Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system
Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
|
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613918436786176 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Visser, Jemma Ann |
| author2 | De Kock, Imka |
| author_browse | De Kock, Imka Visser, Jemma Ann |
| author_facet | De Kock, Imka Visser, Jemma Ann |
| author_sort | Visser, Jemma Ann |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134860 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:46.817Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134860 A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system Visser, Jemma Ann De Kock, Imka Venter, Lieschen Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering. Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Visser, J. A. 2025. A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/71a92811-b3c9-4299-88de-cdde33f42569 This study investigates the determinants of academic progression among low-income learners within two contrasting South African educational contexts: Low-income schools and higherincome schools. Drawing on data from the 2022 General Household Survey, the analysis employs factor analysis, multivariate regression, structural equation modelling, and machine learning techniques to identify eight latent constructs that characterise learners from lower socio-economic backgrounds, namely, family structure, learner health, supported retention, food security, welfare income, sanitation, energy, and environmental conditions. Although learners across both contexts share similar socio-economic disadvantages, the influence and function of these factors diverge considerably. Learners attending schools with lower socioeconomic status tend to benefit from greater institutional support and increased access to welfare income, yet they often face more precarious household conditions. In contrast, learners enrolled in higher status schools are generally situated in more stable home environments but receive comparatively less institutional assistance. The analysis reveals that regular school attendance, age appropriate grade placement, access to school-provided meals, and welfare income are consistently critical for academic progression across both contexts, though their relative significance varies. To substantiate these findings, the analytical approach was applied to an independent high school case study. This application confirmed that, once foundational needs are adequately met, higher-order factors such as paternal involvement, future-oriented optimism, and intrinsic motivation become increasingly influential in determining academic success. These insights informed the development an educational hierarchy of needs decision-support model, which outlines five sequential levels essential for the academic development of low-income learners. Level 1 addresses foundational needs, including regular school attendance and age-appropriate grade placement. Level 2 emphasises the necessity of access to school meals to ensure adequate nutrition. Level 3 focuses on financial stability, particularly the receipt of welfare income such as the child support grant. Level 4 centers on the importance of family support structures, with a particular emphasis on paternal involvement. Level 5 culminates in mental well-being, marked by self-motivation and a positive outlook on the future. The decision-support model is grounded in the principle that educational progression must follow a bottom-up trajectory, whereby higher-level development is contingent upon the fulfilment of lower-level needs. For instance, strong psychological well-being (Level 5) cannot compensate for irregular school attendance (Level 1) or nutritional deficiencies (Level 2). As such, this hierarchical decision-support framework offers a structured and systematic approach to identifying and addressing the most pressing barriers to educational success for low-income learners within South Africa’s bifurcated education system, where profound disparities persist along socio-economic lines. Masters 2026-01-13T07:16:23Z 2026-01-13T07:16:23Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134860 Stellenbosch University 156 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Visser, Jemma Ann A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system |
| title | A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system |
| title_full | A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system |
| title_fullStr | A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system |
| title_full_unstemmed | A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system |
| title_short | A case study variate analysis of low-income learner progression in South Africa’s high school system |
| title_sort | case study variate analysis of low income learner progression in south africa s high school system |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134860 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT visserjemmaann acasestudyvariateanalysisoflowincomelearnerprogressioninsouthafricashighschoolsystem AT visserjemmaann casestudyvariateanalysisoflowincomelearnerprogressioninsouthafricashighschoolsystem |