Poverty as a factor of the student's academic failure

Abstract

The paper considers the relation between poverty and the student's aca­demic failure. Attention first focuses on the issue of school failure defining, as well as causes of the failure with special emphasis on the factors that come from a family environment. Comparison of academic achievement of children from poor and non-poor, in different countries and internationally, indicate that poor students are at risk of academic achievement and problems in school. Opting on a review of the research findings, consideration is given to the ways that socioeconomic status of parents as well as school environment may influence a child's academic achievement, and how education, and therefore the school can contribute to the prevention of poverty and better academic achievement. Discussed are the general and specific measures within the education policy, particularly the role of teachers and parents to overcome the academic failure of poor children.

U radu se razmatra povezanost siromaštva i školskog neuspeha učenika. Najpre je pažnja posvećena problemu definisanja školskog neuspeha i ukazano je na moguće uzroke neuspeha u školi, sa posebnim osvrtom na faktore koji proizlaze iz porodičnog okruženja. Poređenja školskog uspeha dece iz siromašnih slojeva i onih koji nisu siromašni, u okviru različitih zemalja i na međunarodnom planu, pokazuju da siromašni učenici imaju lošija školska postignuća i više problema u školovanju. Pregledom domaćih i stranih istraživanja ukazano je na koji način socio-ekonomski status porodice, kao i školsko okruženje, može uticati na akademsko postignuće učenika, odnosno na koji način obrazovanje, a samim tim i škola, može doprineti prevenciji siromaštva i boljem školskom uspehu učenika. Razmatrane su opšte i posebne mere u okviru obrazovne politike, posebno uloga nastavnika i roditelja u prevazilaženju školskog neuspeha siromašne dece.