3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The effectiveness of integrating ICTs in the teaching of Mechanical System and control in a Grade 8 Technology subject: a case of two township schools.(2020) Nkosi, NobuhleInformation and Communication Technology (ICT) in the education system have been highly received and thus viewed as a catalyst for change in teaching and learning practise that take place in the classroom. ICTs have been highly researched in the education systems globally and their impact in education has been phenomenal at most. This is because ICTs are introduced in schools as a means of improving educational outcomes with hope to also enhance the standard of teaching and learning. Within the education system, the assumptions is that “ICT helps in providing a catalyst for rethinking teaching practices” (Flecknoe, 2002; McCormick & Scrimshaw, 2001 cited in Noor-Ul-Amin, 2013, p.8). The research aimed at investigating how effective teaching and learning was achieved using ICTs in the subject Technology classroom, especially in teaching of a Mini-PAT in the concept of Mechanical Systems and Control. This research explored skills and competencies needed by teacher to help them integrate ICTs into their lessons and teaching and the challenges they face. The study explored how effective teaching and learning was achieved by Grade 8 Technology teachers when ICTs were integrated into their lessons, especially in the teaching of a Mini PAT in the concept of Mechanical system and control. Mishra and Koehler (2013) technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) were used to frame the research. This research employed a qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling was used to select four secondary school teachers who teach Technology Grade 8. Semi- structured interviews and classroom observation were used as a means of collecting data. The research findings revealed that teacher’s attitude, perceptions and beliefs shape the manner in which ICTs are integrated and utilised within the subject hence its effectiveness in practice. The study also found that policy regarding ICTs is not made transparent to teachers and stakeholders. The study concluded that the TPACK of the participants influenced and shaped effective teaching and learning practices when ICTs were integrated into their lessons, especial in the teaching of the concept of Mechanical systems and control and its Mini PAT. The study recommended; providing teacher professional development centres whereby teacher can learn to develop activities related to technology as means of enhancing their technology skills, providing teachers support partnership that can enable them to share effective strategies for technology, matching the content uploaded onto the smartboard with the teachers’ set work, school’s curriculum policy and textbooks, having a technical support team that is well trained and available at schools at all times, decentralising the technical assistance and training to name but a few. Furthermore, the schools policy must be adjusted to fit ICT rules usage in class and school, to enable the teacher to use effectively ICT tools and be able to manage their classrooms and teaching using ICTs.Item Exploring the use of ICTs in education: evidences from South African secondary school managers(2020) Shaikjee, FazelThe rapid technological advancements, especially in the field of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), have brought with them new and expanded opportunities to create, share, store and communication information like never before. As various ICT tools and devices are being integrated into education it could assist especially school managers with managing teaching and learning, a core function of school Heads of Departments (HoDs). This study aimed at exploring the use of ICTs amongst secondary school managers, specifically mathematics and sciences HoDs in six Gauteng secondary schools. A qualitative approach was adopted to conduct research using semi-structured interviews with each of ten HoDs in these schools. The key findings of this study revealed that the majority of HoDs do not use ICT tools and devices for higher order management activities, but are using these for purely administrative and clerical purposes. This is even whilst HoDs in the study have an understanding of how ICTs could benefit the teaching and learning process, including assisting with the management of this process. However, the findings of the study also reveal some of the enabling and constraining aspects to consider when integrating ICTs into education. It is these constraining factors which in most cases have prevented HoDs from realising the full potential of using ICTs in assisting with one of their core functions, managing teaching and learning.Item Learning to teach in a full-service school through a self-study(2019) Zondo, CebolakheThis self-study in which I investigated how to teach Natural Sciences and Mathematics in a Full-Service school (FSS) was motivated by the realisation that the Initial Teacher Education training that I received never prepared me for teaching at such a school. The aim of this study was therefore, to document my experiences of teaching at a FSS as a novice educator with the primary goal of sharing what I have come to learn and the kind of knowledge that one requires to teach in a FSS. Being a self-study, I was the main participant. My Grade 4, 6 and 7 learners became participants by being in the classes that I was teaching. In the study, I employed three ways of data collection: journal entries of trigger incidents, transcribed recordings of discussions held with critical friends and my reflections that followed each discussion. All data collected was in text form. Inductive coding was used to create meaning of what I was experiencing. This study produced two key findings about learners and about teaching in a FSS. The first finding is that most learners in Full-Service School are bodily-kinesthetic i.e. they learn best when they use their bodies and through movements. The second finding is that learners in a FSS are very slow to grasp concepts. Therefore, it is very important for the teachers in FSSs to consider the slow pace of the learners, even though CAPS propose specific content and timelines. These two findings highlight two pieces of knowledge about learners and about teaching in a FSS (that I was not aware of as a newly qualified teacher) that any new educator should be aware of and be trained to deal with. This study therefore, recommends that teacher training institutions must incorporate modules in their teacher preparation programs that prepare new educators specifically for teaching in a FSSs. In addition to the findings above, this study demonstrated that self-study is a very good research methodology that can be used to develop effective teaching practices as it can help teachers to make sense of their own teaching practices and how those experiences can be used to promote better teaching and learning in future.Item Asha: Using a mobile game to educate, support and monitor the medical adherence of children diagnosed with HIV(2019) Whittaker, DominiqueThe focus of this research is in the area of using a designed pedagogical model, called the Educational Game Creation and Assessment Model (EGCAM), to inform the design decisions made to create the mobile game Asha to serve the needs of HIV positive children between the ages of 8 to 12. Asha does this by attempting to educate, support and monitor the medical adherence of the user through its gameplay. Such a study plays an important role due to the noted practice of parents of HIV positive children not involving them in their diagnoses or treatment due to the stigma that surrounds the disease. The research approach adopted in this dissertation includes creating and documenting the development process of the game Asha with an end result of conducting an informal qualitative play testing session whereby children that fell within the target market provided feedback on the game. The findings from this research provide evidence that the use of a mobile game is a viable means of educating children as results were positive and found the participants saying they learnt something new and would play the game again. The main conclusions drawn from this study are incomplete due to the small test group that was available. However, results do indicate a positive response to the use of the EGCAM model to create the game Asha as well as the use of said game having potential to be successful in its intended final outcome. This dissertation recommends that with the use of educational and serious games in other disciplines, a larger audience can be reached and their needs served.Item Exploring the impact of multimodal composition on the learning and composing of creative writing(2019) Vally Essa, FatimaThis research explores the impact that multimodal composition can have on the learning and composing of creative writing. A key element of this research is to use a culturally relevant pedagogical approach to identify the impact and effect of using multimodal composition as a tool to work with epistemological resources, identities and languages that learners bring into the classroom by means of creative writing and multilingualism. The study uses a qualitative approach to conduct the research. The research tools used for collecting data included a textual and multimodal writing intervention with a group of grade 7 learners. The intervention was conducted over a limited time of two weeks in every English period allocated to the participating class. The participants consisted of one grade 7 class, all between the ages of 12 – 13 years old. They were selected based on having a multilingual repertoire and they all came from low to middle income households. Once the multimodal intervention was completed, questionnaires and a focus group discussion was used to explore learners’ perceptions and choices made during the writing process. Theoretically and empirically, this research has attempted to bring together creative writing, multimodality and a culturally responsive pedagogy. The main findings of this study suggest that creative writing pedagogy requires a shift towards the performance/ dramatization modes. It had the potential to encourage multilingualism through oral modes whereas the textual mode was associated monomodally with English and reproduced anglonormative ideologies. Unlike the textual mode, the performance genre generated more vivid and engaging stories due to drawing on creative elements. The performance genre created opportunities for embodiment by constructing and exploring multiple identities. A limitation of this study is that the learners’ did not select a range of modes to work with as they all chose the performance mode which influenced the data collected. Hence, I am not able to make broad conclusions about multimodality, but only about the performance modes. This research was a call for all educators to question if their pedagogy and approach to teaching creative writing is indeed creative at all.Item Usin social media for learning in the FET phase(2019) Seedat, SafiyyaThe use of information and communication technology (ICTs) has been increasing in the educational domain since the early 2000s. This study aimed to explore how an app, such as WhatsApp, which was not designed for teaching and learning is influencing the educational domain. Purposeful sampling was used in which 9 grade 11 educators and 70 grade 11 learners from a small private school in Johannesburg were selected to complete questionnaires regarding their use of social networking for teaching and learning. Axial coding was used to analyse their responses of how they are utilising social networking in an educational domain. The study found that learners and educators are using social networking groups more for the sharing of subject related information, rather than for engaging in meaningful discussions about the content which fosters a constructivist approach to learning. However, these social networking groups have the potential to create communities of practices amongst educators and learners which can be beneficial for learning as well as for the social well-being of learners as it creates a sense of community and belonging. This study recommended that further research needs to be conducted in terms of learners’ attainment and the use of social networking groups for teaching and learning, as well as learners social wellbeing and the use social networking groups for learning and teachingItem ICT pedagogical integration in a public nursing education college in Gauteng Province in South Africa(2018) Makhuvha, Nozuko RefiloeThe dissertation is focussed on understanding nurse educators’ use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning. It intends to determine the extent to which these technologies are integrated into pedagogy and whether their use enhances effective learning. This analysis was conducted in a nursing education institution where two nursing educators participated in the research. It uses a qualitative methodology and employs a pedagogy technology framework to analyse the data. The study concludes that although the two educators studied differed in the way they defined ICT integration, they both appeared to be integrating ICTs into their pedagogies in a similar way and were both rated at level 4 of the framework. One of the recommendations is that for students to benefit fully from the use of ICTs in teaching, nurse educators need to make the necessary adjustments to their pedagogical approaches to create active learning environments.Item Teachers’ use of iPads in the classroom in a South African public school(2018) Lupondwana, VuyoThis study examined the use of iPads by teachers in a public school in South Africa. The school is a public school located in a township East of Johannesburg. The majority of the learners are from for the surrounding townships. The school was part of the ‘Paperless Classroom’ project of the Gauteng Department of Education which equipped schools with smartboards in classrooms, iPads for the learners and teachers and additionally laptops for the teachers. The paperless classroom, is an initiative provides devices to learners and teachers, access to online educational content and classrooms are equipped with smart boards and Internet connectivity. The education department of Gauteng’s objectives is to encourage ICT adoption, skills development and improving the quality of education in townships. The project was rolled out in 2015 and schools were selected based on academic performance. The school was included in the project as they had achieved a one hundred percent pass rate of its matric class for three consecutive years. The study sought to explore how the teachers use iPads in the classroom in a township school context. The Affordance framework was applied in exploring how teachers use iPads in the classroom and the associated benefits and challenges. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with the teachers and at a single school. Seven teachers were interviewed including the principal. The findings of the study indicated that overall the effect of iPad use by the teachers has been positive. The use of iPads resulted in the teachers having access to quality multi-media and educational apps to teach their subjects which resulted in learners’ increased class involvement and independent learning. The study revealed that effective use of iPads requires teachers that are adequately trained to use the iPad technically and also on subject specific training. Additionally the study showed that a reliable wireless connection and reliable technical support and mitigation of learners’ distractions increased the effectiveness of using iPads in the classroom.Item Experiences and perceptions of mathematics teachers with e-lessons: a case study of a secondary school in South Africa(2018) Chalwe, Musinda MarthaIn January 2015, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) introduced technology to South African secondary schools in an initiative known as “The Big Switch On‖. The initiative is aimed at improving teaching and learning in South Africa as well as to achieve a level of global competitiveness in South African education. However, existing research in the fields of education and technology has shown that the introduction of technology does not automatically result in improvements in education. Furthermore, following the introduction of technology to South African secondary schools, Mathematics teachers at the blueprint school that was selected by the GDE for this technology in education initiative appeared to be more reluctant than other teachers to adopt technology. Using Engestrom‘s (1983) Activity Theory as the conceptual framework, this study explored the perceptions and experiences of mathematics teachers with regards to e-lessons through semi-structured interviews. This was in order to better understand whether the envisioned benefits of “The Big Switch On‖ have materialised, to understand the gap in existing research, and possible reasons behind mathematics teachers reported reluctance towards technology. The teachers had various perceptions and experiences of e-lessons, with organisational and peer support emerging as a major influence on teachers perceptions and attitudes. Additionally, it was found that the major teacher concern regarding e-lessons is the misuse of the technology by learners. Lastly, the benefits of technology are task specific and cannot be denoted as a holistic solution to problems in education.Technology is not a panacea for problems in education, or in mathematics. The multifaceted aspects that need to be considered when planning a technology in education initiative need to be considered, and these include, the teacher as an individual and the school as a complex organisation.Item ICT Intergration in the teaching of FET geography in Johannesburg east(2018) Ncube, NeverThe dawn of information and communication technology (ICT) has been debated both locally and internationally by both academics and politicians. Governments in Africa are investing billions of dollars in an attempt to recap the perceived benefits from such technology. This research is an attempt to find out to what extent are geography teachers integrating ICTs in their teaching. The research found that there is a discrepancy between what politicians say and the realities in the classroom. While the government had moved with great speed in procuring electronic gadgets for schools, not the same has occurred in preparing both the teachers and learners to function in the new dispensation. This discrepancy has compromised the degree of ICT integration in the teaching of geography at high school level. Results of this investigation revealed that ICTs have a lot to contribute to the teaching of geography. The power of the videos, coloured pictures and the internet revealed the immerse power of audio-visuals in bringing real world examples into the classroom. However, to a large extent the value of ICTs hinged on a wellthought and prepared pedagogy without which, ICTs can be a serious disruption to learning. Since the use of ICTs is still at its infancy in the designated ‘pilot’ schools, a lot is still to be done to allow a paradigm shift from hard copy textbooks-based classroom to a ‘paperless’ full ICT 21st century class. Challenges to full ICT integration are numerous but with more training and coaching, it is envisaged that a new order will soon materialise in Gauteng schools. With funding no longer much of a problem in the full ICT schools, a new mind-set and pedagogy is needed to ensure full integration of ICTs in the teaching of Geography. Embracing the culture of ICTs will probably produce envisaged scientists to face the new world order of internet and other e-learning socio economic environments.