IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sagope/v14y2024i2p21582440241247933.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Influence of Ecological Systems on Primary School Learner Performance in Informal Settlements in Namibia

Author

Listed:
  • Kaino Ipinge
  • Johannes Seroto

Abstract

Learners’ underperformance in primary schools in informal settlements is a concern worldwide. Families living in urban informal settlements of Windhoek, Namibia face overwhelming social and economic challenges, which affect children’s academic performance. A qualitative inquiry was informed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory with reference to the microsystem, mesosystem, and the exosystem, which emphasizes the complex interactions between individuals and their environment. Three primary schools were selected in the informal settlements of the Khomas Region, Windhoek, Namibia and a purposive sample of participants was chosen comprising school teachers, principals, school board chairpersons, parents, and Grade 7 learners. Data were collected by semi-structured individual interviews and analyzed according to themes. Findings indicated that challenges in the microsystem (poverty and socio-economic context), mesosystem (parental engagement and peer pressure), and exosystem (school infrastructure) were the main contributory factors to poor learner performance in the selected schools. The interconnectedness between learners and their ecological systems and how these systems interact have a direct bearing on learner performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaino Ipinge & Johannes Seroto, 2024. "The Influence of Ecological Systems on Primary School Learner Performance in Informal Settlements in Namibia," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:21582440241247933
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440241247933
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440241247933
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/21582440241247933?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matsudaira, Jordan D. & Hosek, Adrienne & Walsh, Elias, 2012. "An integrated assessment of the effects of Title I on school behavior, resources, and student achievement," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 1-14.
    2. Selma T Karuaihe & Philip R Wandschneider, 2018. "Limited access to services for the urban poor in Windhoek, Namibia," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(4), pages 466-479, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Figlio, D. & Karbownik, K. & Salvanes, K.G., 2016. "Education Research and Administrative Data," Handbook of the Economics of Education,, Elsevier.
    2. DesJardins, Stephen L. & McCall, Brian P., 2014. "The impact of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program on college and post-college related choices of high ability, low-income minority students," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 124-138.
    3. Congressional Budget Office, 2018. "Fiscal Substitution of Investment for Highway Infrastructure: Working Paper 2018-08," Working Papers 54371, Congressional Budget Office.
    4. Akinwande, Timothy & Hui, Eddie C.M. & Dekker, Karien, 2024. "Effective affordable housing strategies for the urban poor in Nigeria," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Kohima, Jennilee Magdalena & Chigbu, Uchendu Eugene & Mazambani, Malcon Liyali & Mabakeng, Menare Royal, 2023. "(Neo-)segregation, (neo-)racism, and one-city two-system planning in Windhoek, Namibia: What can a new national urban policy do?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    6. Jonathan S. Crush & Lawrence Kazembe & Ndeyapo Nickanor, 2023. "Opportunity and Survival in the Urban Informal Food Sector of Namibia," Businesses, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-21, February.
    7. Jonathan Crush & Ndeyapo Nickanor & Lawrence Kazembe, 2018. "Informal Food Deserts and Household Food Insecurity in Windhoek, Namibia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    8. Gregory R. Thorson & Sera M. Gearhart, 2019. "Do Enhanced Funding Policies Targeting Students in Poverty Close Achievement Gaps? Evidence from the American States, 1996–2015," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(3), pages 205-221, September.
    9. C. Kirabo Jackson, 2018. "Does School Spending Matter? The New Literature on an Old Question," NBER Working Papers 25368, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Amayaa Wijesinghe & Jessica P. R. Thorn, 2021. "Governance of Urban Green Infrastructure in Informal Settlements of Windhoek, Namibia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-25, August.
    11. Elizabeth U. Cascio & Sarah Reber, 2013. "The Poverty Gap in School Spending Following the Introduction of Title I," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(3), pages 423-427, May.
    12. Aili Amupolo & Sofia Nambundunga & Daniel S. P. Chowdhury & Gunnar Grün, 2022. "Techno-Economic Feasibility of Off-Grid Renewable Energy Electrification Schemes: A Case Study of an Informal Settlement in Namibia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-32, June.
    13. Cowan, James & Goldhaber, Dan, 2018. "Do bonuses affect teacher staffing and student achievement in high poverty schools? Evidence from an incentive for national board certified teachers in Washington State," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 138-152.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:21582440241247933. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.