The impact of family violence on learners scholastic performance in Sekgosese North Circuit

Abstract

All learners are expected to perform exceptionally well academically. As they come from different families, some of them do not perform as expected. There are learners who come from families which are not stable. Learners who experience or who come from families with a violence background do not perform well academically like others learners. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of family violence on learners' academic performance in schools situated in the Sekgosese North Circuit of the Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. In this research, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to fully understand the nature of the research problem. Five schools were sampled from schools within the circuit. The population was the intermediate phase learners who are experiencing domestic violence and educators who teach them. Participants for the qualitative method were thirty learners who were interviewed using an interview schedule. Respondents for the quantitative method were five educators who completed the questionnaire with close-ended questions. Content analysis was used to analyse data. lt was found that learners who are exposed to domestic violence have difficulties in learning, and as a result, their academic performance becomes poor. The study recommended that further research should be conducted on all forms of family violence in South Africa, especially the co-occurrence of child abuse with intimate partner violence. Services may need to be adapted to ensure they address the presence of both forms of violence in families.