Learners’ retention: A case of two primary schools in East London

Abstract

Learner retention is an increasing concern in many schools today. High rates of non-completion are unwanted for many reasons. Retention does not only have an influence on individual students and their families, but also leads to a ripple effect on the post-secondary institutions, the workforce and the economy. This study investigates the possible ways of retaining learners in schools, specifically at grade seven classrooms in two primary schools in the East London District in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Student retention in public schools is comparatively poor to traditional education and, in some contexts, embarrassingly low. This qualitative study is underpinned by Shulman’s model of Pedagogical Reasoning, a framework for teacher knowledge that upholds the relationship between the two main components of a learning environment: retaining and learner dropout. The data is systematically categorized and analysed thematically.

Keywords: Learner Retention, Gross Enrolment Ratio, School Drop-Out, East London, South Africa