Y A S M I N O M A RN A N C Y M A B A S O

SOCIO ECONOMIC BARRIERS TO LEARNING

WHAT ARE SOCIO-ECONOMIC BARRIERS?

• Effective learning is influenced by the availability of educational resources to meet society’s needs

• In many countries, there are inadequate numbers of centres of learning and other facilities to meet the educational needs of the population.

• Inadequacies in provision are linked to other inequalities in society such as • urban/rural disparities, • inequalities arising from discrimination on grounds such as

gender, race and disability. • Barriers result not only from the inadequacy of

provision, but also from policies and practices which are designed to perpetuate these inequalities.

WHY SHOULD EDUCATORS BE AWARE OF THEM?

• Educators need to be in touch with the needs of the learners• Measures need to be placed to help learners• Sensitivity• School and curriculum adjustments• Research demonstrates that students who receive

social-emotional support and prevention services achieve better academically in school. • Interventions that strengthen students’ social,

emotional, and decision-making skills also positively impact their academic achievement

FOR THE EDUCATOR

Examples of SE-related functional impairments that affect schoolwork include:• An inability to learn that cannot be explained by

intellectual, sensory, or health factors;• An inability to build or maintain satisfactory

interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers;• Inappropriate types of behaviour or feeling under

normal circumstances;• A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or

depression; and• A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears

associated with personal or school problems.

ACTIVITY

•How many socio-economic factors can you think identify?

LIST OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC BARRIERS

• Poverty• Urbanisation• Unemployment• Moral confusion• Abuse• Disintegration of family life• HIV/AIDS pandemic• Language differences• Cultural differences• Street children• Child-headed household

1. POVERTY

• Often caused by unemployment and other economic inequalities, is the inability of families to meet basic needs such as nutrition and shelter. • Increased emotional stress which adversely

affects learning and development• Under-nourishment leads to a lack of

concentration and a range of other symptoms which affect the ability of the learner to engage effectively in the learning process. • Poverty-stricken communities are also poorly

resourced communities

POVERTY

• Manifests in adverse factors like • ill health, • undernourishment, • a deprivation of priviledges, • backlogs in education,• unsupportive environment, • communication and language deficiencies,• limited social status• negative view of the future

CYCLE OF POVERTY

Inadequate educationLow

wagesunemploymentmalnutr

itionAn opportunity-

deprived existenceTechnological

backwardnessoverpop

ulationDisadvantag

eous surroundings

conflict

violence

crimeSubstance abuse

Psychological degradation

ACTIVITY

•What are the different things that you as an educator can do in your classroom or within the school to help the child from an impoverished background?

2. ABUSE

• Forms of abuse:• Physical assault and injury• Neglect – social, emotional and physical• Psychological• Sexual – incest, rape, sodomy, coercion• Abandonment• Provide more eg……..

• Causes of child abuse• Parental factors• Child factors• Crisis or stress factors• Explain how these are contributors?

ACTIVITY

•What are the warning signs to look out for?

•What are the preventative actions that can be adopted by schools?

PROACTIVE STRATEGIES FOR ABUSE

Schools need to be proactive in the following respects:• Preparing children for what might happen• Teaching children to respond under threatening or

uncomfortable situations• Informing and training parents with knowledge and

skills• In-service training for staff• Creating support structures

REACTIVE STRATEGIES FOR ABUSE

• Remain calm• Don’t judge• Believe the child• CONFIDENTIALITY• Educators should be aware of legislature • What are the laws regarding abuse ?• Multidisciplinary approach – professionals• Report to principal• Both victim and transgressor should get

professional help

3. LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES

• Anger, shame and low self esteem• Non-involvement of parents and caregivers• Parents and children develop in opposite

directions

• Mention a few cultural differences between people from the African and white cultures that could cause underachievement in a lone child at school if the others are in the majority.

4. CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS

• Rise in the number of adolescent orphans either living alone or caring for younger siblings. Why?

• Emotional vulnerabilities:• Unresolved grief, depression• Lack of attainable long-term goals• Lack of self worth• Poor internal locus of control

• Financial concerns• Safety issues• Fewer and loss of key documents e.g. IDs, birth

certificates etc. needed for accessing social services.

WHAT CAN EDUCATORS DO?

• A teacher in Cape Town had a new learner from Limpopo province who was Venda speaking and spoke no English. The teacher could not speak Venda, but rather than allowing the learner to languish, she chose to allow him to teach the class enough of his mother tongue so that they could all communicate a little bit. The learners got excited about discovering a new language. This led the teacher doing a unit on Limpopo, complete with a wall-size relief mural of the province. The end result was that the Venda-speaking learner was treated as a valued part of the class. He was able to contribute the richness of his culture while learning about his new home.

• Think about alternative ways of accommodating learners in a similar situation in your class, taking into consideration the home language, the level of academic development, etc.