A study of juvenile delinquency amongst adolescents in secondary schools in Gauteng

Abstract

Juvenile delinquency amongst school-going adolescents is a growing concern in South Africa. Initiatives by policy-makers, educationists and school authorities, amongst others, have not yielded the desired changes in learner behaviour. This dissertation focuses on adolescent delinquency amongst learners in Gauteng secondary schools, with the precise aim of making recommendations to address the problem. An extensive literature review was conducted. An interpretive-constructivist paradigm with a mainly qualitative design was followed. A questionnaire and focus group interviews were administered to teachers. The findings confirmed the researcher’s view that juvenile delinquency in schools is escalating and warrants attention and intervention from all stakeholders. The main conclusion drawn from this research was that current policies and interventions on learner behaviour had no impact because policy-makers lacked the necessary will to ensure that interventions were implemented, reviewed and monitored. This study argues for a multi-pronged approach to address the problem. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) should review its policies and approach to the problem, and support teachers to ensure that teaching and learning remain the main priority of schooling. Future research could explore the role of social ills in the South African context on the development of learners’ antisocial behaviour.