The Impact of the Household Poverty Trap on Learners' Academic Achievement in Rural Secondary Schools in the Zululand District: A Case Study of Nongoma Secondary Rural Schools

Abstract

This study looks into the elements that contribute to the poverty trap and how it affects learner academic progress in selected Nongoma secondary schools in South Africa's Zululand district. A mixed qualitative and quantitative data gathering strategy was utilized to collect the information. Purposeful sampling was employed to pick five secondary high schools in this area, as well as teachers and students who were conveniently selected for the study. Financial resources, a lack of aspiration and motivation, and school dropouts are all results of poverty traps, according to the research, and these factors impede learners' academic achievement in the schools studied. According to the study, reducing or eliminating poverty requires collective efforts, and all educational actors should contribute their respective quotas to provide basic infrastructure to both schools and rural communities, redistribute income and wealth, and plan improvements to encourage students to see the world from various perspectives.
 
 Received: 19 July 2021 / Accepted: 14 March 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022