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Stellenbosch Working Papers

Working Papers

New Projects for 2020

This two-year project for the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) will involve a number of researchers from outside RESEP, including Elizabeth (Lilly) Pretorius from Unisa, Cally Ardington of UCT, Nompumelelo Mohohlwane from the DBE, and Nwabisa Makaluza and Ngamso Mtsatse from Funda Wande. Some of the research links to the Early Learning Programme.

February 5, 2020 By: RESEP Team PDF

Understanding healthcare from the perspective of the client

In the last ten years, RESEP has expanded its health policy expertise to the point where it has built up substantial expertise and experience in the field. The group has differentiated themselves by focusing on the demand side, understanding healthcare from the perspective of the client. We have been involved in a variety of projects, but they have all been attempts to listen closely and anew to people’s stories – whether it be through primary data gathering or secondary data analysis.

February 5, 2020 By: Ronelle Burger PDF

Socioeconomic Status and Class Size in South African Secondary Schools

Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP01/2020

The 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 By: Timothy Köhler  PDF

The promise of SA-SAMS & DDD data for tracking progression, repetition and drop-out

Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP17/2019

This 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 By: Servaas van der Berg, Chris van Wyk, Rebecca Selkirk, Kate Rich, and Nicola Deghaye PDF

Reading research recognised by The Impact Initiative

Over the period 2016 to 2018, RESEP were engaged in a study titled “Leadership for Literacy” funded by the ESRC/DFID. The project resulted in the collection of new data on reading in three African languages. In this research impact brief published by the REAL Centre, University of Cambridge, and The Impact Initiative, the impact of this work to establish tentative benchmarks in African languages is highlighted.

November 29, 2019 By: Gabrielle Wills PDF

RESEP runs an introductory training course on quantitative data analysis

RESEP led an introductory training course on quantitative data analysis for researchers in education in Stellenbosch from 11 to 15 November. The course was attended by 29 participants working in education, and included graduate students, researchers, NGO memebers and policymakers from across South Africa. Funding was provided by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Endowment as part of RESEP’s Early Learning Programme.

Examining the impact of WHO’s Focused Antenatal Care policy on early access, underutilisation and quality of antenatal care services in Malawi: a retrospective study

Mchenga, M., Burger, R. and von Fintel, D., 2019. Examining the impact of WHO’s Focused Antenatal Care policy on early access, underutilisation and quality of antenatal care services in Malawi: a retrospective study. BMC health services research, 19(1), p.295.