Ozerk (2020) asserts that academic boredom is a relatively new concept, but nevertheless a relevant and growing phenomenon in an educational context. Despite limited research in the field of academic boredom, Orzek (2020) cites several researchers who claim that boredom in school can be seen as the “plague” of modern society (Daschmann, Goetz & Stupnisky, 2014; Pekrun et al., 2010).This paper seeks to explore the reasons behind learners academic boredom in the basic education sector in South Africa.
One of the earlier studies on academic boredom in Norway was conducted by Sørlie and Nordahl (1998) among approximately 1000 middle school learners (13-16-year olds). The result of this study revealed that around 60% of the learners experienced the school as monotonous and boring (Ozerk, 2020). Ozerk (2020:7) further reveals “In an another study among approximately 2000 Norwegian middle school students Thuen and Bru (1999) found that every fourth learner experienced school work as uninteresting, boring and meaningless” This is alarming and proves that reality of academic boredom amongst learners in schools.
In the South African perspective, a learner who holds a remarkable passion about politics and has always dreamt of venturing into political arena as a parliamentarian, minister, president or unionist etc is currently bored at school and ultimately will lose interest in the schooling system altogether. This is because such a learner should be already doing subjects such as Politics, History, Public governance, International relations, Leadership, and Political professional ethics. However, the challenge is that there is not even a single secondary school in South Africa that explicitly offer these subjects except History! (DBE, 2021). A learner such as this one is therefore bored and continues to lose interest, if not lost already.The reason for this is a mere reality of the irrelevancy of the South African curriculum system that fails to cater for the individualistic education needs of various learners it serves – the personal traits and interests of learners aren’t accommodated.
In the “Boredom in School from the Perspectives of Students, Teachers, and Parents” a study conducted seeking to diagnose the academic boredom by Daschmann (2013) , the result from learners revealed that learners felt excluded by irrelevant content that disconnected them with their desire for learning. This study is cementing the aforementioned argument that as long as learners are forced to undergo a curriculum (set of subjects) that doesn’t correspond with their desired career paths, there would always be issues surrounding academic boredom. This calls for the curriculum system to consider a number of aspects if education in South Africa is to be of value and dignity.
The condition of learners interested in journalism and media studies is another glaring illustration of how the South African educational curriculum structure is irrelevant and leads to academic dullness. Such learners despise school and are currently lost. Some learners have already given up on their dreams of becoming journalists, news reporters, media communicators, etc. This is due to the fact that these learners find themselves within the NCS curriculum and it fails to include subjects like Broadcasting Journalism, News Reporting, Investigative Journalism, Communications , Media Studies, Editing, etc. South Africa’s curriculum structure remains irrelevant, and as a result, learners’ dissatisfaction and boredom are, to a particular extent,justified because the school doesn’t provide what they are hoping for.
It is for such reasons the Personalised Education Curriculum System (PECS) was conceived as a curriculum system strictly rooted in humanistic approach, quality curriculum theory aspects, foundations of competency- oriented education, and focused on practically assessing students for relevant skills, aptitudes, and values to manoeuvre modern-day society successfully. PECS was developed to be at the forefront of curriculum relevance issues. Just like the birth of postmodernism, PECS is the product of dissatisfaction with the modernist curriculum system in South Africa. PECS is meant to rescue learners from the monstrous curriculum that fails to implement progressivism and provide differentiated learning that suits all learners. Just like progressivism in the past, PECS is a disruptive and qualitative curriculum system that aims to end the confusion around the inconsistencies of the curriculum. PECS seeks to restore the value and dignity of our education system by making it responsive to the needs of society through the liberal education-based curriculum system. PECS aims to give learners the opportunity to gain an insight into the world of work during their school years. This makes PECS unique and highly relevant in inspiring the education community of our country, South Africa, and Africa as a whole. And we believe that the education system can be improved in this way.
Know more about PECS: https://simnandisolutions.co.za/personalized-education/
– Click on PECS PowerPoint presentation.
Please answer these 3 questions and submit them: https://simnandisolutions.co.za/pecs – Questionnaires
Cite this publication: XABA, S.S. 2023. Reasons for academic boredom: the South African perspective. https://simnandisolutions.co.za/post/.
Bibliography
Ozerk, G. 2020. Academic Boredom: An Underestimated Challenge in Schools.http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6205-0300.
Daschmann, G. 2013. Boredom at school from the Perspectives of students, teachers and parents. Date of Access: https://http://d-nb.info/1037411957/34.
Department of basic education. 2021. Subject choice and career patching. https://www.education.gov.za/Informationfor/Learners/SubjectChoiceandCareerPathing/tabid/980