Children's daily travel to school in Johannesburg-Soweto, South Africa: geography and school choice in the Birth to Twenty cohort study

Journal article | Zeitschriftenartikel

This paper has two aims: to explore approaches to the measurement of children’s daily travel to school in a context of limited geospatial data availability and to provide data regarding school choice and distance travelled to school in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa. The paper makes use of data from the Birth to Twenty cohort study (n = 1428) to explore three different approaches to estimating school choice and travel to school. First, straight-line distance between home and school is calculated. Second, census geography is used to determine whether a child’s home and school fall in the same area. Third, distance data are used to determine whether a child attends the nearest school. Each of these approaches highlights a different aspect of mobility, and all provide valuable data. Overall, primary-school-aged children in Soweto-Johannesburg are shown to be travelling substantial distances to school on a daily basis. Over a third travel more than 3 km one way to school, 60% attend schools outside of the suburb in which they live, and only 18% attend their nearest school. These data provide evidence for high levels of school choice in Johannesburg-Soweto, and that families and children are making substantial investments in pursuit of high-quality educational opportunities. Additionally, these data suggest that two patterns of school choice are evident: one pattern involving travel of substantial distances and requiring a higher level of financial investment and a second pattern involving choice between more local schools, requiring less travel and a more limited financial investment.

Object Details

• ISSN: 1473-3277
• Extent: Seite(n): 170-188
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Status: Veröffentlichungsversion; begutachtet (peer reviewed)

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Children's Geographies, 12(2)

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Bildung und Erziehung ; Allgemeines, spezielle Theorien und Schulen, Methoden, Entwicklung und Geschichte der Erziehungswissenschaft ; Schulwahl ; Republik Südafrika ; Schulweg ; Schüler ; Grundschule ; Schulerfolg ; Schule ; Standort ; Messung

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): de Kadt, Julia ; Norris, Shane A. ; Fleisch, Brahm ; Richter, Linda ; Alvanides, Seraphim
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Vereinigtes Königreich
• (when): 2014

Further information

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2013.812304
• Rights: GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften. Bibliothek Köln
• Last update: 21.06.2024, 4:27 PM CEST