Academic resilience in biology amongst orphans and vulnerable children at secondary schools in the otjozondjupa education region, namibia:
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Date
2025
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University of the Western Cape
Abstract
This study explored the lived experiences of academically resilient Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in the Otjozondjupa Education Region of Namibia, with specific attention to the factors that enable them to succeed in Biology despite adverse socio-economic and emotional conditions. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model and the Theory of Resilience, the research investigated how individual, familial, school, and community systems interact to foster academic perseverance among OVC. A qualitative research design was employed, using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and documentary evidence to collect data from ten Grade 12 learners identified as academically resilient. Thematic analysis guided the interpretation of findings, ensuring that emerging themes reflected both participants’ lived realities and the study’s theoretical foundations. The findings revealed that academic resilience among OVC is a dynamic, multi-layered process shaped by the interaction between personal strengths and contextual supports. Key enablers included personal motivation, a positive mindset, self-efficacy, and adaptability, which operated alongside external factors such as teacher encouragement, supportive family networks, peer collaboration, and community engagement. Access to educational resources and stable learning environments further enhanced resilience by enabling learners to sustain focus and academic performance. The study also found evidence of self-directed learning behaviours, including goal-setting, self-testing, and the strategic use of limited resources, illustrating that resilient learners actively manage their learning trajectories despite adversity. Drawing on these insights, the study developed the Resilience–Education Support Model (RESM)-a contextually grounded theoretical framework designed to explain and guide the fostering of academic resilience among OVC in Namibia and similar settings. The RESM integrates three interdependent components - Support Systems, Personal Motivation, and Access to Resources that interact dynamically across ecological levels and over time. The model emphasises that resilience is not a static trait but a developmental process shaped by continuous feedback between individuals and their environments. It further highlights the importance of emotional, academic, and material support as secondary enablers that reinforce learners’ capacity to adapt and succeed. The study concludes that effective educational responses to vulnerability must adopt a holistic, systemic approach-one that recognises the interconnection between personal agency, social relationships, and structural opportunity. The RESM thus provides both a theoretical lens and a practical framework for policymakers, educators, and community organisations to strengthen academic resilience through coordinated interventions. Ultimately, the study contributes to the growing body of African scholarship that reframes orphans and vulnerable learners not merely as recipients of support, but as active agents of transformation capable of sustained academic achievement despite adversity.
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Keywords
Academic Resilience, Biology Education, Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Phenomenological Approach, Secondary Schools