Grandparent-headed families' influence on the academic performance of secondary school learners

Abstract

This exploratory study investigated the influence of grandparent-headed families on the academic performance of secondary school learners. Using semi-structured open-ended interviews, the study was conducted in five secondary schools in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The findings reveal that learners who live in a grandparent-headed household face challenges which may hamper their academic achievement. Accordingly, this study argues that the grandparent-headed family is a very important family unit - one that needs to be supported in order to function well. Proper backing enables such families to provide better parental support and guidance and helps affected learners to achieve well academically. The study also recommends intervention strategies to help both grandparents and learners in grandparent-headed families to cope with the situation in which they find themselves.