe kapa sefe. Tabatabelo ya dikolo tsa boleng e lebisitse ho keketseho e sa lebellwang ya ho kgona ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho potoloha le naha. Ho sa tsotellehe sena, baithuti ba tlameha ho tsamaya maeto a malelele ho ya le ho kgutla sekolong letsatsi le letsatsi, e leng se nang le phello ho ho ithuta le ho ruta. Mobatlisisi o sebedisitse mokgwa wa boleng wa dipatlisiso ka ho sebedisa phuputso e ikgethang e hlalosang. Datha e ile ya bokellwa sekolong se le seng se bohareng ka ho botsa baithuti, matitjhere, setho sa moifo wa tsamaiso ya sekolo le batswadi dipotso. Diphumano di bontsha hore ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoloha ha baithuti ho na le tshusumetso e tobileng le e sa tobang ho ho ithuta le ho ruta. Ka tsela e tobileng,e lebisa ho mokgathala, ho fihla kamora nako ho eketsehileng, boiteko bo fokolang, diphetho tse seng hantle le boitshwaro bo bobe ba baithuti hammoho le ho nyahama le ho fokotseha ha boikemisetso ho matitjhere. Ka tsela e sa tobang, tsamaiso ya sekolo e ba thata mme ho ba le kgaello ya bonkakarolo ba batswadi ho ithuteng ha baithuti. Diphetho tsa phuputso ena di fana ka tlhokomediso ya bohlokwa eo diphello tsa ho tsamaya habonolo le ka ho lokoha ha baithuti di nang le tsona ho ithuteng le ho ruteng. Hore thuto ya boleng e be e atlehileng, e lokela ho fumaneha monyako wa moithuti. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

This study explored school choice and school commuting in the town of Ladybrand in the Free State Province. A mixed research method (survey and qualitative interviews) was used. Grade 8 parents from all three public secondary schools in Ladybrand were surveyed. Members of the School Governing Bodies (SGB) and School Management Teams (SMT) were also interviewed. The study found that all three schools are dominated by Black African children, although Ladybrand High (a fee-charging, former Model C, whites-only school), had a multiracial learner profile. Most Black African learners in Ladybrand High came from lower to middle-class working homes in the neighbouring township. Lesotho nationals were also enrolled in this school. Most Ladybrand High learners had parents who are married, financially resourced, educated, and working in skilled or professional jobs. In terms of Lereng Secondary and Sehlabeng Secondary School (both no-fee township schools), most learners hail from poorly educated, single-parent homes, where the parents are either working in semi-skilled or unskilled jobs or are unemployed. None were from Lesotho. Their financial status is weak. These parents said they selected the school based on proximity and low cost, whereas quality of education drove enrolment in Ladybrand High. Thus, the schools in the Ladybrand area demonstrate that class segregation has replaced apartheid race segregation. Learners from Ladybrand High commute using a variety of transport modes, while learners in township schools either use a subsidised government bus or walk – in some cases long distances if they live on neighbouring farms. The township schools complained of poor learner discipline and feeling unsafe due to local gang activities, both of which negatively impact on the functioning of the schools. This was not the case with Ladybrand High. While all the schools offer extra lessons, the two township schools hold extensive extra-lesson sessions and matriculation study camps. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

The Umnini Tribal Authority is a poor, semi-rural area in KwaZulu-Natal, governed by a local chief. This study set out to determine school commuting patterns in relation to school choice and socio-economic status (SES) in the area. Mixed methods were used, involving a parental questionnaire survey, interviews, focus groups and a field audit with photographs. Overall, almost all learners enrolled in the seven 'no-fee' state primary (four) and high schools (three) under study were found to be Black African, IsiZulu speakers, and generally ‘extremely poor’ to ‘very poor’. Most households are headed by single mothers who have completed high school but are unemployed. Most households rely on government social grants to some extent. Most fathers were either absent, poorly educated to uneducated, and far less likely to be employed than the mothers. Children living with both parents, especially where the father was tertiary educated, and the mother employed, fell into the ‘less poor’ and ‘better off than most’ categories. In terms of school choice affordability, good teachers, good school management and proximity to home were the main drivers of enrolment. SES seems to have an impact on the amount of money spent on school lunches and school expenses, although there were some concerning exceptions. Primary school learners walked to school, but many parents pay for monthly transport. Some use the government-subsidised bus. High school learners tended to have longer and less safe journeys to school and back than primary school learners. This is especially true for boy learners, who are targets for criminals, drug addicts and, even worse, school bus drivers. Several challenges face all these learners en route to school every day: crime, unsafe and poor road conditions, roadworthy vehicles, long journeys and rough terrain. Primary school learners often get lost or left behind by their transport drivers. Fortunately, their teachers are actively involved in ensuring their safety and well-being – far more so than their parents, who seldom even know the name of the transport driver, let alone whether the vehicle is appropriate, roadworthy or licenced. High school learners were more likely to live in ‘extremely poor’ to ‘very poor’ households, a possible indicator that financially better-off parents are sending their high school children to schools outside of the area. It is recommended that the local tribal authority, the provincial government, the schools, parents and drivers need to work in unison to make the school commute simpler and safer. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)