THE TROUBLED JOURNEYS OF SCHOOL DROP-OUTS: WASTAGE, REDEMPTION AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS

Authors

  • Andile Dube University of Pretoria
  • Mokubung Nkomo University of Pretoria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/1727-7140/1604

Keywords:

school-to-work transitions, youth transitions, re-entry experiences, second chance education, youth pathways, information poverty, human capital, investing in education, education policy, successful destinations, rational decision-making theory, drop-out

Abstract

The study traces the pathways of young people who dropped out of school between grades 1 to 11 as they seek re-entrance to the education, training and development (ETD) system, or entrance into the labour market. Particular attention is given to the factors that determine the choices that drop-outs make in either re-entering the ETD system or entering the labour market. An analysis of the experiences of the interviewed sample of drop-outs is presented. The study employs a qualitative research methodology, using interviews to elicit the experiences of drop-outs and school managers. Through snowballing, 14 youths and three principals were selected from a township south of Durban. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted. The findings provide insights into the drop-outs’ perceptions regarding the value of investing in education. They are discussed further in relation to the respective theories used in the study. The concluding section suggests the need for investments in second chance education by government and the private sector, and proposes an integrated model to assist young people who re-enter psychologically and emotionally.

References

Aloise-Young, P. A. and E. L. Chavez. 2002. Not all school drop-outs are the same: Ethnic differences in the relation between reasons for leaving school and adolescence substance use. Psychology in the Schools 39(5), 539–547. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.10054

Boshier, R. 1973. Educational participation and drop-out: a theoretical model. Adult Education Quarterly 23(4), 255–282. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/074171367302300401

Brown, B. and Schulze, S. 2002. The Development of the Working Relationship between Locals and Expatriates. Botswana Educational Research Association, 12(5):1–20.

Carlson, B. 2002. Educación y Mercado de Trabajo en América Latina: Qué nos dicen las cifras? CEPAL, Series Desarrollo Productivo. No 14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18356/2eee834c-es

CASE See Community Agency for Social Enquiry.

Chamberlain, D. and S. van der Berg. 2002. Earnings unctions, labour market discrimination and quality of education in South Africa. University of Stellenbosch, Department of Economics.

Community Agency for Social Enquiry. 2002. Youth 2002. A study of youth in South Africa. A Report for the Royal Netherlands Embassy. CASE: Johannesburg.

Creswell, J. 2003. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Darkenwald, G. and W. Gavin. 1987. Drop-out as a function of discrepancies between expectations and actual experiences of the classroom social environment. Adult Education Quarterly 37(3), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0001848187037003003

–163.

De Vos, P. 2005. High School drop-outs, enrolment and graduation rates in California. Sacramento, CA: California Research Bureau.

Department of Education. 2003. Education Statistics at a Glance in 2001. South African Government. Pretoria.

Du Toit, R. 2005. School-to-work transitions and the labour market intermediation in a developing context: career guidance and employment services. Pretoria: HSRC Press.

ESAR. 2000. A statistical Overview of the Status of School Droupout in Member Countries of East and Southern African Region. Nairobi: ESAR.

Fuller, B. and X. Liang. 1999. Which girls stay in school? the infl uence of family economic, social demands, and ethnicity in South Africa. In C. H. Bledsoe, J. B. Casterline, J. A. Johnson-Kuhn and J. G. Haaga, ed. Critical Perspectives on Schooling and Fertility in the Developing World. Washington DC: National Academy Press.

Henry, B. and N. Roseth. 1985. School and Beyond: School Leavers’s Perceptions of the Relevance of Secondary Educatio n. New South Wales Department of Education: Sydney.

Humby, C. 1989. Opening the information warehouse. Marketing, 34–37.

Kaufman, C. E., T. De Wet and J. Stadler. 2001. Adolescent pregnancy and parenthood in South Africa. Studies in Family Planning 32 (2), 147–160. Cape Town: HSRC Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2001.00147.x

KPMG. 2009. Economic Modelling of Impoverished Funding and Reform Arrangements for Australian Universities. Australia: KPMG.

Kraak, A. 2003. HRD and ‘joined-up’ policy. In Human Resource Review 2003: Education, Employment, and Skills in South Africa : Cape Town, HSRC Press.

Lee, F. M. and H. W. Lee. 2003. Young school drop-outs: levels of influence of different systems. Journal of Youth Studies 6(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1367626032000068181

Letseka, M. and S. Maile. 2008. High University Drop-out Rates: A threat to South Africa’s future. HSRC Policy Brief. March ed. Pretoria: HSRC Press.

Mahlomaholo, M.G. 2012. Early school leavers and sustainable learning environments. Perspectives in Education 30(1), 101–110.

Malaney, P. 2000. The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Education Sector in Southern Africa. Consulting Assistance on Economic Reform II Discussion Paper No.81 (August). Boston: CAER II.

Manski, C. 1989. Schooling as experimentation: a reappraisal of the post-secondary drop-out phenomenon. Economics of Education 6(4), 305–312. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7757(89)90016-2

McMahon, W. 1998. Conceptual framework for the analysis of the social benefits of lifelong phenomenon. Education Economics 6(3), 309–346. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09645299800000022

McMillan, J. H. and Schumacher, S. 1993. Research in Education: a Conceptual Introduction. 3rd edition. New York: Longman.

Mgwangqoa, V. and L. Lawrence. 2008. Why do learners drop-out of school? Learner perceptions in the Fort Beaufort District, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Commonwealth Youth and Development 6(2), 16–32.

Miles, M. and A. Huberman. 1994. Qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook. London:

Sage.

Ministerial Commitee. 2007. Ministerial Committe on Learner Retention in the South African Schooling System: Pretoria.

Oreopoulos, P., M. E. Page and A. N. Stevens. 2003. Does human capital transfer from parent to child? the intergenerational effects of compulsory schooling. Journal of Labor Economics, Available from http://www.nber.org/papers/w10164. (Accessed April 2009). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3386/w10164

Patron, R. 2008. Early school drop-outs in developing countries: an interger approach to guide interention: the case of Uruguay. Journal of Economics, Banking and Finance 2(2), 1–10.

Perry, H. and F. Arends. 2003. Public schooling. In A. Kraak and H. Perold, ed. Human Resource Development Review 2003: Education, Employment and Skills in South Africa, 302–325. Cape Town: HSRC Press.

Raymond, M. 2008. High school drop-outs returning to school. Catalogue no 81–595-M-No.055.

Ross, F. 2004. The School-To-Work Transition of Canadian Post-secondary Graduates: A Dynamic Analysis. Journal of Higher Education and Policy and Management, Vol 26, No 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080042000182528

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. 2003. Research Methods for Business Students. 3rd Edition, Harrow, Prentice-Hall.

Sibanda, A. 2004. Who drops out of school in South Africa? The influence of individual and household characteristics. African Population Studies 19(1), 99–177.

Statistics South Africa. 2006. The General Household Survey.

Te Riele, K. 2004. Transitional Experiences of Marginalised Students: Biased or Useful? AARE Symposium: dentity, ‘Transition’ Choice? Sydney.

UNESCO. 2000. The Dakar framework for action: education for all, meeting our collective commitments.

Witte, R. 1996. Racist violence and the state: a comparative analysis of Britain, France and the Netherlands. London: Longman .

Yin, R. 2002. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Applied Social Research Method Series, 5th ed. California: Sage.

Published

2016-09-26

How to Cite

Dube, Andile, and Mokubung Nkomo. 2014. “THE TROUBLED JOURNEYS OF SCHOOL DROP-OUTS: WASTAGE, REDEMPTION AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS”. Commonwealth Youth and Development 12 (1):1-14. https://doi.org/10.25159/1727-7140/1604.

Issue

Section

Articles