HED4814
ASSIGNMENT 2 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 30 JULY 2025
, Psychology of Education
INTRODUCTION
The academic journeys of learners such as Thabo Dlamini, Thabo Molefe, and Lerato
unfold within deeply complex and interwoven developmental, social, and systemic
contexts. These learners, each shaped by unique personal histories and environmental
constraints, illustrate the pressing need for a holistic understanding of adolescent
development in South Africa’s post-apartheid education system. With legacies of
inequality still manifesting in access to quality education, electricity, transport, and
psychosocial support, it becomes essential to evaluate learning through a
multidimensional developmental lens—encompassing physical, cognitive, emotional,
social, and environmental factors (Donald, Lazarus & Lolwana, 2014).
In these cases, the learners’ developmental trajectories cannot be isolated from their
cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, which influence not only academic
performance but also self-concept, resilience, and long-term educational outcomes. For
instance, Thabo Dlamini, a 15-year-old Grade 9 learner from Zwide township in
Gqeberha, must navigate overcrowded classrooms, inconsistent internet access, and a
lack of familial academic support. Yet, she demonstrates strengths in Natural Sciences
and Creative Arts and finds motivation through peer engagement and community
enrichment initiatives. Similarly, Thabo Molefe, attending a formerly Model C school in
Pretoria East, illustrates the ongoing tensions of post-apartheid integration, showing
both academic promise and fatigue due to long commutes and socio-cultural adaptation
pressures. Lerato, meanwhile, balances household duties and her passion for the arts,
facing challenges with attendance and mathematics, but excelling in storytelling and
written expression.
Each of these learners represents the lived realities of many South African adolescents
caught at the intersection of adversity and potential. Their learning outcomes are
influenced not only by internal cognitive and emotional capacities but also by contextual
barriers including poverty, inadequate infrastructure, linguistic dissonance, and
ASSIGNMENT 2 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 30 JULY 2025
, Psychology of Education
INTRODUCTION
The academic journeys of learners such as Thabo Dlamini, Thabo Molefe, and Lerato
unfold within deeply complex and interwoven developmental, social, and systemic
contexts. These learners, each shaped by unique personal histories and environmental
constraints, illustrate the pressing need for a holistic understanding of adolescent
development in South Africa’s post-apartheid education system. With legacies of
inequality still manifesting in access to quality education, electricity, transport, and
psychosocial support, it becomes essential to evaluate learning through a
multidimensional developmental lens—encompassing physical, cognitive, emotional,
social, and environmental factors (Donald, Lazarus & Lolwana, 2014).
In these cases, the learners’ developmental trajectories cannot be isolated from their
cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, which influence not only academic
performance but also self-concept, resilience, and long-term educational outcomes. For
instance, Thabo Dlamini, a 15-year-old Grade 9 learner from Zwide township in
Gqeberha, must navigate overcrowded classrooms, inconsistent internet access, and a
lack of familial academic support. Yet, she demonstrates strengths in Natural Sciences
and Creative Arts and finds motivation through peer engagement and community
enrichment initiatives. Similarly, Thabo Molefe, attending a formerly Model C school in
Pretoria East, illustrates the ongoing tensions of post-apartheid integration, showing
both academic promise and fatigue due to long commutes and socio-cultural adaptation
pressures. Lerato, meanwhile, balances household duties and her passion for the arts,
facing challenges with attendance and mathematics, but excelling in storytelling and
written expression.
Each of these learners represents the lived realities of many South African adolescents
caught at the intersection of adversity and potential. Their learning outcomes are
influenced not only by internal cognitive and emotional capacities but also by contextual
barriers including poverty, inadequate infrastructure, linguistic dissonance, and
