The evolution of educational inequalities through secondary school: evidence from a South African panel study
SOURCE: Development Southern Africa
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2015
TITLE AUTHOR(S): S.Taylor, S.Van der Berg, V.Reddy, D.Janse van Rensburg
KEYWORDS: ACHIEVEMENT, EDUCATION, EDUCATION, INEQUALITY, SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT, SECONDARY EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT: Equitable Education and Economies (IED)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8652
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/1927
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/1927
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2015
TITLE AUTHOR(S): S.Taylor, S.Van der Berg, V.Reddy, D.Janse van Rensburg
KEYWORDS: ACHIEVEMENT, EDUCATION, EDUCATION, INEQUALITY, SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT, SECONDARY EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT: Equitable Education and Economies (IED)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8652
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/1927
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/1927
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
Schooling outcomes in South Africa are characterised by significant inequalities on the basis of race and socio-economic status. This paper reports on findings from a unique panel dataset that follows individuals who participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study in 2002 as Grade 8 students through to their secondary school-leaving examination (known as 'matric') in Grade 12. The paper investigates the extent to which secondary schools differ in converting Grade 8 achievement into matric outcomes. Achievement in Grade 8 is strongly predictive of survival to matric, passing matric and performance in matric. Many students had extremely weak mathematical proficiency in Grade 8 and yet decided to take matric mathematics, only to fail the subject. Increasing the number of matric mathematics passes is a strong policy imperative. Our analysis suggests that the way to achieve this is to improve mathematics learning at earlier stages of the school programme rather than through indiscriminate mathematics participation in matric.-
Related Research Outputs:
- A trend analysis of matric maths performance
- Mathematics and science achievement at South African schools in TIMSS 2003
- Large scale assessment of mathematics achievement: challenges for improving learning in South African classrooms
- Understanding school effects in South Africa using multilevel analysis: findings from TIMSS 2011
- Spotlight on matric 2015: is our education system failing our learners?
- Deracialisation & migration of learners in South African schools
- Report on the fortieth general assembly meeting of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Oslo, Norway, 30 August - 2 September 1999
- Conditions of schooling in South Africa and the effect on mathematics achievement
- Problems and possibilities in multilingual classrooms in the Western Cape
- Schools out or is it? Out of school interventions for mathematics, science and computer studies for secondary school learners
- High school participation rates in Atteridgeville
- Redressing educational inequalities: a classroom perspective
- Marking matric: colloquium proceedings
- The matriculation examination: how can we find out if standards are falling?
- Comparing and standardising performance trends in the matric examinations using a matrix sampling design
- Methodological issues in measuring learner flow-through in the education system
- Listening to matric teachers: township realities and learner achievement levels
- Pathways from matric
- Automated diagnostic feedback to learners, teachers, parents and education managers from large-scale school-achievement assessment
- Item readability and science achievement in TIMSS 2003 in South Africa