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Using a qualitative historical research approach, this paper examines the contextual influences, including the formulation motive and their possible impact on policy implementation, of the South African (SA) e-Education White Paper 7 (WP7). A critical discourse analysis (CDA) was conducted on the policy and data was collected through semi-structured interviews (SSI) with purposefully selected participants. Findings of the study reveal tacit contradictions and tensions depicting a policy in contradiction with itself, carrying the hallmark of a symbolic policy. That is, a policy characterised by lack of direction, contradictions in its motive of formulation, no dedicated resources for its implementation, distorted communication resulting from the validity tests, and lack of "material consequences" (Rivzi and Lingard, 2009, p.8). The circumstantial context (socioeconomic and political) of its formulation, dictated to by the prescripts of the negotiated political settlement (NPS), that ushered in the new democratic South Africa (SA), is found to have taken precedence. It further overshadowed critical analysis on the educational needs, which would have informed a better strategic integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) in education. The circumstantial context resulted in a lack of a common goal between policy actors and interest groups. This, to the extent that the former thought of capitalising on the donations of the latter for their own political interests, while the latter saw in the formulation of such policy a way of imposing Government spending in favour of their businesses. These circumstances may have contributed to the policy's failure to reach its set textual objectives and goal by 2013.

Many South African educational institutions are adopting learning management systems (LMS) into their daily teaching and learning practice. The Western Cape Education Department piloted Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle), an LMS for improving teaching and learning. The objective of the research reported on here was to determine whether Moodle improved Grade 10 learners' conceptual understanding of the topic, functions, in mathematics. The research investigated two classes; one dependent upon a traditional chalk-and-talk teaching method (control), and another exposed to Moodle (experimental). It was found that learners constructed their own knowledge by drawing on resources embedded in Moodle and framed within a Social Constructivist theory. A hybrid e-learning framework was deployed; learners acquired knowledge by interacting with computers. Interaction was monitored and results were recorded using online surveys and tests. A quasi-experimental design was employed to compare the groups. The comparisons were statistically analysed. Results showed that the functionalities within the Moodle LMS were instrumental in improving conceptual understanding of mathematical functions.

In South Africa, the Western Cape government (WCG)'s current broadband strategy aims to ensure that all schools will be connected to broadband service within a reasonable time-frame. According to the WCG integration of ICTs and the broadband will remove the digital divide and enhance curriculum delivery in schools. To achieve this, sensible long-term planning must be in place to ensure that subject advisors are adequately trained and equipped to participate in the connected schools environment and effectively assist teachers integrate digital resources into classrooms. The aim of this paper is to explore how subject advisors perceive of their preparedness to embrace new technologies for their advisory job; to ensure effective teaching and learning. A qualitative research approach was used; randomly selected education districts in the Western Cape Province provided subject advisors to be participants in the study. Results show that most subject advisors perceive their complex knowledge of how to effectively integrate ICTs into curriculum delivery as inadequate hence are hesitant to advise teachers on effective technology integration into classrooms.

The study examined how teacher educators are appropriating technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) and substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition (SAMR) frameworks in their pre-service teacher preparation programmes. To ensure rigor, quality, and preparedness of pre-service teachers, there is a need to articulate expectations around effective use of these frameworks together with contemporary teaching and learning theories at the pre-service teacher preparation level. One-on-one in-depth interviews and participant observations were conducted with eight (8) teacher educators. The findings revealed that teacher educators are appropriating technology in ways harmonious with their prevalent traditional teacher-centred teaching strategies at enhancement levels. The researchers recommend the adoption of technology integration frameworks and teaching and learning theory at policy making levels in pre-service teacher training institutions.

This paper investigates factors that motivate educators to use Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in schools in disadvantaged areas. The study employed Herzberg' Motivation-Hygiene theory to guide the process of understanding the factors that motivate or demotivate educators when using the technology for teaching and learning. Qualitative research approach was used to gather and analyse information from educators from randomly sampled schools located in disadvantaged areas in the Western Cape. The study has shown that educators' motivation to use technology for curriculum delivery could be impacted by satisfaction derived from using the ICTs, individual expectations, responsibility and a sense of achievement experienced when using the technologies.

While digital storytelling has entered higher education as a vehicle to reflect on issues of identity and difference, there is a paucity of research framed by a critical perspective unpacking underlying power structures in the classroom. This study reports on an ongoing project in a South African pre-service Teacher Education course in which final-year students reflected in the form of digital stories on the notion of difference and how it affected their journey to becoming a teacher. Drawing on theories of resistance, counterstorytelling and multimodality, five of these digital stories, students' reflective essays and discussions in a focus group were analysed to investigate types of resistance in students' narratives, their perceptions of the functions of counterstorytelling, and what multimodal analysis of these stories could tell us about the relationship of students' identities, their choice of modes and their learning. Results of the study showed students' intent to develop so-called "counterstories", defined as stories that challenge social and racial injustice, which are usually not heard in education. Students also perceived telling of counterstories as useful to building communities among marginalised students, acting as model stories, providing an alternative window into the world of students of colour and a space for healing. While only one story could be defined as portraying "transformational resistance", carrying the highest potential for social change, others were important documents of disadvantaged students' fight for survival, and might well challenge some of the existing power structures in their classroom. Multimodal analysis of the stories revealed contradictory elements, highlighting the difficulty for students to resist dominant discourses, but also showing the increasing (conscious or unconscious) emotional audience manipulation evidenced in production of digital stories by the more privileged students. We suggest that engaging students in multimodal analysis of their own stories could facilitate a nuanced conversation on consciously and unconsciously held beliefs and assumptions, as well as an awareness of themselves that may lead to questioning the dominant discourse they have been socialised in.

Employers in South Africa are calling for students graduating from higher education institutions (HEIs) to exhibit the capacity for reflection. However, many tertiary institutions fall short in allowing opportunities for reflection. As a result, HEIs are grappling to find ways of fostering reflection amongst their students. This paper argues that digital storytelling if implemented properly is one of the ways which can be used to help HEIs in this accomplishment. It documents results of production of digital stories by 29 final-year pre-service student teachers at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa, as part of their assessment in their professional development course. The study was informed by structuration theory and levels of reflection and cognitive processing to help the researchers understand the potential of digital storytelling in enhancing reflection. Qualitative methods of collecting data were utilized. Focus group interviews were conducted with the students and their facilitators to elicit whether production of digital stories led to reflection. Findings showed that the production of digital stories promoted the three levels of reflection and thus deep learning and higher-order thinking skills.

Although becoming a more racially-integrated society, the legacy of Apartheid still affects learners' social engagements in and outside their classrooms. Adopting Nussbaum's (2010) capabilities framework for a socially just democracy, this paper examines 27 pre-service teacher education students' perceptions of a digital storytelling project and its potential for recognising and honouring capabilities necessary for engaging empathetically with the "other". Using narrative inquiry, and specifically Bamberg's (2006) "small stories" approach, the research team analysed 30 stories students constructed in four focus group conversations at the end of the project. In these stories, most of Nussbaum's (2010) capabilities were evident. We found that, in the collective sharing of their stories, students positioned themselves as agentive selves, displaying the belief that they can make a difference, not only individually within their own classrooms, but also as a collective of teachers.

Employing the theory of Community of Practice (CoP), this paper shows how the use of multimedia led a group of pre-service teachers to build a community of practice in the process of completing their individual digital stories for assessment. The paper is focused on a group of diverse pre-service teachers doing their final year at a teacher education institution in Cape Town. The study used a qualitative research approach to collect and analyse data to answer the question: How can the use of multimedia in a diverse classroom lead to building a community of practice. The data were gathered using focus group interviews with the pre-service teachers and also their written reflections on their experience on using multimedia tools to produce digital stories. Analysis of the data collected shows that the use of the multimedia tools in the diverse classroom to develop digital stories and the stories themselves led to the building of a community. The pre-service teachers were able to understand one another hence building the respect and understanding one another's culture. The pre-service teachers stated that the exposure to the project skilled them somehow to be able to handle multicultural classrooms which they are most likely to be teaching.

We argue that the "community of inquiry" approach, using reading materials modelled on Lipman's Philosophy for Children programme, is a theoretically justified and teacher-friendly means of promoting effective thinking skills. The stimulus materials, used by the pre-service teachers, consist of short stories of classroom life designed to elicit children's ideas for further discussion as a community of inquiry. Research has shown that the community of inquiry-approach to classroom discussion is perceived positively by educators and teachers and makes a difference to learners. This study explored how the Intermediate and Senior Phase pre-service teachers experienced a classroom community of inquiry by using a qualitative research design with 47 final year pre-service teachers. Data consisted of written reflections from the whole class and recordings of two focus group interviews with selected individuals from the group. From the analysis of the data, the following themes became evident: personal and professional development, changes in learners, contextual concerns, and curriculum links. We conclude that this approach is a valuable addition to the pedagogical strategies of pre-service teachers.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse an innovative teaching and learning practice in which pre-service student teachers at the CPUT used digital stories to reflect on their experiences of diversity in their classroom. Managing diverse classrooms is one of the main challenges for all teachers. Digital storytelling can help manage such classrooms. It facilitates the convergence of four student-centered learning strategies: student engagement, reflection for deep learning, project-based learning, and the effective integration of technology into teaching. A qualitative research approach was employed whereby twenty-nine written stories and a recording of a focus-group interview with purposively selected participants from the group was the data collection technique. The results indicate that the digital storytelling approach exposed the students to new media literacies which prepared them for the rich and diverse contexts which they will encounter in their teaching.

The potential of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) to enhance curriculum delivery can only be realised when the technologies have been well-appropriated in the school. This belief has led to an increase in government- or donor-funded projects aimed at providing ICTs to schools in disadvantaged communities. Previous research shows that even in cases where the technology is provided, educators are not effectively integrating such technologies in their pedagogical practices. This study aims at investigating the factors that affect the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning. The focus of this paper is on the domestication of ICTs in schools serving the disadvantaged communities in a developing country context. We employed a qualitative research approach to investigate domestication of ICT in the schools. Data for the study was gathered using in-depth interviews. Participants were drawn from randomly sampled schools in disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape. Results show that even though schools and educators appreciate the benefits of ICTs in their teaching and even though they are willing to adopt the technology, there are a number of factors that impede the integration of ICTs in teaching and learning.

Our purpose was to see if THRASS (Teaching Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills) is a programme that should be taught to Foundation Phase (FP) and Intermediate/Senior Phases (ISP) pre-service teachers at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The term "literacy" is defined as an evolving, developing and complex concept, not only because it describes a set of practices, but also because it is context-driven. The THRASS programme is fundamentally for teaching phonics, and is described as being at the "word" level teaching of literacy. We argue that word level teaching should be done in context and within texts. A mixed method research design was used in order to provide better understandings and answers to the research question: What are the BEd 4 students' perceptions of THRASS? A questionnaire and two focus group interviews were used to gather data. Qualitative data were analysed, using an inductive approach. The findings confirm that pre-service teachers going to teach in schools feel prepared to teach reading, but not spelling or creative writing.

The purpose of this research was to explore how two rural primary teachers used technology to enhance their pedagogical and content knowledge of Geography in their everyday teaching and learning. Hence the theory of Koehler and Mishra's Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framed this research. Although the Intermediate Phase curriculum provides a general education experience, teachers need to adopt teaching strategies that deliver Geographical knowledge, skills and values which enable learners to function effectively and responsibly. A qualitative research design was employed for this study using interviews and observations. Two teachers were purposively selected for this study. The findings indicate that the two teachers used technology, to varying extents, to enhance their pedagogy.

While many girls who become mothers before completing schooling consider academic qualifications to be very important, they may not be able to succeed academically if the support they need to complete their studies is insufficient. Usually, instead of getting support, the teen mothers endure misunderstandings and pressure. The teen mothers may feel disempowered because they are "othered" and consequently, they develop forms of resistance which in most cases may foster their failure as learners. Our aim was to find out how much support was offered to these girls to facilitate their schooling, thus making it possible for them to complete their education and become self-reliant. A qualitative research approach was employed to gather information for the study. Teen mothers, their educators, and parents were interviewed to gather information about the girls' schooling situation. The results showed that many teen mothers failed to succeed with schooling because they lacked support to avoid the numerous disruptions to school attendance.

Effective integration of technology is critical for online, blended, hybrid, and face-to-face learning. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the SETI (Socio-Ecological Technology Integration) framework and explain what it adds to the scholarly research regarding effective technology integration. The SETI framework goes beyond previous frameworks and applies a holistic systems approach to understanding effective technology integration. This takes into account all aspects of technology integration including new findings uncovered during the Covid-19 lockdown. TPACK and SAMR were analyzed identifying their benefits and limitations and then the SETI framework was explained providing insight into the value of a whole systems approach to technology integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expectation in education today is that pre-service teachers should graduate from teacher education adequately prepared to teach with Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) that have potential to enhance curriculum delivery, hence improving quality of education. However, research shows that pre-service teachers are graduating from teacher education underequipped to teach with ICTs. The aim of this study is to understand why, given the deployment of ICTs for teaching and learning in teacher education, the new teachers remain underprepared to teach with ICTs. Qualitative research approach was employed in this study, whereby randomly selected pre-service teachers were interview respondents. Written reflections on their preparation to teach with ICTs also formed part of the data collected. Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) theory was embraced to guide the study. Analysis of the data shows that the main contributing factor of the new teachers' under-preparedness to teach using ICTs is the quality of instruction they receive during their training.

Educators and students were unprepared for the suspension of face-to-face (f2f) educational activities due to Covid-19, specifically those less experienced in online teaching and learning. Students and educators were traumatised by the sudden switch to online teaching and learning. As such the transition from f2f to exclusive online learning prompted adjusted pedagogical methods and assumed measures of self-regulated e-learning (SRL). During this period researchers embarked on a longitudinal project in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) called the 21st Century Project (21CP). The purpose of the study was to explore the SRL behaviours of pre-service teachers in online learning and to understand the extent to which a curriculum for technology integration alongside contextual factors influences SRL. As such our conceptualisation of the SRL framework adds two moderating constructs, these are, context and intervention to the core constructs of SRL. The sample of sixty six (66) students were drawn from a volunteer cohort of 166, 4th year pre-service students. Data were collected through interviews, surveys and online journal entries. The data was analysed qualitatively using narrative methods in which themes were identified and reported. The findings revealed that: the ICT integration curriculum represented a cornerstone for SRL development and shaped students' SRL behaviours; there were differences in the SRL practices that could be attributed to students' learning habits and attitudes to the ICT-based interventions. The findings of this study provide an understanding of interrelationships among SRL, context, and the design of an online curriculum. The study made three contributions to policy and practice. Firstly, SRL can be improved by providing activities that include clear guidelines for engagement through guided instructional methodologies. Secondly, the faculty curriculum developers should formulate guidelines to ensure that curricular iterations are developed as blended f2f/online modes to enable a quick and seamless transition for exclusive online use. Finally, course creators can improve student engagement by aligning learning outcomes and related activities with learning events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most higher education institutions globally have used e-learning policies as a strategy for technology enhanced curriculum delivery. However, few universities in Zimbabwe have e-learning policies, and lack of such documents to guide technology integration leads to inefficiency and hinders provision of effective support. This study highlights the role of e-learning policy through analysis of e-learning documents and statements at a university in Zimbabwe. Using critical discourse analysis, the study unpacks the discourse of e-learning at the university, to reveal underlying assumptions and beliefs of the neoliberal, elitist paradigm, veiled under 'widening access' and flexible learning. Contexts, such as the Zimbabwean higher education, sector have very specific needs, which must be considered when formulating e-learning policies to ensure effectiveness of implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators' digital fluency has been noted as one of the most important skill required for effective curriculum delivery in connected classrooms. Evidence shows that even though many Western Cape classrooms have Internet connectivity, many educators are unable to take advantage of the connectivity for teaching and learning. Hence, this paper focuses on the educators' digital fluency as a necessary competence for effective curriculum delivery in connected classrooms. The study was done qualitatively by randomly selecting thirty-six educators who participated in one-on-one and focus group interviews. Results show that most educators perceive their digital fluency and the complex knowledge of how to effectively integrate digital technologies into curriculum delivery to be inadequate. Hence they are unable to take advantage of the connectivity in the classrooms. Therefore, the authorities in education need to ensure educators are well equipped to develop digital fluency and the ways of integrating technologies into curriculum delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, the Western Cape government (WCG)'s current broadband strategy aims to ensure that all schools will be connected to broadband service within a reasonable time-frame. According to the WCG integration of ICTs and the broadband will remove the digital divide and enhance curriculum delivery in schools. To achieve this, sensible long-term planning must be in place to ensure that subject advisors are adequately trained and equipped to participate in the connected schools environment and effectively assist teachers integrate digital resources into classrooms. The aim of this paper is to explore how subject advisors perceive of their preparedness to embrace new technologies for their advisory job; to ensure effective teaching and learning. A qualitative research approach was used; randomly selected education districts in the Western Cape Province provided subject advisors to be participants in the study. Results show that most subject advisors perceive their complex knowledge of how to effectively integrate ICTs into curriculum delivery as inadequate hence are hesitant to advise teachers on effective technology integration into classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]