Factors Contributing to the Underperformance of Grades 8 and 9 Secondary School Learners in South Africa: A Scoping Review

The persistent under-performance of Grades 8 and 9 learners in South African schools has led to escalating dropout and repetition rates, necessitating urgent intervention. Despite existing strategies, most efforts focus disproportionately on Grade 12, leaving a critical gap in addressing early high school under-performance. This study was initiated by the Department of Basic Education (Mopani West District, Limpopo Province) in collaboration with the University of Limpopo, and seeks to consolidate existing literature on the factors contributing to under-performance among Grades 8 and 9 learners in South Africa. This scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework to systematically map key themes from relevant studies. The review thematically identified four major factors influencing learner under-performance in Grades 8 and 9: (i) subject content and teacher pedagogy, (ii) learners’ personal and social challenges, (iii) school leadership and management issues, and (iv) systemic barriers. The findings provide a consolidated evidence base for policymakers, school leaders, and teachers to develop targeted interventions. Additionally, the study highlights gaps in the literature, guiding future research on improving academic outcomes in the foundational high school years.