This working paper presents the findings of research into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the curriculum in South Africa. Four research questions frame the report:
November 3, 2020 PDF
RESEP education research has a strong emphasis on empirical research in a broad range of policy-related issues including teacher knowledge and training, early-childhood outcomes, accountability, socioeconomic status and school effectiveness. Policy application is one of the central aims of the research.
Working Papers: Education
Language-in-education policy has a powerful influence on social and economic relations, with complex dimensions in multilingual and unequal societies such as South Africa.
May 6, 2020 PDF
Perseverance, Passion, and Poverty: Examining the association between grit and reading achievement in high-poverty schools
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP06/2020This paper examines whether school characteristics moderate the association between grit and reading achievement in a sample of Grade 6 learners in high-poverty contexts.
April 20, 2020 PDF
A revised PIRLS 2011 to 2016 trend for South Africa and the importance of analysing the underlying microdata
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP02/2020Given South Africa’s weak performance in international testing programmes, there is a strong interest in gauging improvements within these programmes.
February 21, 2020 PDF
Correspondence between mathematics and mathematical literacy scores: an analysis from 2010 to 2018
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP03/2020This paper estimates correspondence curves between mathematics and mathematical literacy scores for South African Matric Students from 2010 to 2018.
February 20, 2020 PDF
Socioeconomic Status and Class Size in South African Secondary Schools
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP01/2020The reduction of class size is frequently argued to be a relatively simple, cost-effective way to improve learner outcomes in a wide array of contexts. However, methodological concerns regarding the appropriate use of observational data and endogeneity have led to a lack of consensus on this relationship in the literature.
January 21, 2020 PDF
The period effect: the effect of menstruation on absenteeism of school girls in Limpopo
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP20/2019This paper will aim to answer three questions: (1) Are girls absent from school during their periods? (2) If so, how large is the effect of menstruation on absenteeism? (3) Do the effects differ by socio-economic status (SES)?
December 21, 2019 PDF
Performance Beyond Expectations: Academic Resilience in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP19/2019Socio-economic status and educational outcomes are strongly linked across countries and education systems. However, a growing body of research documents the existence of students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds who manage to achieve exceptional academic results.
December 20, 2019 PDF
The promise of SA-SAMS & DDD data for tracking progression, repetition and drop-out
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP17/2019This paper analyses the SA-SAMS school administration data that the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation in partnership with the Department of Basic Education collects quarterly from schools in order to assess its usefulness for better understanding the school system.
December 19, 2019 PDF
Measuring leadership and management and their linkages with literacy in rural and township primary schools in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP21/2018This paper describes a rigorous process to develop and trial new metrics for measuring and codifying school leadership and management practices and processes that are considered theoretically related to literacy outcomes.
December 4, 2018 PDF
Addressing the ‘leadership conundrum’ through a mixed methods study of school leadership for literacy
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No.WP02/2018This paper explores methodological insights from a mixed methods study that aims to understand how school leaders promote literacy development in their schools.
December 2, 2018 PDF
Academic Resilience in Challenging Contexts: Evidence From Township and Rural Primary Schools in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No.WP18/2018Poverty is considered a risk factor that jeopardizes children’s academic performance. However, even in high-poverty contexts there are students who manage to achieve consistently good academic results.
November 23, 2018 PDF
Instructional leadership and academic performance: Eastern Cape educators’ perceptions and quantitative evidence
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP13/2018Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP13/2018 Publication date: July 2018 Abstract: This study aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of school educators on how…
July 19, 2018 PDF
Integrating Indicators of Education Quantity and Quality in Six Francophone African Countries
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP09/2018Research and policy-making in education have historically focused on quantitative measures of education when assessing the state of education across countries.
July 19, 2018 PDF
Understanding the sharp primary level enrolment increases beginning in 2011
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2018Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2018 Publication date: May 2018 Abstract: Enrolments at the primary level in South Africa increased sharply from around 2011. Over…
July 19, 2018 PDF
Does education enhance productivity in smallholder agriculture? Causal evidence from Malawi
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP05/2018Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP05/2018 Publication date: March 2018 Abstract: Malawi is a low-income country where the majority of the poor live and work…
July 19, 2018 PDF
Home background and schooling outcomes in South Africa: Insights from the National Income Dynamics Study
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP01/2018Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP01/2018 Publication date: January 2018 Abstract: Patterns of poverty and inequality in South Africa are largely sustained by differential educational…
July 19, 2018 PDF
The ‘Martha Effect’: The compounding female advantage in South African higher education
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP14/2017Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP14/2017 Publication date: November 2017 Abstract: In this paper we use population-wide panel data to follow every South African student…
July 16, 2018 PDF
Gender, Self-concept and Mathematics and Science Performance of South African Grade 9 Students
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP10/2017Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP11/2017 Publication date: October 2017 Abstract: Despite improvements over the past decade, South African women continue to be underrepresented in…
July 16, 2018 PDF
The effect of neighbourhoods and school quality on education and labour market outcomes in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2017Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2017 Publication date: September 2017 Abstract: This study evaluates the relative importance of family, neighbourhood and school quality in explaining…
July 16, 2018 PDF
