Reflection on teachers’ perceptions of the factors influencing a decline in learner enrolment in Economics: A case of Koloti Circuit in Limpopo Province

Reflection on teachers’ perceptions of the factors influencing a decline in learner enrolment in Economics: A case of Koloti Circuit in Limpopo Province

Matlou Makgato & Molaodi Tshelane

Issue: Vol. 7 No.6 2026 Article 21 pp. 1721 – 1730
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267621 Published online 31st July 2026

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ABSTRACT

This study reflects on teachers’ perceptions of the factors that contribute to the persistent decline in learner enrolment in Economics within Koloti Circuit, Limpopo Province. Grounded in Critical Theory, the study interrogates the structural, pedagogical, and socio-cultural conditions shaping subject choice in under-resourced schools. A qualitative approach, employing semi-structured interviews with twelve purposively selected Economics teachers from six secondary schools, allowed the researchers to access participants’ lived experiences and professional insights. Data were thematically analysed to uncover recurring patterns and meanings. The findings reveal that external influences from parents, peers, and teachers, coupled with inadequate academic performance and limited awareness of career pathways in Economics, discourage learners from enrolling in the subject. Each factor reflects the connection of structural inequalities, teacher agency, and learner subjectivity, revealing Economics as both an intellectual pursuit and a contested space within schooling. The study concludes that without deliberate interventions—such as strengthened career guidance, reformed curriculum design, and equitable school practices—Economics risks further marginalisation in the secondary school curriculum. Recommendations are advanced for policymakers, school managers, and teachers to reimagine Economics education as relevant, empowering, and socially just. This study contributes to scholarship by providing context-specific insights to improve curriculum design and strengthen career guidance in Economics within the Koloti Circuit. It further informs educational stakeholders on strategies to address structural and socio-cultural barriers to learner enrolment, and lays a foundation for broader research on Economics enrolment trends in South Africa.

Keywords: Learner Enrolment, Economics Education, Teacher Perceptions, Critical Theory, Curriculum Justice.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Matlou Makgato is an Economics teacher at Kgabo Secondary School and a Master’s student in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies, College of Education, School for Teacher Education at UNISA. He likely focuses on developing effective curriculum practices that enhance learners’ learning outcomes. His role in the scholarship of curriculum practices is pivotal and instrumental in shaping the educational landscape through innovative teaching pedagogy and curriculum design.

Molaodi Tshelane is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies, College of Education, School for Teacher Education at UNISA. He was a senior lecturer in the Department of Education Studies at Sol Plaatje University and coordinator of B.Ed Honours, Curriculum Studies. A senior lecturer at the Central University of Technology, Faculty of Humanities. He was also a Risk Champion and Discipline coordinator in the Faculty of Education at UFS. To add, has published several research articles in accredited international and South African journals, read numerous papers at educational conferences, and has written nine chapters in academic books. He has supervised more than 30 PhD and Master’s students. He has also delivered several Keynote addresses at various teacher education forums and conferences. Lastly, he is a Sustainable Learning Environments (SuLe) member and an Action Learning and Action Research Association (ALARA) associate editor. He has formed a post-graduate studies support group named Scholarship of Sustainable Curriculum Practice (SSuCuP).

TO CITE ARTICLE

Makgato, Matlou, and Tshelane, Moloadi. “Reflection on teachers’ perceptions of the factors influencing a decline in learner enrolment in Economics: A case of Koloti Circuit in Limpopo Province.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 7, no.6 (2026): 1721 – 1730. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20267621