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The expansion of higher education has created issues with the structure and makeup of universities as well as an increase in student enrolment. As a result, most higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa, especially those that were historically underprivileged, are plagued with deteriorated or non-existent physical infrastructure that cannot keep up with the rise in student enrolment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the venue capacity constraints on teaching and learning in HEIs. The desktop analysis method was used to discover and assess relevant material in the context of venue capacity restrictions on teaching and learning in higher education. This was done by using Google Scholar, ISI, ProQuest and Scopus search engines to find these studies, using terms like overcrowding, venue constraints, students and lecturers and universities in general. The findings of the article reveal that when classrooms become crowded, it may be difficult for lecturers to give each student the individualised attention they need to truly understand the topic. This might result in frustration and mental tiredness, which may reduce student involvement even further. The article concludes that institutions should invest in building bigger lecture halls to help students engage with their lecturers and comprehend the subject matter more thoroughly. Contribution: The study will contribute to theory, managerial and practice by analysing the impacts of overcrowding in HEIs and its effect on students' academic performance.

I report on benefits from 26 teacher-participant evaluators of a computer game designed to motivate learning and to ease conceptual understanding of biology in South Africa. Using a developmental, social constructivist and interpretative model, the recommendation is to include the value systems and needs of end-users (through social dialogue); curriculum issues (learning theories in the ECP and those the education authorities recommend, as well as ECP-curriculum integration); the nature of the subject the ECP presents (e.g., Nature of Science); and the compatibility of the ECP with school computers.

The form of assessment which grade four teachers use to determine the learning outcomes of the learners who are studying English First Additional Language (EFAL) in South African schools demands urgent attention. This urgency stems from the necessity to critically examine the post-apartheid educational system's assessment practices and how effectively they align with the evolving needs of society. To maintain a more discreet approach, this investigation specifically centered on teachers of EFAL and utilized a qualitative case study methodology. A purposive sampling technique led to the inclusion of 10 grade four EFAL teachers from schools in the King Cetshwayo District for data collection. The primary tool employed for this purpose was a semi-structured interview, skillfully developed to explore the perspectives of teachers and beliefs on assessment techniques. The researchers opted for a thematic analysis approach, allowing for a thorough examination of the data while respecting the privacy and confidentiality of the participants. The findings of classwork and teachers predominantly leaned towards traditional approaches such as engaging students through question-and-answer interactions, conducting tests, evaluating classwork, and assessing comprehension abilities. These methods were the primary means through which teachers assessed their students' understanding and performance within the learning environment. The study recommended that diversifying assessment techniques could provide a more comprehensive understanding of learners' development, catering to varying abilities and better addressing individual learning needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practices of sorting things out and bringing things together, which I summarise under the term relanguaging, sit between fluid, situated languaging practices and the administrative standard grid in education that relies on bounded, named languages. Relanguaging, I argue, was invisible to socio- and applied linguists' analytical vision because of a tendency to set named languages as the norm. This led to questions about switching between or transcending languages but not about producing and dissolving them. Together with two English teachers in Khayelitsha, South Africa, I instead set fluid languaging practices as the analytical norm to then investigate the relationship between such fluidity and (administratively) fixed languages. The language classrooms I focus on then emerge as one of the production sites of named languages – here of English. English teachers (sometimes in collaboration with their students) sort out extremely complex spatial repertoires with various heterogeneous linguistic resources to produce English as a recognisable, teachable and learnable entity. The reflections I present suggest a different idea of how language classrooms work (also in settings beyond Khayelitsha) but they also open up (language) philosophical questions about the ontology of linguistic features and how they come to be English (or not). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language is an important element in the struggle for social change and decolonization within South African tertiary education. We explored the relationship between indigenous languages and cocurricular involvement to sense of belonging. Data were collected via a survey of 4210 students that included demographics, cocurricular involvement, and self-reported perceptions of sense of belonging. Culturally relevant frameworks by Jama et al. (South African Journal of Higher Education 22(5):992–1005, 2008) and Case (Higher Education 55(3):321-332, 2008) and previous work on student engagement in South Africa framed the exploratory model. Analyses revealed that indigenous languages and cocurricular involvement, among other variables, were significant predictors of sense of belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need to establish classroom libraries, especially in rural areas where learners hardly come across any reading material. The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers set up classroom libraries in rural areas of the Mogodumo circuit in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The study was qualitative in nature. Fifteen English First Additional Language (EFAL) teachers from 12 schools participated in the study. Observation and semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. It was found that while all participants recognised the importance of reading for their learners, only 7 of the 15 teachers managed to establish classroom libraries. The study revealed that teacher selfefficacy (TSE) played a crucial role in setting up classroom libraries, given the serious challenges of funding, resources and support experienced by rural schoolteachers. Teachers with high TSE managed to establish classroom libraries by using their own time, money, and resources, while those with low TSE failed to establish classroom libraries. We recommend that school managers should make time and resources available to rural schoolteachers to enable them to establish classroom libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology offers pedagogical affordances that can transform teaching and learning in multigrade classrooms to assist in the process of teaching and learning. However, it is challenging for teachers to effectively integrate technology into their classrooms, given the complex and dynamic multigrade context. The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model was a lens through which to explore teachers' experiences in ICT integration in their multigrade classrooms in selected primary schools in South Africa. A case study design guided this qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve teachers thematic analysis was used to analyse data. The findings revealed that access to ICT equipment for teachers and students is crucial. This study has found that generally, it is difficult for teachers to incorporate technology into their teaching because of the caveats, such as the multigrade context and the rural location which presents issues such as lack of basic technology infrastructure, limited training on integrating technology in teaching, time, the teaching context, and support from principals. This study recommends that teachers be trained on ICT usage and given the support needed to function effectively in their multigrade context. For teachers to be digitally connected and ensure ICT integration in the teaching and learning process, they need to be equipped with relevant knowledge and skills to use technology to transform their teaching and create new opportunities for learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Folktales stem from the oral tradition passed down over generations by the people who recounted them. These tales form part of the prescribed syllabus, CAPS, in South Africa specifically for Grade 9 English First Additional (EFAL) learners. The study explored the perceptions of folktales in EFAL classrooms by 9 learners and 9 teachers. It was a qualitative study using purposeful sampling and an interpretivist research paradigm. The theoretical lens employed was Vygotsky’s constructivist theory. The study found that there are conflicting views on learning African folktales in English. The former Apartheid system’s impact has not completely been forgotten and there were still negative attitudes towards English as the language of the oppressor. Yet participants claimed that folktales needed to be revived and teachers must use narratives closer to their home and culture. Learners were positive towards learning folktales but there were those who deemed the stories as too simple to study in Grade 9. Teacher participants however revealed that learners benefit in that they learn new vocabulary and about other cultures and life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a case study that explores ways to improve Saudi students' engagement with poetry in English by providing them with alternative opportunities to analyse and express themselves using technology and multimedia. It is a strategic implementation of a culturally appropriate pedagogy that utilises visual language to interpret poems in English. Independently constructing their own videos provided students with a chance to replace traditional written interpretations of poems in the classroom. Allowing L2 students to communicate and express emotions visually gives them access to their creative potential, from which they can construct more meaningful interpretations. This supports the concept of no wrong answers in the reading and analysis of poetry and allows the students to create an exploratory relationship towards reading poetry. This is important for Saudi students in particular since they are not as proficient in written English as native English students. This article also reports the students' perceptions to determine the effectiveness of visual poetry as an alternative to written analysis of poetry. I investigate the relationship between poetry and pedagogy to allow for individualised attempts to present a particular framework as a medium for studying poetry. The study showed, through their personalised videos, that Saudi students are open to using technology and multimedia that liberate them from traditional teaching techniques and allow them to unlock their interpretive skills and represent their interpretations in original ways. These findings might also have greater relevance to wider debates on extending the use of technology and multimedia as a key element for educators hoping to engage L2 students with reading and responding to poetry in English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English First Additional Language (EFAL) is one of the prescribed subjects in South Africa. However, it is a has proven to be difficult, especially the reading part of the it. On the other hand, the integration of Information Communication Technology (ICT) can mitigate the challenges and promote effective pedagogy in this subject. Unfortunately, there is evidence that the implementation of ICT is not easy to achieve in some South African schools. This scholarly piece, which is guided by the theory of connectivity, has its focus on those impediments that hinder the effective implementation of ICT in EFAL classrooms. This is because contextual factors must be faced head-on to achieve success in a school environment. The study was informed by interpretive practices, resulting in the use of participant observations and semi-structured interviews to collate the data. Thematic analysis of the data revealed the following: limited time for collaborative practices; lack of ICT expertise; issues of power; poor reading competence among the learners; limited pedagogical knowledge; workload; lack of resources; network issues; and safety issues. Despite all these conundrums, this paper proposes that intermediate phase EFAL teachers should still try to learn how ICT can assist the improvement of reading competence. For the integration of ICT to happen effectively, managers at all levels should also provide the necessary support to the teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of inclusive education in schools in South Africa has not been fully achieved despite the existence of numerous policies on the same. However, there is very scanty information on current issues that are faced by teachers during the pandemic. Therefore, the present study sought to examine challenges experienced by teachers in implementing inclusive education in classrooms within a South African context. In this study, Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory was adopted. The phenomenological research design was adopted for this study. The selected sample size in this study was eight participants obtained using purposive sampling method. In this study, semi-structured interview was used as the data collection tool. Thematic framework was adopted to analyse data in this study. The study reported that there were four main themes on classroom challenges faced by teachers namely, limited instructional time, inadequate resources, inadequate support and lastly, impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommends that teachers should adopt collaborative practices with school base support teams which had the capacity to mobilise several resources available on the local community to enhance implementation of inclusive education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: South Africa adopted a policy on inclusive education in 2001 to ensure that all learners are accommodated and accepted in the classrooms despite their differences. Objectives: This study was aimed at exploring the inclusion of learners with learning disabilities in mainstream primary schools for teaching and learning. Method: This study followed a qualitative approach embedded in a descriptive phenomenological design. Data were generated through in-depth interviews with individual participants and were analysed thematically for content. Six teachers from six different mainstream primary school classrooms were purposefully selected for the study. Results: Findings revealed that overcrowding, time constraints and lack of parental involvement impede the inclusion of learners with learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms. However, teachers use: (1) multi-level teaching, (2) concrete teaching and/or learning aids, (3) differentiated instruction and (4) code-switching in accommodating learners with learning disabilities. Conclusion: This study argues that for learners with learning disabilities to be more included in mainstream classrooms, the learner population should be reduced to a maximum of 30 learners per class, and collaboration with parents should be enhanced. Also, the arrangement of learners for teaching and learning could be limited to small groups consisting of four to five learners. Multi-level teaching and differentiated instruction should be applied in settings that do not require learners to be separated from their peers without learning disabilities. Contribution: This study will help improve teachers' inclusive classroom pedagogical practices for all learners including those with learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilingualism has become a ‘buzz’ term in the academic fora in South Africa and the world at large. Research on multilingualism in South Africa has become ubiquitous, however, academic policies have rendered multilingualism a concealed reality. This paper aims to highlight findings of an inquiry into the existence of multilingual students in an academic literacy class. The paper also intends to bring out how multilingual students utilise their language practices in their mission to understand academic concepts. In this study, students’ perceptions about their multilingual nature are brought to the fore using a qualitative statistical analysis approach. A questionnaire was administered to solicit multilingual students’ views regarding the use of all the languages in their repertoire for academic purposes. The outcome shows that multilingual students benefit more from using a translingual approach to understand academic concepts as opposed to using the code-switching approach. Finally, the study shows that students yearn for the recognition and utilisation of their multilingual nature in their academic endeavours. The paper will respond by suggesting ways in which translingual pedagogy can be used to leverage students’ multilingual habitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative exploratory case study addresses constructs of educational inequity on a global scale through an iterative analysis of the cultural experiences of 61educators from South Africa and the United States. The project provided an online and in-person network for educators to discuss crosscultural challenges, educational system assets, and inclusive strategies for supporting culturally and linguistically diverse learners. A shared professional development process, designed from an adapted Changemaking process, increased the knowledge, understanding, and application of innovative, culturally responsive inclusive practices of new teachers while also serving as an opportunity for veteran teachers to receive additional teacher training. Educators exchanged ideas on increasing positive classroom management, motivating learners using empathy, collaborating effectively, linking learning and postsecondary transition experiences, and improving partnership with families. This global and cultural exchange exposed them to unique and diverse educational perspectives, a critical aspect in supporting all learners within the K-12 educational system. Results of this project indicate that using the adapted Changemaking process increased educators' awareness of culturally responsive inclusive practices, allowed participants to make comparisons between global contexts, developed empathy, and inspired collaborative engagement and leadership within their individual educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using archived reader responses to Beverley Naidoo's Journey to Jo'burg (1985), I employ the framework of Antiracist Pedagogy to explore how readers engage with the novel's indictment of racism in apartheid South Africa. Drawing on classroom responses from a variety of global contexts, I develop a context-orientated approach to reader response criticism that draws on theories of child agency developed by Karen Sánchez-Eppler (2005) and Robin Bernstein (2011). Using this approach, I identify four recurring patterns of engagement with the theme of racism: affect, identification, resistance, and critical literacy. Through my analysis, Naidoo's child readers emerge as partial subjects whose agency is not fixed but continuously negotiated in the play between text and context. These readers claim authority to speak about literature and their own experiences of racism, and conceive of radical, anti-racist literature as essential in their lives and those of their fellow children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics results in South Africa are of serious concern. The reports by TIMSS [Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study] prove that the teaching of mathematics remains a challenge in the South African schooling system. In their attempts to improve mathematics results and to cope with the many curriculum changes since the start of democracy in 1994, mathematics teachers are experiencing increased levels of stress and anxiety. Diversity is a critical issue in education and learners suffer the consequences if teachers do not recognise the importance of diversity. Democracy leads to curriculum change and causes socio-cultural diversity among the learners in a classroom. Mathematics teachers faced ousting of their power in the classroom through the learner-centred strategies that they were expected to implement. In this study, three semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion were deployed to generate data. The dualistic theoretical lenses used in this paper are based on the theory of culturally responsive teaching and theory of cultural capital. The findings that emerged from the data show that mathematics teachers are ill-equipped to meet the needs of the socio-culturally diverse learners in their differing classrooms. Further research in exploring ethnomathematics as a culturally responsive teaching strategy will reveal new dynamics in socio-cultural deficit thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interpretive study documents experiences of teachers regarding the impact of parental participation on the learning process of Foundation Phase learners during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The period investigated stretched from the "hard" lockdown in South Africa instituted on 26 March 2020, until the reopening of the physical classroom for Foundation Phase learners on 24 August 2020. A qualitative approach was taken to generate data from participants who taught Grade 1 classes during 2020, using a self-constructed questionnaire with openand closed-ended items. The study population was localised to the Mangaung municipal area in the Free State, South Africa. The theoretical framework of socio-constructivism informed the inquiry. The key elements in this learning theory are the learners, curriculum, teachers and society. During the mentioned period, learners were deprived of the two key inputs of teachers and society, leading to an intensified dependency on parental involvement as a source of guidance. The questionnaire afforded teacher respondents the opportunity to voice their concerns, frustrations, successes and recommendations for future management of similar situations. Coding of the responses identified the theme of communication to emerge. Further thematic analysis refined the findings to indicate that teachers deemed parental involvement essential in i) providing technological support for their children; and ii) interpreting the tasks set for their Grade 1 learners. Barriers to effective communication as perceived by teachers were i) the language barrier where parents were unable to speak the language of learning and teaching of the school; ii) the digital divide posed by parents without effective digital support; and iii) the schooling level of parents who could not interpret the assignments for their children. The recommendation is that going forward, i) parents should have access to and embrace technological advances to support their children's learning; ii) themselves practice a learning culture at home, and iii) model positive values to their children by active involvement in their learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author examines guided play among students in a South African classroom using a play-and-write workshop constructed by her and her students. She determines that the workshop displays the characteristics of playful learning, lies on the playful learning spectrum, and fits the criteria for guided play. She concludes that, given the benefits of playful learning and guided play in particular, teaching involving construction with the students and allowing student-directed activity can prove valuable and should be put to service where possible beyond kindergarten. She adds that these methods should be employed in conjunction with other educational goals in South Africa and elsewhere in the developing world to help mitigate such problems as underfunding and large class sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an explication of the concepts of democracy and democratic citizenship from a political dimension, it also offers insight into the nature of democracy and democratic citizenship in post-apartheid South Africa. The article further outlines the relationship between mathematics and democracy, as well as a number of pedagogical approaches which are capable of fostering democratic principles in mathematics education classrooms. Finally, the article proposes a model which encompasses a trilogy of democratic principles; humanising pedagogy; and social, cultural, economic and political issues which can be employed in preparing mathematics student teachers to become fully democratic citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores pre-service teachers' experiences of active learning through group work in Accounting Education. The study employed a qualitative case study. Data were obtained through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews from forty purposively selected pre-service Accounting teachers. Reflective journals were used to supplement the interviews. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse pre-service teachers' experiences. What emerged from the findings is that participants acknowledged the role of group work in assisting their learning by creating a supportive social environment that allows opportunities for active learning. The majority of the preservice teachers, including those who are usually shy and less assertive, were inspired to express themselves in a more relaxed manner without being ridiculed. Engagement in small group work led to positive interdependence and interaction while developing interpersonal and social skills. Diversity in members created spaces for students to create diverse analytical approaches to resolving Accounting problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English is used as a medium of teaching and learning in most South African public schools although most of these learners are English First Additional Language (EFAL) speakers. To counter this anxiety, translanguaging as a multilingual intervention becomes handy. Translanguaging is about engaging in multilingual discourse practices; it is an approach to bilingualism that is centred not on languages, as has been often the case but on the practices of bilinguals that are readily observable. This study aimed at exploring how grade 11 EFAL learners feel/behave when the teacher orders them to abandon their home languages the moment they enter the classroom and how to promote one's home language in the classroom. This qualitative study involved 12 grade 11 EFAL learners, equally divided into two interview focus groups. These EFAL learners were purposively selected from one education district in South Africa. The findings indicate that learning involves building on what the learner knows, so that the learner brings it to the current situation, restructures it and creates new knowledge. Also, more knowledge is needed about how to prepare teachers to best serve multilingual learner populations, including how to incorporate new understandings of translanguaging into instruction and assessment practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of a dialogical narrative analysis conducted by two white academics in distinct higher education contexts – one based in the United States and the other in South Africa. Through the retelling of actual classroom scenarios, the authors assess their own teaching methods, responses, and classroom practices in order to examine how whiteness has shaped their classroom and teaching practices. As a result of this critical examination, the authors present strategies that centre around reorienting 'habits of mind' (vulnerability, flipping curriculum, collective buy-in, challenging safety, and inter-racial collaborations) to break the cycle of pervasive whiteness that exists in classroom environments and curricular endeavours. In an effort to work against reifying the colonial wound and move towards decolonising teaching practices, the findings of this analysis and the discussion that follows is our attempt of 'stepping back' in order to travel forward in our professional lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black South African learners are registered in Model C schools to receive their education. The language of learning and teaching is English, whilst these learners’ English language proficiency is limited. They come from different urban, townships and rural areas, and their home languages are indigenous languages. The study aims to investigate and describe the challenges facing black, English second-language South African learners and to meet their needs by offering suggestions as to how they could be assisted to learn and achieve according to their full potential. The study used qualitative analysis with interview as the main data gathering tool. The participants were teachers purposively selected from the suggested pilot schools. From the phenomenological analysis the data were gathered by means of a literature review, document analysis, interviews, classroom visits and observations. The study has revealed that the black South African learners in Model C schools are faced by numerous challenges owing to their limited English proficiency, and that they do not meet the requirements to pass their grades. Their inability to cope affects their self-esteem and confidence negatively. The learners do not take risks to participate actively during lessons as they tend to avoid embarrassment and being teased by their peers. The study resulted in formulating guidelines and recommendations that will help meet the challenges faced by black South African learners in Model C schools and support them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research set out to broaden the pool of evidence regarding the acoustic conditions at schools in South Africa. A review of local and international literature, standards and design guidelines shows that the ideal classroom acoustic conditions of 35 dBA ambient and 0.7 s reverberation time are required to enable a suitable environment for teaching and learning. A review of local literature revealed a very small body of knowledge regarding actual acoustic conditions and monitoring of classroom acoustics and that these cases demonstrated ambient noise levels in classrooms (whether occupied or unoccupied) to be above the recommendations of the relevant South African National Standard (SANS 10103). The limited local research promted the need for this case study. The findings of a province-wide survey of urban schools showed that traffic noise is the main source of noise disturbance in schools. A case study of five schools showed that the average outdoor noise level at schools exposed to traffic throughout the day is 63.3 dBA and the average indoor noise level at these schools when classrooms are unoccupied is approximately 58 dBA, which is significantly higher than the requirement. The reverberation time in classrooms was between 0.6 and 1.75 s. It is concluded that the current acoustic conditions in South African urban schools is poor when evaluated against the South African National Standards. However, since this is based on only five case studies, a broader study is required to understand the general conditions and establish suitable mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smooth implementation of environmental education at public schools in South Africa is hindered by various factors. Consequently, teachers have been unsuccessful or have had only partial success in implementing environmental education in their classrooms to conscientise learners about the environment and the harmful impact of littering. The purpose of this research was to indicate how teachers could mitigate the hindrances to effective environmental education teaching and learning in their respective schools. By employing progressive environmental action research activities through participatory spirals of action research cycles, learners could be conscientised to littering. This research is underpinned by critical theory and an applied cooperative paradigm. Fourteen learners referred to as co-researchers or participants in this research were randomly selected from seven classes. Participants' observations were used as a research instrument to collect data. Thereafter, a coding process and analysis were conducted. The results of the study show that progressive environmental action research activities were successfully implemented in the conscientisation of learners to littering and that these interventions mitigated some of the environmental education barriers experienced by teachers at schools. This led the authors to conclude that if progressive environmental action research activities are conducted through the participatory action research approach, this can empower teachers to mitigate factors hindering environmental education implementation and subsequently raise learners' awareness of littering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research reported here examined the outcome of using interactive simulation technology (IST) as a guided-inquiry approach to enhance learners' conceptual knowledge of electrostatics in physics. Participants were Grade 11 physical sciences learners (n = 60) and a teacher from a rural school in South Africa. Learners were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 30) that took part in the intervention lesson using the integration of IST in the science classroom, and a control group (n = 30) that continued with the conventional teaching method. We adopted a mixed-method approach for this research. Data were collected through a pre-post achievement instrument, classroom observations, and focus group interviews. Data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and content analysis. It was found that the mean rank rating of the pre-test results for learners in both groups was not significantly different. However, the Mann-Whitney U-test indicated that learners' conceptual understanding measured in the post-test result was greater for the experimental group (mean rank gain score = 38.83) compared to the control group (mean rank gain score = 22.17), U = 200.0, p = 0.000185. This finding indicates that integrating IST into inquiry-based activities can be used efficiently to improve learners' in-depth knowledge of science concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a term referring to a range of disabilities that are caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). The physical characteristics (e.g., facial features) are often absent, making FASD an invisible disability. However, the effects of PAE on the brain present as cognitive, behaviour, and social impairments that range from mild to severe. The purposes of this scoping review of the research were to locate original studies relating to students with FASD educated in inclusive classroom settings and to "map" data from those studies that reflect teacher observations and classroom practices. Eight qualitative studies involving teachers and others participating in the education of students with FASD in Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States provided the data for this article. A thematic analysis of the data from the studies was conducted using qualitative methods. The findings revealed that several characteristics of FASD were observed in classroom behaviours. As well, educational practices with students who have FASD were largely ones that manipulated the environment, instructional strategies, and tasks to achieve appropriate academic and social behaviour. These practices were implemented with the entire class and were generally easy to use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various attempts have been made to assist the multitude of South African learners who experience literacy challenges, particularly critical reading challenges, in the classroom. Although a number of critical literacy models that focus on reading literacy have been developed to alleviate the reading comprehension crisis in South Africa, poor reading comprehension continues to prevail among South African learners, as shown in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study reports. This article argues for a focus on critical reading comprehension in the classroom. Based on a review of the Four Resources Model of Critical Literacy and the Interdependent Model of Critical Literacy, the researchers propose a new model to the literacy debate, the Critical Reading Interdependent Literacy Model (CRILM), which is designed to be used at school level and is suitable to be used from Grade 4 and beyond. CRILM is based on an instruction and learning framework that promotes a participatoryinteractive-interdependent relationship between educators, learners, the text, and the author. Through the text and author, learners will be able to initiate critical insight and societal knowledge development from within the English First Additional Language classroom. Centred on the educator, the learners, the text, and the author, as well as their relation to reality, this proposed new model hypothesises the interaction and interdependence of all the participants during the reading process for the successful development of classroom critical reading comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various studies have shown that South Africa has low levels of school literacy. This is exacerbated when schools are located in low socioeconomic settings where schools have a dearth of book resources to develop literacy practices or literary engagement. This article reports on a qualitative study of classroom reading clubs where learners read novels in groups once a week. In particular, it focuses on discussions within two reading clubs to explore how learners took up different positions in talking about books and how they constructed a shared understanding. The study shows how through talking, learners have an opportunity to think and this thinking is made visible to researchers. In their reading club discussions, learners can appropriate and approximate the metalanguage of booktalk while building reading 'stamina'. The article suggests that in historically disadvantaged schools, classroom reading clubs can become sites where reading strategies and reasoning in response to literature can be developed. The opportunities afforded by reading clubs, therefore, constitute an attempt to redress inequities in education and contribute to social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current literature from South Africa reflects some of the country's vast cultural diversity and helps illustrate many of the challenges associated with struggles for equality, against the background of a painful and continuing history fraught with injustices. This article makes an argument for engaging with these literary texts in the secondary EFL classroom and proposes a reading of five contemporary texts featuring young adult protagonists. Taking a combined context-reader approach, it contends that such texts are not only conducive to rich cultural learning, but also to personal development at learners' particular stages of self-formation. Involving themselves in some of South Africa's historical, cultural, and moral complexities through literary texts offers adolescent learners a lens through which to view, reflect on, and potentially validate and consolidate some of their own multifaceted, possibly contradictory experiences, as selves-in-progress within their own diverse social contexts, and it provides language with which to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After many educational reforms over the past 2 decades, South Africa is still 1 of the lowest performing countries in terms of literacy outcomes. Despite an increased access to early childhood education programmes, more than half of Grade R learners will enter Grade 1 without the required skills to master reading. Clearly, systemic interventions are not working. Against this background, a family literacy programme was launched with the aim to improve home-school partnerships, build capacity for teachers to work with parents and to provide parents with the information and support they need to strengthen literacy learning in the home. The study reported on here was based on the theoretical framework of Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory as well as Fullan's theory of action as a theory of change. An action research design and qualitative techniques of data collection were used for programme implementation, but the study was planned and evaluated against Fullan's theory of change. The Wordworks Home-School Partnerships programme was selected for implementation and a children's component was designed to accommodate the young children of participating families. A multicultural, independent primary school situated in Pretoria, South Africa, was selected through a combination of purposeful and convenience sampling. Data were gathered from parents, children and teacher-facilitators during parallel sessions using multiple techniques and were analysed according to qualitative principles. The article concludes with a critical engagement between the anticipated findings of the study and the literature on theories of educational change to indicate how family literacy programmes can bring about improved literacy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entitlement is a remote research topic in South Africa. Even further remote is the idea of teacher educator entitlement being a topic of academic inquiry. In this chapter, we report a self-study of a teacher educator's experiences and interactions with her students, in which the construct of entitlement was used as an interpretative lens. The data consist of narratives constructed from journal entries based on teacher educators' experiences collected over 12 years. Findings from this case study point to the prevalence of teacher educator entitlement, which manifests itself in different forms. Investigations need to be broadened to establish its reach and the underlying causes of entitled attitudes and behaviours among teacher educators, and how such behaviours impact professional practice and professional growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In post-apartheid South Africa, 11 languages, including English and indigenous languages, were given equal status as official languages. Yet, more than 25 years after democracy, Black parents still believe that their children's wealth and success depend on English, and therefore, send them to English-medium schools where they take English as a second language (ESL), known in South Africa as English First Additional Language (FAL). Many circumstances compel teachers to code-switch between English and learners' first language. In the study reported on here we explored the reasons behind teachers' code-switching in FAL classrooms in 4 rural high schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Concept maps, openended questionnaires and open-ended telephone interviews were used to generate data. Findings indicate that FAL teachers use code-switching to clarify difficult concepts, enhance understanding of the content presented, and keep learners engaged during lessons. We argue that the use of learners' first language may be crucial in the teaching and learning of a second language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development education (DE) has become increasingly crucial in equipping teachers and learners for a socially just world. Educational efforts towards social justice (SJ) emphasise the need to provide teachers and learners with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to promote positive action. This article explores one continuing professional development (CPD) programme in South Africa to promote social cohesion (SC) in schools and classrooms. Drawing upon the experiences of ten teachers who attended this programme, the article analyses the ways in which this programme capacitated them to become active agents of transformation and change. The article argues that, whilst the programme was received positively by the teachers, the efficacy of the programme in supporting teachers to become change agents is constrained by their context and the dynamics of programme delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators are one of the stakeholders in the education system working to ensure learner success. According to the Minimum Requirements For Teacher Education Qualifications, educators must fulfil 7 roles in their quest to impart education. In the study reported on her, we investigated Grade 6 educators' knowledge and use of mediation as one of their roles in teaching English as First Additional Language (FAL) in Grade 6 inclusive classrooms. We further investigated how educators responded to learners who had diverse learning needs in English as FAL in Grade 6 inclusive classrooms. Six educators who taught English as FAL were purposively selected to participate in this study. Data were collected using qualitative research methods such as in-depth interviews and observations, in addition to document analysis. The participating educators indicated that large classes, a lack of training on inclusive education, and the scarcity of teaching resources made their mediation roles in teaching English as FAL in Grade 6 inclusive classrooms very challenging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article sheds light on the impact of a supplementary learner support program (SLSP) that was initiated at Manyeledi village in the North West Province in South Africa to improve learner performance through partnerships. The program is part of a bigger project conducted under the auspices of Bokamoso Impact Investment (BII) and the University of South Africa (Unisa) aimed at improving the academic achievement of learners in a poor rural community through education. The qualitative research approach was used to collect data through a focus group, individual interviews, and observations to investigate how the SLSP benefited the learners by improving their academic performance. The findings of the study indicate that the SLSP improved the performance of the learners who participated in the program and their schools significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we argue that school leaders should ensure that teachers experience a supportive professional learning community committed to collaborative, thoughtful inquiry and be enabled to create similar communities in their classrooms. This study followed on one published in 2017 that explored school leaders' responses to an introduction to cognitive education. The same participants investigated cognitive education practices (ways of teaching thinking) in their schools, with an emphasis on the factors that facilitated or constrained implementation. Using a qualitative research approach an open-ended research assignment in the form of a report was completed by 32 teachers in school leadership positions. The data was analysed using the guidelines of grounded theory to identify key themes. The findings suggest a possible starting point for leadership initiatives, although cognitive education practices in the participating schools were constrained by a number of structural, contextual and personal factors. Discussion highlights the importance of the development of professional learning communities that focus on cognitive education and identifies a possible leadership direction, namely, building on the progress already made in training teachers to apply Bloom's taxonomy to assessment tasks. Although our data is from schools in one area of South Africa, our conclusions are likely to have implications for school leadership generally, with particular reference to the development of classroom and professional thinking and learning communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with Professor Pier Paolo Frassinelli is presented. He talks about the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic to humans as social, physical and communicational beings. He claims that the pandemic should compel humans to rethink the use of social media and the role of embodied and socially embedded forms of human interaction. He explains the possible effects of the political crisis to the sustained struggles between elite ruling classes and others.

Promoting equal access to schools for researchers wishing to conduct educational research was one of the key tasks embedded in the educational transformation mandate of the new government of South Africa when it came to power in 1994. Drawing on data from five different research projects, this paper evaluates progress made by the democratic government of South Africa towards achieving that goal. Gaining access to schools to conduct classroom-based research was difficult and frustrating to researchers during the apartheid era. This paper finds that the government has succeeded in increasing access to schools and fair treatment of researchers who wish to conduct classroom-based research. This was achieved primarily through the government's nondiscriminatory policies and the pressure exerted by the issue of South Africa's poor performance in international learner achievement studies. The paper also finds that South Africa is still struggling to find effective strategies to address this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Reading ability is currently a matter of great concern in South Africa. Students in this country have difficulty in reading and writing and are often functionally uneducated. This study focuses on the beliefs, experiences and practices of teachers of reading in English to second language students in Grade 4. Grade 4 is the transitional grade from mother tongue to English as the medium of instruction. The shift to English makes teaching reading in that language especially challenging. The study used a qualitative method and is structured according to the case study mode of enquiry, with the target respondents comprising Grade 4 teachers. Classroom observation, interviews and document analysis were used as means of collecting data. The main findings revealed that beliefs and experience had an impact on the way in which reading was taught in this study. It emerged that the teachers’ childhood experiences of literacy and learning to read are maintained in their beliefs, their attitudes, their basic conceptualization of reading and their current practices, all of which directly affect the students in their classrooms. Recommendations arising from research indicate possible areas for improvement in the teaching of reading and offer guidelines to help teachers cope with the challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I reflect on my attempts to decolonise religious education at a historically white university in a post-apartheid South Africa. This pre-service education project conducted in 2017 happened against the backdrop of two events, namely, a renewed curriculum policy, Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) and the #RhodesMustFall (RMF) and #FeesMustFall (FMF) protests. These events encouraged me to reflect on my academic role as a teacher-educator preparing pre-service teachers to teach religion in schools. This led to me asking many questions such as, what is the effect of my teaching religious education?, How do teacher-educators prepare religious education pre-service teachers for a multicultural and multireligious society?, How does my teaching align itself with the decolonisation of education? and How do I redress the colonial past in my religious education classroom? The data which included reflective reports, student experiences and self-reflexivity acknowledged the findings that religion education served as a unifying factor in building social cohesion. The significance of this paper lies in the argument that decolonisation becomes an imperative if one is striving for social justice and intends to commit oneself to a more equitable society where crossing borders must be a seamless act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching of reading is not as easy as it may seem. It requires specific knowledge and the use of reading methods by teachers. Learners' reading needs and learning styles also have to be considered. According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy (PIRLS) results for 2016, the reading abilities of South African learners are far below the international standard as set out by PIRLS. There is a lack of research about the strategies and methods that primary school teachers use to teach reading. In this article, the feedback regarding reading methods - gathered from 36 primary school teachers in three provinces - is discussed. The data revealed that most of the Grade 1 to 7 teachers who participated in the research knew and used some of the six reading methods under discussion. However, the results did not indicate how well the teachers applied these methods and how versatile they were in using the different reading methods. The data revealed that Foundation phase teachers used some of the methods statistically significantly more often than the comparison group of Intermediate phase teachers in a nonexperimental static-group observational design study. According to Spaull (McBride 2019:1), a well-known researcher in South Africa, one of the three main reasons why Foundation phase readers are struggling with reading is that their teachers do not know how to teach reading systematically. Teachers do not know how to change and adapt the methods that they use to teach reading and not enough research has been done to address the problems with the teaching of reading in the classroom specifically. Often the reading problems experienced in the Foundation phase are carried over to the Intermediate phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, many non-native Englishspeaking learners experience a variety of language challenges in classrooms and, as a result, underperform in national and international assessment opportunities. Teachers need to assist these learners with sufficient and effective feedback. The purpose of this qualitative study was, firstly, to explore the relationship between Hattie and Timperley's (2007) model for effective feedback and the Interactionist Theory of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) (Gass & Mackey, 2006) and, secondly, to explore the corrective feedback practices of Intermediate Phase English Home Language teachers that promote SLA. Observations and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 15 purposively selected teachers from five different schools. The research findings indicate that the participants experienced various language-related challenges in their teaching of Intermediate Phase English Home Language. Mostly, the participants utilised transmission teaching approaches to provide formative, oral, written, descriptive, and self-feedback. Feedback in terms of Hattie and Timperley's (2007) model on the task level was mostly applied as opposed to feedback on the process, self-regulation, and the self-level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate how the implementation of GeoGebra by teachers who had recently attended a GeoGebra training course, impacts on learner experience and achievement. The study was conducted in four disadvantaged and under resourced schools situated in rural areas of the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Despite the curriculum's encouragement to use educational technology in the mathematics classroom, and evidence of the benefits of such use, literature indicates that most mathematics teachers still struggle with effective technology integration into their classrooms. Within the non-equivalent quasi-experimental design of this study, a quantitative approach was used. The conceptual framework involved the first two levels of Kirkpatrick's (1996) four level framework. Four Grade 10 classes comprising of 165 learners participated in this research. Data collection involved a questionnaire administered to the experimental group, as well as preand post-tests assessing the achievement of the learners regarding the properties of quadrilaterals administered to both the experimental and control groups. Results from the quantitative data analysis showed a significant difference in the mean scores with a mean difference of 6.5 in favour of learners taught with GeoGebra compared to a chalk and talk method. Implementation of and enthusiasm about GeoGebra had a positive influence on learner achievement. Analysis of the questionnaire responses indicated a positive reaction towards the use of GeoGebra in learning about quadrilaterals. Based on the results, it was concluded that GeoGebra as a pedagogical tool can work effectively in deep rural schools where geometry is hardly taught. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa is characterised by its vast cultural diversity, and the current classrooms are filled with learners from multicultural and multilingual backgrounds. This cultural diversity has an impact on the classroom climate. The classroom climate is seen as a major determiner of classroom behaviour and learning. Research surrounding classroom practice is changing the way teachers organise their learning spaces as well as their methods of teaching and learning. This paper aimed to gain insight into the teachers' perceptions of the creation of invitational learning environments, using the Invitational Learning Theory as the basis. A qualitative case study involving methods such as focus group interviews with teachers and document analysis containing teachers' notes were examined through the lens of the Invitational Learning Theory of Purkey and Novak. The results indicated that the learning environment plays a significant role in teaching and learning. Teachers noted that when the learning environment was friendly and conducive, learners showed greater enthusiasm to participate in classroom activities. If classrooms were inviting, neatly organised and well-arranged, learners showed a willingness to learn and accepted responsibility for their learning. Teachers noted that learners would go to a specific subject table, for example, mathematics or literacy, and engage in peer learning with the materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a bid to reduce rates of HIV and AIDS, teenage pregnancy and STIs in this high-risk age group, sexuality education, as provided via the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum, is aimed at providing standardised prevention of risky sexual behaviour to all school-going youth in South Africa. The programme is facilitated by the LO educators who strive to develop learners' abilities to make healthy choices for their own lives. Qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews with six educators from four different socio-economic status schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, were conducted and analysed using Thematic Content Analysis. Educators were selected via random sampling which is representative of poverty quintiles 2–5 in the Umlazi district of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings of the study demonstrate that while educators were personally aware of and were practicing suitable pedagogy adapted to the needs of their learners, their school environments presented challenges which were perceived as barriers to their intentions to implement these best suited practices. LO educators, however, demonstrated the ability and skill to overcome these barriers by creating relationship-centred learning. The provision of resources by the government, curricular changes of repetitive subject content and participatory learner-educator–centred learning is required to overcome the challenges in low-resourced schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The teaching of writing in English First Additional Language (EFAL) classrooms remains less explored in the Further Education and Training Phase (FET) in South Africa. This is so despite research showing a decline in the writing skills of second language learners, especially at the FET phase, calling attention to how writing is taught. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate writing approaches and teaching strategies used by teachers in teaching writing in selected EFAL FET classrooms in the Pinetown district. Method: A qualitative approach was adopted to observe five writing lessons across five schools using a video camera. Discourse analysis was used to analyse data. Results: The findings indicate that teachers mostly used a process approach to writing, which is in line with their curriculum. The study also found that teachers generally used a question and answer method to teach writing, which entails teachers controlling the interactions in the classrooms through a nomination-response cycle. Analyses of lessons also suggest that teachers creatively employed code-switching to explain writing concepts better. Conclusion: The study concludes that the effectiveness of any pedagogy depends on the teachers' knowledge and understanding of writing and approaches to writing. For effective development of learners' writing, the study recommends instruction methods that embrace collaborative writing activities in the learners' Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and the recognition of learners' home languages. Keywords: narrative essay; English First Additional Language; discourse analysis; code-switching; collaborative learning; Zone of Proximal Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classroom practitioners are expected to facilitate effective learning under the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in South Africa. During this facilitation process, educators are required to become more resourceful in terms of their learning and teaching strategies. This article is based on a case study – within the phenomenographic paradigm – of Grade 9 educators and learners in four rural schools in North West, South Africa. The study focussed on a specific economics and management sciences (EMS) topic relating to the understanding of the value or price determination of the South Africa rand on the foreign exchange market. The article is divided into three parts: firstly, the concepts of phenomenography and the variation theory of learning are explored and constituted as the conceptual framework; secondly, educators' experiences with the variation theory as a classroom resource for learning; and thirdly, the impact of educators' classroom experiences with the variation theory on learners' quantitative and qualitative learning outcomes. The results showed an improvement in the learners' understanding of the EMS topic studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers are responsible for ensuring that learners are included and supported in all learning experiences so that they can benefit and achieve their potential, irrespective of their intellectual and/or cultural backgrounds. However, educational exclusion and marginalization remain the experience of large numbers of children and young people across the globe, despite legislation and policy that promote access and participation in education. This article explores how teachers use differentiation to accommodate diversity in a multi-grade classroom and the difficulties they face when implementing differentiation. A qualitative inquiry was conducted whereby data were gathered through document analysis, field notes and observation, and interviews with a purposeful sample of eight teachers in four multi-grade rural primary schools in the North West province in South Africa. Thematic analysis showed minimal implementation of differentiation in multi-grade schools. A lack of resources and time constraints were impediments to full inclusion through differentiation. The findings of this study highlight the need for teachers to be capacitated to use differentiation to accommodate diversity that exists in multi-grade classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]