Human Sciences Research Council - Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town (HSRC Video Conferencing Rooms VCRs)
Presenter:
Dr Kathryn Isdale, Director, QER Consulting
Chair:
Dr Vijay Reddy, Human Sciences Research Council
About this seminar:
Understanding educational transitions is vital to addressing basic skills shortages and improving the life chances of all South African learners. This presentation draws on findings from the South African Youth Panel study (SAYPS), a longitudinal panel study which started in 2011 and followed grade 9 learners annually for five years. The findings provide new insights about different educational transitions experienced by South African youth.
Learners follow one of four educational pathways: Forty-seven per cent follow a smooth pathway, progressing through secondary school without interruption; a further 40% follow a staggered pathway where advancement is marked by at least one interruption. An additional 7% remain stuck in grade 9 or 10, and a final 7% leave school shortly after grade 9 and do not return.
Our findings confirm many predictable explanations: Learners with a smooth transition tend to have more highly educated parents, perform better in mathematics and science assessments, and attend better-off schools. But there are also findings that are new, highlighting that it is possible to succeed academically despite disadvantage. We look beyond the predictable pattern of advantage and ‘achievement begetting achievement’ and examine the evidence of young people succeeding despite the odds.
The presentation is based on the forthcoming report by Kathryn Isdale, Vijay Reddy, Lolita Winnaar and Linda Zuze (2016); Smooth, Staggered or Sopped: Educational Transitions in the South African Youth Panel Study. An LMIP Publication: Human Sciences Research Council.
The HSRC seminar series is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The views and opinions expressed therein as well as findings and statements of the seminar series do not necessarily represent the views of DST.
Venues and contacts:
Cape Town: HSRC, 12th Floor, Plein Park Building (Opposite Revenue Office), Plein Street, Cape Town. Contact Jean Witten, Tel (021) 4668004, Fax (021) 461 0299, or [email protected] or Estelle Krishnan [email protected] or Tel: 021 4668070
Durban: The Atrium, 5th Floor, 430 Peter Mokaba Ridge, Berea, 4001 , Contact Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400, cell: 083 788 2786 or [email protected] or Hlengiwe Zulu at e-mail [email protected];
Pretoria: HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: [email protected]
Please RSVP by 21 August 2016
