Experiences of second-class citizenship related to continued poor academic performance of minority Xhosa learners

Abstract

This article examines the subjective life experiences of racial minority Xhosa speakers and the factors that contribute to their continued poor academic performance in a previously Whites-only school in South Africa. Vygotskian sociocultural perspective in relation to creating a democratic educational system and Bronfenbrenner’s biosystemic theory and his understanding of proximal processes inform the discussion within this article. To gain insight into the subjective life experiences of these learners, a qualitative methodology was implemented. Research methods included individual semi-structured interviews and one focus group interview. The participants were purposively selected as information-rich sources from grades 9 to 11 at the specific school. The findings indicated that poor academic performance of Xhosa learners as a racial and linguistic minority in a former Whites-only school is largely attributed to discriminatory attitudes from staff and peers which lead to feelings of inadequacy experienced by the respondents and their parents.