E-ISSN 2039-2117 ISSN 2039-9340 Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing, Rome-Italy Vol 4 No 14 November 2013 429 Grandparent-Headed Families’ Influence on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Learners Velisiwe Gasa Paulsha Plaatjies University of South Africa gasavg@unisa.ac.za Doi:10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n14p429 Abstract This exploratory study investigated the influence of grandparent-headed families on the academic performance of secondary school learners. Using semi-structured open-ended interviews, the study was conducted in five secondary schools in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The findings reveal that learners who live in a grandparent-headed household face challenges which may hamper their academic achievement. Accordingly, this study argues that the grandparent-headed family is a very important family unit – one that needs to be supported in order to function well. Proper backing enables such families to provide better parental support and guidance and helps affected learners to achieve well academically. The study also recommends intervention strategies to help both grandparents and learners in grandparent-headed families to cope with the situation in which they find themselves. Keywords: Second-time parent, surrogate, kinship 1. Introduction There appears to be a gradual paradigm shift under way, from the nuclear family acting as primary caregivers to the extended family taking on this role. This may be due to many factors, such as the high divorce rate, HIV/AIDS-related deaths, the high mortality rate, financial constraints, incarceration and other limitations and restraints which prevent parents from raising their children. These factors mean that many a nuclear family requires an intervention and this usually translates to an increased supportive role for grandparent. Such interventions on the part of grandparents – the taking on of the role of supplementary or second-time parents are often unplanned. This results in many grandparents feeling isolated and taking on a role for which they are not fully prepared (Horner, Downie, Hay and Wichmann, 2007). It is easy for grandparents thrown into this new and unexpected role as parents to feel overwhelmed and incompetent (Cox, 2007). Due to one or other crisis, such grandparents are required, willingly or unwillingly, to fulfil the role of the parents to their grandchildren. This results in the grandparents becoming the first and most important teachers and mentors in their grandchildren’s lives. It becomes the grandparents’ task to become actively involved in the education of their grandchildren. Although they may sometimes lack readiness to tackle this task, they need to understand that their involvement in every level of their grandchildren’s schooling, education and development will, in future, be reflected in these grandchildren’s physical and mental well-being as well as in their academic performance (Mmotlane, Winnaar and wa Kivilu, 2009). It is for these reasons that this paper aims at exploring the influence that grandparent-headed families have on the academic performance of the learners in their care and at exploring the barriers that prevent these grandparents from providing educational support to their grandchildren. Furthermore, this article attempts to explore literature on educational challenges that grandparent-headed families face. It also discusses the findings of the study and recommends intervention strategies with the aim of providing guidance, support and information to grandparents as well as to learners. 2. Educational Challenges and Support One of the fundamental functions of parents is to care for and protect their children. Unfortunately, many parents are unable to fulfil this paramount purpose. This leads to intervention by extended family, most often grandparents. This shift