Abstract
This research study was conducted to explore the grade retention practices in private schools of Karachi. The study focused on the impact of grade retention and investigated its effectiveness in terms of its merits versus demerits. The context of the study was six private schools of Karachi and scorecards of the failed students from the selected schools, who were in grade six, seven and eight. To achieve the objectives of the study, a mixed method was undertaken to collect the data. The quantitative data were derived from the scorecards of 84 students of two years, summing to a total of 168 scorecards of 84 failed students, who repeated the class in the same school. Paired sample t-test, one sample t-test and two-way MANOVA were applied to analyze the data. The researcher conducted interviews of six teachers and three principals. The interviews were transcribed and decoded, followed by categorization to explore the themes that emerged. The most crucial finding of the research is that retention and social promotion are ineffective solutions for the struggling learners.
Highlights
Grade retention practice has been carried out for many years in most of the countries of the world
The most crucial finding of the research is that retention and social promotion are ineffective solutions for the struggling learners
By the 1930s, researchers reported negative effects on grade retention (Anderson, 2005) and it was acknowledged that grade retention was linked to students dropping out of the school
Summary
Grade retention practice has been carried out for many years in most of the countries of the world. Grade retention means holding students back due to low grades and preventing them from being promoted with their peers (Jimerson, 2001). It is known as failing a class or flunking a class by the students. Retention indicates that students who have studied for a year in a grade are asked to repeat the same grade in the following year or years as well in certain cases (Wiersma & Jurs, 1990). The term and concept of grade retention emerged in 1860 (Wood, 1960) and the main aim was to improve school performance by allowing underachieving students more time to develop academic skills (Wood, 1960). By the 1930s, researchers reported negative effects on grade retention (Anderson, 2005) and it was acknowledged that grade retention was linked to students dropping out of the school
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