The effects of teenage pregnancy on the academic performance of learners in a South African high school.

Abstract

Teenage pregnancy remains a social phenomenon globally and, to date, is on a constant rise. Approximately five per cent of females aged 14 to 19 years old in South Africa stated that they were going through different stages of pregnancy within the last 12 months. Based on this information, it is evident that teenage pregnancy is a largely increasing phenomenon. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish the effects of teenage pregnancy on the academic performance of learners in a South African high school. The study was conducted in a High School in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The chosen research design uses a case study methodology which was used to understand complex situations while evaluating how people respond. This researched used the interpretivist paradigm where meaning was created rather than found. The chosen research approach was the used of qualitative data whereby a more realistic view of the world was obtained. The researcher purposefully selected four participants to conduct research who were high school teachers at the chosen school. The researcher used interviews and questionnaires as the chosen data generation methods to collect information. The researcher gained insight into how teenage pregnancy affects academic performance through these two data collection methods mentioned above. The chosen data analysis was the use of thematic data analysis. Themes and sub-themes were constructed giving the reader a comprehensive view of the data that was derived. The study’s results showed the emergence of various themes that posed as common occurrences of teenage pregnancy. The researcher then further elaborated on the maintenance of trustworthiness and the ethical considerations that were adhered to. The chosen framework to analysis this research was Urie Bronfrenbrenner’s ecological theory which was used in order to explore the various systems of influence that surround teenage mothers and the effect that they have on their academic performance. The results showed that teenage pregnancy affects teenagers academically, socially, emotionally, and mentally. Teenage pregnancy impacts learners’ capabilities in the classroom and, therefore, limits their potential as individuals, with emphasis put on their academic performance. Teachers feel unequipped to handle a teenage pregnancy within their classroom and they often feel like a teenage learner causes disturbances and distractions in the classroom. The researcher provided various recommendations for schools, for healthcare, for policy makers and for the community.