Exploring socio-demographic factors associated with poor school attendance among secondary school learners in South Africa

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorShowers, Viome Amakuro
dc.contributor.authorAbrams, Robynne Danielle
dc.contributor.authorNsengiyumva, Philomene
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-27T07:22:29Z
dc.date.available2025-08-27T07:22:29Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractThe Department of Basic Education in South Africa acknowledges that 99% of primary school-aged children attend school, but attendance at secondary school level is not yet universal. Low levels of secondary school attendance contribute to poverty and unemployment. We investigated the socio-demographic elements associated with school attendance among secondary school-aged learners in South Africa. We adopted a quantitative research approach and a cross-sectional design. The positivist research paradigm was applied, and the 2019 General Household Survey data (nationally representative survey) were used. The family socialisation theory and household production framework were embraced as the theoretical framework in this study. Descriptive analysis and cross-tabulations were conducted, and a Chi-square test was performed to measure the association between school attendance and learners’ characteristics. Furthermore, logistic regression was conducted to explore the factors associated with school attendance. Study findings agree with the assertions of the family socialisation theory and household production framework. We found that the overall school attendance level was 93.5% and older learners had significantly lower levels of school attendance. High levels of educational qualification of household heads inspired higher school attendance as the odds of school attendance for learners quadrupled when household heads attained secondary education relative to those with unschooled heads (OR = 4.1; p < 0.001). Being a Coloured learner, being part of a large household, being an orphan, and living in a low-income household were associated with reduced levels of school attendance. We recommend targeting and supporting learners who are over-aged for their grades, Coloured, and with poor or educationally low family backgrounds via conditional cash transfers to improve school attendance in the South African population.
dc.identifier.citationShowers, V.A., Abrams, R.D. and Nsengiyumva, P., 2025. Exploring socio-demographic factors associated with poor school attendance among secondary school learners in South Africa. South African Journal of Education, 45(1), pp.1-15.
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v45n1a2489
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/20814
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.subjectBarriers to schooling
dc.subjectLearners
dc.subjectSchool attendance
dc.subjectSchool dropout
dc.subjectSecondary education
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.titleExploring socio-demographic factors associated with poor school attendance among secondary school learners in South Africa
dc.typeArticle

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
showers_exploring_socio-_demographic_factors_2025.pdf
Size:
385.54 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Research Articles (Statistics & Population Studies)