Improving Grade 9 mathematics learner achievement in an unsafe school environment in Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract

There is a growing concern about low learners’ mathematics achievement in South Africa. Teachers and learners are subjected to incidents of violence and unsafe environments for teaching and learning. This study aimed to investigate and conceptualise how Grade 9 learners’ mathematics achievement is affected in an unsafe school environment. The study investigated the safety aspects associated with learner achievement in mathematics in Gauteng high schools as identified by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2019. The study used a sequential mixed-method approach. The study design includes secondary data analysis of the Gauteng data from TIMSS 2019 and multiple case studies conducted in Gauteng high schools. The study was guided by the conceptual framework model of Scheerens (2000) and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943). A sample of 150 schools in Gauteng was sampled for TIMSS 2019. A total of 18 participants consisting of six public high school principals and 12 mathematics teachers from fee-paying and no-fee-paying schools in Johannesburg Central, North, and South districts were sampled to be interviewed. Observation of school premises was also done where schools were visited in person, and data were captured as field notes. The quantitative data collection involved using the selected items from TIMSS 2019 schools’ questionnaire, teachers’ questionnaire, and learners’ questionnaire. For the qualitative data collection, interviews were conducted to complement and expand the findings generated by TIMSS 2019. Multi-level modelling was conducted using the TIMSS data, and interviews were transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results from the quantitative study revealed that learners who indicated that they experienced theft, physical injuries, damage to their property, and disorderliness were outperformed by their counterparts. Furthermore, learners taught by teachers who agreed a lot with the view that their school’s security policies and practices were sufficient achieved higher mathematics marks than their counterparts. The findings from the qualitative study revealed that school vandalism and inadequate instructional space are negatively associated with performance. The study may serve as a basis for further research into safety aspects’ association with academic achievement.