The Influence of Urban and Rural Schools’ Socioeconomic Status on Grade 1 Learners' Performance in Zambezi Region, Namibia

This chapter explores the influence of urban and rural schools’ socioeconomic status on Grade 1 learners’ performance in Zambezi Region, Namibia. Rural and urban schools have two different contexts with unique socioeconomic opportunities which may, as a matter of fact, enhance or dis-enhance learning opportunities. The present study was specifically focused on Grade 1 just as it would have been if any grade, apart from grade 1, was identified as focus grade, and as a way to weigh opinion legitimacy in terms of performance, between urban and rural schools. The study is qualitative in approach and is a case study in design. Data were generated through interviews and the emergent Early Grade Reading assessment (eEGRA) test done by Grade 1 learners at the four schools. Four lower primary school teachers were interviewed, two rural and two urban respectively. A sample of teachers was drawn using a purposive sampling technique, and Grade 1 learners who participated in the eEGRA test were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were analyzed thematically. The study found that the school’s socioeconomic context is not a reliable yardstick to be used to determine and/or measure schools’ performance as rural schools can also outperform urban schools, and recommends that pedagogical activities of both urban and rural schools should be strictly monitored and funding and teacher placement formulae should be revisited. The appointment of teachers to schools matters and thus remains an issue of great concern and consideration. The study also highlights that with teacher commitment and teacher support, it is possible to shift performance goalposts of any school irrespective of its socioeconomic status.