Heleen Hofmeyr
Researcher and PHD Student

Heleen Hofmeyr obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Value and Policy Studies before completing a BComm (Honours) and MComm in Economics at Stellenbosch University. During her undergraduate studies, she majored in Philosophy, Economics and Decision-making and Value Studies. Her PhD thesis looks at academic resilience in South Africa, with a focus on the social contexts that promote learning among socio-economically disadvantaged students. Heleen has been affiliated with RESEP as a researcher since 2016.
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
Revised results confirm large improvements in South Africa’s reading outcomes, albeit from a low base
A recent paper by Martin Gustafsson shows that there have been significant improvements in reading in South Africa in recent years.
March 4, 2020 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…
December 20, 2019 PDF
Academic resilience in challenging contexts: Evidence from township and rural primary schools in South Africa
Wills, G. and Hofmeyr, H., 2019. Academic resilience in challenging contexts: Evidence from township and rural primary schools in South Africa. International Journal of Educational Research, 98,…
October 9, 2019 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…
November 23, 2018 PDF
Academic resilience in challenging school contexts in South Africa
Stellenbosch Policy Brief No. 01/2018Poverty is considered a risk factor that jeopardizes children’s academic performance. Yet even in high poverty contexts there are students who manage to achieve consistently…
September 4, 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
Higher Education Access and Outcomes for the 2008 National Matric Cohort
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP16/2016This study uses a unique dataset to investigate university access, throughput, and dropout for the 2008 national matric cohort. The findings show that university access…
July 4, 2018 PDF