Resistance to change in impoverished schools of a South African province

Abstract

After the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994, changes have taken place to eliminate the previous racially discriminating practices in the education system. These changes, among others, included the desegregation of schools, the establishment of the South African Schools Act (SASA), the introduction of no-fee schools, and feeding schemes. Despite these measures to counteract the detrimental circumstances of previously disadvantaged schools, some of the impoverished schools are still not performing according to expectations. A quantitative method with a post positive view was used. The purpose of the research reported in this article was to determine whether such schools demonstrated a resistance to the change initiatives in education introduced in South Africa. An investigation into the underperformance of impoverished schools revealed that impoverished schools that underperformed might have suffered from some form of resistance to change.