Wits School of Education (ETDs)

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    An exploration of Business Studies Teachers' integration of Information and Communication Technologies to equip Grade 12 learners with critical business skills
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Gcabanshe, Nduduzo Brian; Ndlovu, Nokulunga Sithabile
    Business studies is a subject that in South African schools to equip learners with skills that would enable them to operate effectively in contemporary business environment, either as employers or employees. However,there is a general concern that learners who are produced by these schools do not possess skills that are relevant to current business environments. This is partly due to the impact of technological developments that continue to cause a shift in skills needed by businesses. Therefore, there is a need for an exploration on how best business studies teachers integrate ICTs in their classrooms to equip learners with skills that are required by the contemporary business environment. This study explored ICT integration by business studies teachers to equip Grade 12 learners with critical business skills that are required by the contemporary business environment. Social Constructivism Theory and Functional Context Theory were adopted as the theoretical lenses of this study. Social Constructivists emphasize the need for interaction, collaboration, active learning, and autonomous learning in the learning context for meaningful learning to occur. Functional Context Theory, on the other hand, advocates for a learning environment that reflects the world for which learners are being prepared for. The proponents of this theory advise teachers to integrate resources that learners would use upon joining the real world of work. This is a qualitative study underpinned by the interpretive research paradigm. A multi case study research design was deemed suitable for this particular study. Face-to- face individual interviews and classroom observations were adopted to collect data. Six Business Studies teachers who use ICTs to teach were selected from six secondary schools located in Kwa-Zulu Natal province of South Africa were iv purposively sampled. Data that was collected were analyzed using hybrid thematic analysis. Findings of the study were that: i. teachers see value in ICT integration in their business studies pedagogical practices. teachers see ICTs as tools that assist in exposing learners to authentic learning activities that help them to acquire critical business skills needed by the contemporary business environment. business studies teachers adopted various learner-centred teaching methods to create learning environments that promote the acquisition of critical business skills. iv. most teachers integrated different ICTs to nurture learners’ critical business skills. teachers mainly relied on their personal teaching experiences and their generic technological skills. Based on the findings of this study, Technology Integration Model for Business Studies teachers was developed. The developed framework can play a role in helping business studies teachers integrate ICTs in a systematic way that would lead to learners’ acquisition of critical business skills. Based on the key findings highlighted above, the study recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should develop coherent professional development programmes to expose all business studies teachers to novel pedagogies, learning activities and ICTs that can be used to nurture learners’ critical v business skills. This will help to reduce teachers’ over reliance on their teaching experiences and what they think is suitable for learners to acquire critical business skills, which sometimes can be inconsistent with the objectives of the business studies curriculum.
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    Examining Lecturers’ Use of ICT in an Introductory Economics Course During the Covid-19 Pandemic
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Pratt, Juanita Renee; Makda, Fatima
    This study investigated how lecturers in the economics department at an urban university in South Africa used information communication technology to teach an introductory economics course during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many lecturers who teach introductory economics do not integrate ICT in their teaching and this can impact the quality of teaching and learning. It has become more critical to examine this challenge because most higher education institutions now integrate some form of online learning and teaching in their courses. Therefore, it is important to examine lecturers’ response to online teaching during emergency remote teaching in order to learn from their experience and identify the competencies needed to teach introductory economics. The purpose of the study was to examine lecturers’ use of ICT in an introductory economics course and to consider the competencies that support teaching with ICT in the subject. The main research question was How do lecturers use ICT to teach introductory economics during the Covid-19 pandemic? To better understand lecturers’ ICT practices, this qualitative study adopted an interpretivist approach and used content analysis to examine participant interviews and learning materials embedded in the learning management system for the introductory economics course. In addition to content analysis, the data were analysed and interpreted through the theoretical framework of the Teacher Response Model and Teaching Quality Framework. Several themes emerged about the nature of economics lecturers’ pedagogy namely: (a) they adapted their teaching practice by deploying all assessments through the learning management system and developing video lectures for students to download; (4) they developed new practices to encourage formative assessment and they acquired technical skills to manage the transition to emergency remote teaching; and (c) they used existing technologies in new ways to manage the change in teaching mode. Despite their inexperience with online teaching, lecturers were motivated to integrate ICT into their economics teaching practice in order to (d@) maintain the continuity of the course and to ensure academic standards were upheld. Furthermore, they (e) acknowledged the fact that the majority of economics students had limited resources and they accommodated for this inequity by responding to students’ academic, social and emotional needs. Although many lecturers lacked the experience of teaching online, they displayed flexibility, innovation and commitment to the academic project by utilising ICT to facilitate learning and teaching to the best of their ability during the challenging conditions of emergency remote teaching.
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    Investigating the impact of ICT Professional Development of Six South African Primary School Teacher’s Innovation in Curriculum Delivery
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Maeane, Matjema Caroline; Ndlovu, Nokulunga
    Despite ministerial efforts to advance education standards through the development of ICT policies aimed at encouraging and guiding ICT integration in teaching, teachers in various South African schools still lack the necessary digital skills and proficiencies to deliver the curriculum innovatively using ICTs. This lack of skill is often attributed to the ineffectiveness of previous ICT-Teacher Professional Development (TPD) training programmes, which failed to produce the desired outcomes of ICT innovation among teachers. In response to this challenge, this study investigated the effectiveness of a newly developed ICT-TPD programme, which was informed by a combination of key theories: Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Constructivism Learning Theory, Self Determination Theory (SDT), and Community of Practice (CoP) Theory. These theories guided the facilitation process of the Professional Development (PD) training programme. The study focused on assessing the ICT innovation levels of six teachers from a primary school in urban Johannesburg, South Africa, by surveying their innovation levels before and after the ICT-TPD intervention. To support the content delivery and the development of teachers’ ICT competencies, the TPD programme further employed the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model (GRRM) and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM). For a more comprehensive understanding of the dataset and its implications, mixed-methods were employed to triangulate the quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis procedures derived from this study. Questionnaires, interviews, and a criterion assessment rubric were used to gather data from participants. This was followed by a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design used to collect and analyse data that was both qualitative and quantitative. A non-probability purposeful sampling technique was further employed to identify participants who could offer rich, pertinent, and varied information on their experiences and opinions regarding the ICT training curriculum. Additionally, a theme analysis was used to identify, assess, and report on patterns in the qualitative data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Finally, the quantitative data was analysed using exploratory statistical approaches to find underlying patterns and relationships within the dataset. The results from the study concluded that the ICT-TPD had a desired impact, to promote innovative pedagogical practices through the integration of ICTs, as well as resulted in the improvement of teachers’ overall innovation levels. The sampled primary school teachers displayed resilience and dedication in engaging with the ICT-TPD programme for the benefit of their professional development, despite facing challenges such as resource and time constraints. According to the study, including its results and related theory, however, it is recommended that while there is evidence of achieving positive results from the ICT-TPD intervention, the long-term effective ICT integration for innovative pedagogical practice necessitates a more continuous professional growth approach through similar interventions, collaborative learning, and alignment with educational goals. Lastly, the study further emphasises the importance of recognising primary school teachers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and addressing the related challenges through targeted support to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the ICT-TPD programmes, which ultimately benefits the primary school students’ learning experiences and eventual innovative outcomes.