Rural school transportation : poor rural learners' experiences of their trips to and from school.
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Date
2014
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Abstract
This study is about poor rural learners who walk long distances to school and back home. The
study focuses on learners’ experiences between home and school, and how some experiences
become a barrier to education. Two methods of data generation were used, that is, focus group
interview and a purposive observation.
The focus group was conducted with ten Grade 10 learners. These in-depth interviews focused
on their experiences during their walk between home and school. The composition of learners
that were selected was gender balanced. There were five boys and five girls from one rural
secondary school in KwaZulu-Natal. During the focus group interview the learners told stories
about their experinces on their walk to school, and they were capable of articulating their
experiences. The purposive observation was of learners coming to school. During the
observation week a high rate of absenteeism was noted.
The findings were that poor rural learners who walk long distances experience delays and miss
the first lesson of school. However, this changes according to the seasons of the year. For
example, in summer experiences were different from those in the winter. There were also life
threatning risks such as snakes that learners come across as they walk to school. The conclusion
is that some of the experiences, such as late-coming and absenteeism, lead to barriers that
undermine access to quality education.
Description
M. Ed. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.
Keywords
School children -- Transportation., Rural schools -- South Africa., Low-income students -- South Africa., Rural poor -- South Africa., Theses -- Education.