Grappling with Learning: A Grounded Theory Study Educational Disruption Due to Poverty Concerning Learning Performance in State-Run Early Years to Secondary level Schools in Karachi

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the effects of poverty on students' academic performance in Karachi, Pakistan government schools. Employing grounded theory approach, the investigation tries to produce a theory explaining the connection between poverty-related elements and academic obstacles experienced by students in impoverished metropolitan areas and coding process by the Stauss and Corbin through three phases transcript are broken down into individual codes, axial coding and selective coding. Grounded theory also arose highlights a cyclical link between poverty and academic underperformance mediated by systemic neglect, poor educational infrastructure, and psychosocial stressors. Focus on two Karachi government school provided semi-structured interviews with pupils, teachers, heads to gather data. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants due to specific reason. Also used NVivo software to group codes and further thematic analysis. Constructive framework was used focus on reality as created socially by the individuals and their experiences. Degree of trustworthiness used to ensure the quality of research paper trustworthiness based on four criteria credibility through triangulation data gathered with the (students, teachers, heads), dependability by maintaining an audit trail, confirmability through peer debriefing and members check, transferability by detailed description of the participants. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the results. This research paper shows how complexly poverty affects academic achievement, including lack of learning materials, family chores, school absenteeism, poor mental health, and insufficient nutrition. Students from low-income homes sometimes struggle in class to focus, have little parental support, and have reduced ambitions. Teachers battle packed classrooms, obsolete resources, and the emotional cost of seeing kids struggle devoid of institutional help. This study helps to guide educational leadership and management. It also urges teacher training programs to help them grasp the socio-cultural dynamics of poverty in urban Pakistan. This study helps to close a major void in the literature on poverty and education in South Asia by providing a bottom-up perspective from within the school system.