“…Social factors include the background of the learners, where they live, the expectations of the local community (Hewson et al, 2001;Soudien & Colyn, 1992) and expectations of teachers who may see some students as unable to achieve well (Hewson et al, 2001;Ladson-Billings, 1994). The teacher's pedagogic style is influenced by the school's working environment (Wu, 1998), expectations of the school management and principal (Bredson & Johansson, 2000;Sebatane, 1994) and the wider social setting of the school as part of the local education authority, which has its own priorities (Guariento, 1997). These expectations are heavily influenced by policies at a national level, which in South Africa are intended to bring about a transformation of the education system (Department of Education of the Republic of South Africa, 1996).…”