Wits School of Education (ETDs)

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Browsing Wits School of Education (ETDs) by Department "Department of Science and Technology"

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    The role of TPACK in enhancing students' knowledge of the design process: A case study of Grade 9 Technology Educators
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-07) Modise, Refilwe; Dewa, Alton
    The department of basic education is making efforts to transform educator pedagogy by introducing the use of digital technology in South African classrooms. Thus, the utilisation of digital tools in the technology classroom is likely to improve the students‟ comprehension of the design process. Educators need a well-developed Technological pedagogical content knowledge to meaningfully integrate Technology in their classrooms. The core purpose of this research is to investigate the role of the TPACK body of knowledge in enhancing grade 9 student understanding of the design process to improve learner achievement and to allow learners to design models that are fit-for-purpose and usable beyond the classroom. This is a qualitative research study aimed at capturing rich-data to answer the main research questions of the study. The TPACK framework was used in this study to determine the role of TPACK in enhancing the knowledge of students when they learn the design process. The data collection method used was interviews, where five grade 9 educators were purposively sampled from Sedibeng east to establish the role of TPACK in the Technology classroom. The study is underpinned by constructivism and social constructivism learning theory that follows a learner centred approach to teaching the design process. The finding of the study reveal that educators are interested in using digital tools in their classroom, however they are constrained by the lack of technological support, limited access to digital tools and the lack of Technological pedagogical content knowledge. The findings further reveal that educators are attempting the integration of technology in the classroom but they do not appropriately articulate the affordances of digital tools that will enhance the learners understanding of the design process. To answer the research question, the role TPACK cannot be meaningfully measured as the educators showed a lack of Technological pedagogical content knowledge. According to the educators‟ point of view, students became interested in the lesson when they used digital tools therefore, if they can be trained in using digital tools, they will be able to enhance the understanding of students in the design process. This would allow learners to design and make models that fit-for-purpose and come up with solutions that show a deeper understanding of the problem they had to investigate. The finding further shows that if the TPACK can be used meaningfully, it will play an important role in learning of the design process. In future Pre-service and in-service educators must be equipped with TPACK body of knowledge and more digital tools must be available in the Technology classroom for the learners to meet the learning outcomes of the design process.