Exploring educators’ perceptions of the impact of poor infrastructure on learning and teaching in rural South African schools

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to explore the views of rural mathematics and science schools’ educators about the impact of poor infrastructure in their work environment. Participants were seven educators whose ages ranged between 25 years and 50 years (M = 35.0 years, SD = 9.4). Data were collected through one-on-one interviews. The results show that educators identified a number of issues that they felt play a role in the learning and teaching context. In many respects, the educators painted a bleak picture in respect of poor infrastructure provisioning and the proper functioning of their schools. It is argued that there is an urgent need to address the participants’ concerns. Furthermore, that government should provide proper and adequate school infrastructure wherein classrooms, laboratories and libraries are equipped to lead to favourable learning experiences.