Search results

Today, financial viability and the creation of social value form the main axis for the operation of inclusive firms. However, depending on who offers the ideas for inclusive enterprises, there can be questionable presumptions regarding what is promised in relation to poverty. One dubious premise is that all poverty can be solved by the market. Markets may be a prerequisite but not sufficient condition for resolving social problems. Financial inclusion through microfinance is a crucial facet of social inclusion. At the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) in March 1995, governments made a commitment to eradicate poverty on a global scale, citing it as a moral, social, political and economic imperative. One of the three main objectives of the WSSD was the eradication of poverty. Microfinance provides financial services for persons living below the poverty line and for small businesses that lack access to traditional banking services and related products. Microcredit is the lending of small amounts of money to underserved consumers. Microfinance succeeded where institutional financing failed, but its viability is in question. An all-encompassing approach is required to support the growth of the new microfinance sector and manage the balance that must be struck between outreach and sustainability. It is well known that only efficient institutions can greatly lower the long-term expense of serving irregular and low revenues.

This systematic literature review aims to identify the pattern of data mining (DM) research by looking at the levels and aspects of education.

This paper reviews 113 conference and research papers from well-known publishers of educational data mining (EDM) and learning analytics-related research using a recognized literature review in computer science by Carrera-Rivera et al. (2022a). Two major stages, planning and conducting the review, were used. The databases of Elsevier, Springer, IEEE, SAI, Hindawi, MDPI, Wiley, Emerald and Sage were searched to retrieve EDM papers from the period 2017 to 2023. The papers retrieved were then filtered based on the application of DM to the three educational levels – basic, pre-tertiary and tertiary education.

EDM is concentrated on higher education. Basic education is not given the needed attention in EDM. This does not enhance inclusivity and equity. Learner performance is given much attention. Resource availability and teaching and learning are not given the needed attention.

This review is limited to only EDM. Literature from the year 2017 to 2023 is covered. Other aspects of DM and other relevant literature published in EDM outside the research period are not considered.

As the current trend of EDM shows an increase in zeal, future research in EDM should concentrate on the lower levels of education to identify the challenges of basic education which serves as the core of education. This will enable addressing the challenges of education at an early stage and facilitate getting a quality education at all levels of education. Appropriate EDM techniques for mining the data at this level should be the focus of the research. Specifically, techniques that can cater for the variation in learner abilities and the appropriate identification of learner needs should be considered.

Content sequencing is necessary in facilitating an easy understanding of concepts. Curriculum design from basic to higher education dwells much on this. Identifying the challenge of learning at the early stages will facilitate efficient learning. At the basic level of learning, data on learning should be collected by educational institutions just as it is done at the tertiary level. This will enable EDM to accurately identify the challenges and appropriate solutions to educational problems. Resource availability is a catalyst for effective teaching and learning. The attributes of a learner will enable knowing the true nature of the learner to determine the prospects of the learner.

This research has not been published in any journal. The information presented is the original knowledge of the authors. However, a pre-print of the work is in Research Square.