Relation between Grade Retention and Disengagement among Primary School Pupils in Fuamah District, Liberia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between grade retention and school disengagement in some selected primary schools in Liberia using the correlational design. a sample of 246 Grade Five learners was selected from five out of 12 schools in the Fuamah District through simple random sampling procedures and a self-constructed questionnaire was the source of data. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Correlations. The study established that grade retention was somewhat prevalent in schools under investigation as some of the learners admitted to have repeated classes. The study further concluded that grade retention influences students’ disengagement with school. Therefore, it is recommended that grade retention should be avoided as it causes sad feelings to those who repeat the classes and leads to a possibility for some learners to disengage with studies. The avoidance of grade retention can be accomplished when teachers become creative in addressing specific needs of the learners, providing remedial assignments to poor performing learners as well as finding out reasons for learners underperformance and responding accordingly in a creative yet collaborative approach with parents.