3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

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    Enhancing creative arts teaching and learning through a blended learning approach: teachers’ perspectives
    (2024) Hlatshwayo, Bongiwe
    ICT in education has changed the way people teach and learn. This transformation has provided education systems with new ways to make education available in various learning platforms. Blended learning is defined as an educational approach that combines face-to-face and online learning with the use of technology. This educational approach gives learners the opportunity to learn via online media as well as through traditional face-to-face. During the covid-19 pandemic, the incorporation of blended learning in many South African schools became imperative in order to allow learners and teachers to recover lost teaching and learning time due to hard lockdown imposed by the government. Teachers were pressured to quickly acquire technological devices and sharpen their ICT skills in order to implement blended learning in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways in which blended learning can be adopted in South African schools to enhance Creative Arts teaching and learning. This qualitative study was conducted in three schools in Gauteng province, and it explored the experiences of Creative Arts teachers who have attempted to use blended learning in their practice. Interviews were used to collect data and data analysis was conducted thematically. According to the findings of this study, blended learning provides learners with modern technological experience which is essential in this digital age. However, the rapid adoption of blended learning in South African schools did not coincide with the process of preparing teachers to successfully implement this educational approach. A number of South African schools struggled to successfully implement blended learning due to a lack of ICT professional development, technical resources, and technical support. According to the study, there is a need to establish an effective ICT professional development program in South Africa, that will provide teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively incorporate blended learning into their practice.
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    Adoption and use of emerging technologies by learners in higher education institutions: the case of open education resource currency at Africa university in Zimbabwe
    (2019) Kandiero, Agripah
    The overarching goal of this study was to investigate and understand the determining variables affecting adoption and use of Open Education Resources (OER) among Africa University students. The theoretical framework used was the second generation Unified Theory for Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). The study adopted a critical realist perspective, using the mixed methods approach. Stratified probability sampling and purposive convenience sampling were used to select a sample size of 375 participants from the population consisting of learners, at Africa University. An adapted UTAUT2 psychometric questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data for the main research component, while document analysis (archival records) and interviews were used to collect data for the complementary qualitative component of the research. Confirmatory factor analysis, theoretical propositions and examining plausible rival explanations were used as strategies to analyse and interpret data. Analysis techniques included pattern matching, logic and explanation building. The major findings from the research were: (1) There is no significant adoption and use of EcoSchool OER resources among Africa University students and (2) There is significant adoption and use of other forms of OER among Africa University students. The contribution this study makes is the modification of UTAUT2 by adding Utility Value to the original UTUAT2 research model. Ultimately, a new research model referred to in this thesis as the Modified UTAUT2 model was presented. In essence, the recommended modification of the UTAUT2 could have a significant impact on explaining acceptance and use of emerging technologies in higher education contexts and could be applicable to acceptance and use of emerging technologies universally. In terms of future research, it is recommended that another post-implementation research using the Modified UTAUT2 research model and the recommended research instruments be undertaken.
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    Exploring the impact of the Flipped Learning Model (FLM) on educators' teaching practices at a private school in Johannesburg
    (2016) Gerassi, Joseph
    This study investigates the impact of the Flipped Learning Model (FLM) on the teaching practices of four educators in a private school in Johannesburg. It investigates the pedagogic processes and experiences of these educators’ respective attempts to shift from their standard educator-centered methodologies to the FLM’s highly collaborative and blended methodology. In so doing, the study exposes the educators’ resistance to the primary assumptions of constructivist epistemologically informed pedagogies. It also demonstrates the extent to which epistemological assumptions underpinning the ‘official curriculum’ are imbued within the dominant pedagogic discourse and aligned with educators’ beliefs and professional identities. The study exposes the necessity for transformations in educators’ traditional thinking, epistemological assumptions, perceptions, attitudes and roles to occur before any substantial attempts to introduce the FLM in ‘classrooms’ are made. Furthermore, the FLM takes for granted the ease of embedding technology in the teaching/learning process. This study exposes the relationship between a lack of technological familiarity/ know-how and the strength of resistance to ‘flipping the classroom’. South African educators work in an environment that promotes very strong boundaries between: classroom/home; educator/learner; and schoolwork/homework. Flipping, weakening or altering these, challenges educators’ strongly held notions of what it means to be a professional educator. It is within this context that Bernstein’s work with respect to the development of such seminal concepts as ‘pedagogic device’, ‘classification’ and ‘framing’ provided the language of description and analytical basis for this research study.
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    Face-to-face, print-based or e-learning? A case study of ICT integration in alternative instructional modalities at the University of Swaziland
    (2015-08-13) Nsibande, Gciniwe N
    This study seeks to establish key differences in pedagogical practices associated with and facilitated by different modalities of course delivery. These are: face-to-face instruction in a traditional university lecture-based environment; print-based course delivery, whereby off- campus distance learning students attend face-to-face lectures and tutorials on campus from time-to-time, and Moodle-based online course delivery integrated into the lecture and tutorial-based environments. The key aspect of the study concerns changing pedagogy as a consequence of the introduction of online learning tools within the traditional delivery modalities. I investigate the nature of and extent to which a Moodle platform has been introduced into the traditional face-to-face teaching and learning situation. This is done to ascertain exactly how the pedagogies established and practiced within the traditional delivery modalities are recontextualised in the digital delivery modality. Recontextualisation in this context refers to how the curriculum and pedagogic practice are transformed when interpreted and delivered by instructors to both full-time and distance education students through the three teaching and learning delivery modalities used at UNISWA. The extent of the recontextualisation is accounted for through an experiential case study of four different instances in which the same course is taught by the same instructor to the two student groups. The content and aim of each course is identical, but the pedagogy is not intended by each instructor to be the same in each case. This scenario provided a distinctive, perhaps even unique, opportunity to study the recontextualisation of pedagogic content, pedagogic practices, and assessment practices in a controlled manner across the three modalities. The research goal was realised by employing a multiple-case study design where four faculty staff members completed a 36 item Likert scales type questionnaire. On the basis of a content analysis of this limited quantitative data, each instructor was interviewed in-depth on their pedagogical practices to establish what lay beneath their beliefs in teaching and learning and espoused practices. Key themes were identified and continuous comparison was executed to analyse the transcribed questionnaire data against the interview data. I strengthened the qualitative aspect of this study by means of documentary analysis of course texts ranging from printed course learning materials, such as; course outlines, handouts, modules and Moodle web pages. I also conducted, 3 recorded and transcribed face-to-face as well as content and learning pathway (Moodle) observations, to once more contrast enacted pedagogic practice against espoused pedagogic beliefs. I use Bernstein’s (1990, 2000) theory of pedagogic discourse extensively,particularly his notions of classification and framing principles. Weak classification (-C), specifically in the case of this study, means the more there is reference to online lessons, materials, assignments, feedback and so on or use of e-learning in face-to-face instruction,the more e-learning is integrated into the traditional modalities of teaching. In the same way, strong classification (+C) denotes that the more face-to-face and e-learning are kept apart, the less integration of e-learning into traditional modalities of teaching is taking place. Likewise, the framing principle relates to the transmission of knowledge through pedagogic practices. Strong framing (+F) is used to indicate a visible pedagogic practice that is traditional and therefore opposed to a constructivists approach expected when teaching distance education students and when using e-learning. Weak framing (-F) is applied to indicate an invisible pedagogic practice that is closely related to the mandated constructivist approach. The research findings answered the research question of whether an instructor’s pedagogic practice remains unchanged whichever delivery modality is used. Bernstein’s classification and framing principles are employed to check and establish the instructor’s pedagogical practice and provide the framework for presenting the main findings of this study. With the exception of one out of four case study instructors, the practice is strong classification and framing (+C/F) throughout. This reflects that the traditional approach is predominantly applied in the classroom. This study thus recommends that multiple pedagogical approaches should be acknowledged and applied in all teaching and learning.
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    Effective blended learning in a higher education pathway programme in South Africa.
    (2015-05-25) Cloete, Roy
    Physical and electronic resources, tools and environments are increasingly being integrated within mainstream higher education. As institutions seize the potential of technology enablement, blended learning formats have become popular. For the blended learning format to positively impact the quality of education in the institution its effective integration into existing practice is crucial. The Monash South Africa Foundation Programme, a division of Monash University that provides an alternative pathway into higher education, has its focus firmly on delivering quality academic development yet must successfully navigate the challenges of implementing blended learning as part of an institution wide strategic plan for academic excellence. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the perceptions and attitudes of a teacher in the programme towards blended learning echoed the strategic plan of the institution to use the blended learning approach. A qualitative single case study was developed around one teacher, framed by the context of the institution’s strategic education plan and the programme environment, in order to develop a rich narrative of his experience. Multiple methods of data collection were used to allow for results to be triangulated. The study showed that this teacher’s perceptions and attitudes reflected a positive disposition towards the implementation of blended learning but that the perceived barriers placed the individual’s potential of achieving the institutional goals for incorporating blended learning at risk. The need for effective change management and staff that would champion the innovation was identified. An accumulative narrative of teacher experiences was advocated to develop theories to support further effective blended learning in the programme and the institution and thus enable the institution’s strategic goals of achieving academic excellence at ground level.
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