Evaluating a mathematics tutor programme for unemployed youth in a rural context

Abstract

The most vulnerable youth in South Africa are aged 15–24, with only one out of three young adults working. Another predicament unemployed youth face is the poor mathematics education they rely on to prepare them for their future careers. This rationale motivated the implementation of a mathematics tutor programme at a rural school in Mpumalanga. Unemployed youth who passed mathematics in Grade 12 were trained and assisted as mathematics tutors working with small groups of Grades 4 and 5 learners. This study conducted a qualitative evaluation by investigating and describing the programme's meaning through the tutors' eyes. Social constructivism was used to develop a focused conceptual framework for tutors’ key participation experiences. The study adopted a qualitative methodology and layered case-study research design. The already accumulated data were studied “in arrears” (post-hoc) through document analysis, and thereafter, the data which was still needed was collected through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires and thematically analysed. The study revealed that tutors’ mathematical knowledge and understanding of valuable subject content improved. They acquired essential teaching skills and experienced positive personal development. The tutor programme can be refined by incorporating it as part of an academic curriculum for teacher education. Other similar tutor-based interventions can allow young adults who participate in the interventions to study teacher education while gaining practical experiences. Their practical experiences can expose them to mathematical and pedagogic content knowledge to teach mathematics. Their personal development can prepare them for the workplace, provide guidance on future career choices, and contribute to their social and emotional development, adult development and social skills. In this way, interventions utilising unemployed youth can create a sustainable long-term influence on unemployed youth and their communities.