Management of learner progression in public primary schools in Gauteng

Abstract

The dissertation builds on and contributes to work in learner performance and achievement. The specific focus of this study was on learner progression in schools. The learner progression policy stipulates that the learner can only repeat a phase once. Although several studies examined the effects of learner progression, there has not been a strong focus on managing intervention strategies and support. The purpose of the dissertation was to explore the different effects of the learner progression policy in schools, how this policy is managed and what support is made available to learners affected by this policy. This study further examined the School Management Team’s (SMT) roles in managing progressed learners' academic performance through realistic and managed intervention strategies. The data for this qualitative study was collected through individual semi-structured interviews with purposive sampling of Deputy Principals (DPs), Heads of Department (HDs) and educators. The data was collected from the four sampled primary schools in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, in the Gauteng East District. The data population for this study were one Grade 3 educator, one Grade 4 educator, one Foundation Phase Departmental Head, one Intermediate Phase Departmental Head and the Deputy Principals in each school. The dissertation draws on the work of Bronfenbrenner, whose ecological systems theory explores student achievement best understood as the developmental outcome that emerges as a result of interaction among layers within a complex system. The findings from this study unveiled the pressures that are brought by the policy requirements, including the assessment requirements and the reporting procedures, which tend to then prioritise the issues of data collection rather than ensuring that learners grasp the required basic content that will be used throughout the schooling system.