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The aim of this paper was to explore teachers' perspectives on the importance of the computer as a tool for enhancement of effective teaching and learning. Current research indicates that the developed world is at vanguard in revealing most of this information much more than developing nations like South Africa. Taking cognizance of teachers' perspectives in South Africa helps in improving the educational dispensation systems because future economic realities of any country depend on the quality of its education. Using an interpretivist paradigm, semi-structured interviews were triangulated with participant observations to elicit detailed data from a case study involving three secondary schools that were purposively sampled by virtue of having and using computers. A sample of six participant teachers was interviewed, and one lesson of each was observed using computer tools. Findings reveal that computer usage was irregular, rather superficial and insignificant. This small scale investigation recommends that Technological Pedagogical Educational Psychology and Content Domain (TPEPCD) model should be adopted in all teacher training institutions; so as to enhance the professional development of teachers who can teach diligently in accordance with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) requirements.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of online learning and self-directed learning to motivate and engage students. Therefore, this study sought to determine how online learning fostered self-directed learning at a South African university during this period. Higher education institutions worldwide had to shut down indefinitely following guidance from health experts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since education is regarded as a pillar of development for all countries, some means had to be found to keep teaching and learning going irrespective of the ongoing health crisis. Hence, online learning made it possible for university students to continue learning during the emergency university closure. This was a period of reckoning, however, as many students began experiencing challenges related to poor internet connectivity and accessing digital learning devices. Despite these challenges, the solution was to reach out to all students to ensure that they were not excluded from the learning process. The sudden transition to online learning meant that students could no longer follow a well-coordinated, structured learning schedule that was guided and supervised on campus; rather, online learning meant they had to become more independent in their learning. Independent learning encourages students to be proactive and independent, a philosophy aligned to self-directed learning (SDL). This study explored the experiences of third-year student teachers in navigating SDL through online learning platforms. The study was underpinned by self-directed learning theory and adopted a qualitative case study research design, generating data from ten student teachers using a Zoom App focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis framework. The study found that although SDL is appropriate because it promotes learning independently, the majority of student teachers encountered several challenges when adopting online learning, catching them off guard because they were not formally introduced to it.

This study sought to explore the experiences of academics with the use of e-learning to support teaching and learning at a South African university. The theory underpinning the study was the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study adopted a qualitative design using ten purposively selected academic staff and one IT specialist at a South African university. Semi-structured interview was used to gather the data that were used to answer the research questions. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The following themes resulted from the analysis: technical support and training for e-learning; Information Communication Technology infrastructure and internet accessibility; uptake of e-learning and the use of the Learning Management System; content development for e-learning; and evaluation of teaching effectiveness using e-learning. Based on the findings, periodic updates and training on the new changes should be made to the university's e-learning platforms, provision of timely technical support to academics in order to sustain positive user experiences of e-learning were recommended.

The emergence of learning technology in higher education is an interesting phenomenon that continues to gain acceptance. While South Africa is regarded as one of the leading African nations with quality higher education, there is a need for her tertiary institutions to fortify their technological learning spaces to meet the needs of today's upwardly-mobile higher education students. This study adopts a single case qualitative study design in the form of a survey to examine the state of technological learning spaces in a comprehensive university. The actual data for the study was collected from eight (8) academic staff in a rural-based university in South Africa. Data were collected through focus group interviews to allow for rich descriptions of the true state of technological space of learning in the institution. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The main variables of technological learning spaces were broken down into sub-themes to address key research issues raised in the study. The findings revealed that though technological facilities such as Wi-Fi internet services, computer laboratory, and Learning Management System (LMS) are available in the institution, some factors are constraining the staff and students from effectively utilizing of these technologies. The study recommends adequate funding/investment, as well as a partnership between the rural based institutions and the universities of technologies in South Africa, as key steps in repositioning the institution's technological space towards teaching and learning needs of the 21st century higher education students.

The aim of this study was to examine if any pedagogical paradigm shift has taken place in enhancing authentic teaching and learning in secondary schools. It explored the pedagogical practices currently employed in secondary schools. The theory underpinning the study was the 21st century pedagogy for teaching and learning. A qualitative research design was adopted and data was generated from three secondary schools, consisting of 30 learners through focus group discussion and six teachers using semi-structured interviews. This sample was purposively selected by virtue of having and using digital computer technologies. An observation of 6 lessons was conducted and data was analyzed using an inductive thematic framework. By adopting an interpretivist paradigm, this data was collected using participant observation, as the main data-collection instrument for this study, triangulated with semi-structured teacher-and learner-focus group and interviews. The findings revealed that 'old' teacher-centered pedagogies continued unabated as the common instructional style and promoted learner-passiveness. It compromised on active learner-academic performance and making a meaningful significant intellectual achievement. This resulted in production of 'mediocre' human capital ill-prepared to face the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) challenges. This article recommends further research in areas pertaining to pedagogical shifts in line with digitalization of the world economy and education.

This article explores the way in which values education is incorporated in the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum of the Senior Phase (Grades 7-9) in South Africa. Researchers agree that in the light of the current need to regenerate morals and re-norm the nation, values are critical. From the moment they are born, children learn by observing adults; they mimic what they see, and repeat the words they utter. Parents and teachers have the greatest influence on a child's upbringing and therefore have a responsibility to teach them about the core values that help them become well-rounded citizens. Theoretically, the study on which this article is based was located in the literature on approaches to implementing values education. The study employed a qualitative perspective, with a descriptive case study design. Participants include purposively selected school principals, school governing body (SGB) members, and LO teachers. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The analysis revealed that the values in the school LO curriculum were incorporated eclectically through explicit, implicit and critical approaches. On the basis of these findings, it is recommended that the school community sustain an eclectic approach to values education that covers learners' holistic experiences.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about an abrupt transition from face-to-face to online learning, which caught higher education institutions off guard. Universities had to scramble for solutions to ensure that learning was not disrupted and there was adequate technological infrastructure to conduct classes online; that academics were capacitated to conduct virtual teaching and that students had access to the necessary technology and internet connectivity. To understand this move, this study explored student teachers' experiences of the emergency transition to online learning during the COVID-19 lockdown at a South African university. The study was underpinned by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and adopted a qualitative research design, generating data from ten fourth-year student teachers using a Zoom focus group discussion and analysing the data using an inductive thematic framework. The discussion focused on the students' views on digital equity and access to technology; the teaching and learning modalities they were exposed to; their proficiency with the technology and training received; assessment as well as views on the learning management system (LMS, which is Moodle in this case). The study found that among the issues that universities had to deal with were the digital divide; constrained pedagogical approaches; inadequate proficiency in the use of the learning management system; the fact that the quality and integrity of assessment were somewhat compromised as well as students' unfavourable living conditions which make learning from home difficult.

The inclusion of tutoring as an instructional support strategy in higher education resulted from an awareness that students lack both the metacognitive and self-regulatory practices required to complete their academic programs successfully. In addition, graduation-based funding systems have resulted in higher education institutions using tutoring as a self-serving strategy to augment learning and improve completion rates to ensure funding. Notwithstanding the theoretical and conceptual lens provided by studies reported in the current literature, there would appear to be a glaring gap in understanding of the sociocultural nuances that shape tutoring. To address this gap, the present study followed an intrinsic case study design to understand how sociocultural distinctions at a university in South Africa intersect to shape the tutoring experiences of 11 first-year students. The participants were purposefully selected, and data were collected using a focus group discussion. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic framework and, from this analysis, five themes emerged: translanguaging as a tutoring strategy, the use of technology to enhance tutoring experience, tutoring as an intersubjective process, the axiological nature of the tutorship program, reflection on the tutorship program. Based on the findings, we recommend that tutoring programs become more multilingual, structured and collaborative.

The 2001 White Paper 6 on Special Education commits to ensuring that all learners have equal opportunities to be educated and welcomed in all schools, irrespective of their abilities. Consequently, the inputs and contributions of educational leaders such as principals and school management teams (SMTs) are critical in leading and managing schools that accommodate and provide for learners with diverse educational needs. It is important to note that when managing the curriculum for inclusion, leadership is not confined to the principal but is also delegated to the SMTs and teachers tasked with the academic programme of the school. This study sought to examine the nature of curriculum management for inclusion in secondary schools. A qualitative research design was adopted for the study and a purposive sampling technique was used to draw a sample of ten SMT members and 10 teachers from 10 secondary schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The main research instrument for data collection was a focus group discussion with the study participants. Thematic analysis was subsequently applied to analyse the qualitative data gleaned from the transcribed focus group discussion. The findings revealed that barriers to implementing inclusive education included inadequate teacher preparation, curriculum inflexibility, unfavourable classroom learning environments and weak support structures. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to explore learners' perspectives on how their schools are preparing them to prosper in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era which is powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Taking cognisance of the learners' perspectives on how South African schools are preparing them is essential for enabling the education fraternity to ascertain its level of effectiveness and efficiency hence improving its state of readiness to face the challenges of the 4IR. Therefore, the exploration of the level of preparedness, in line with 4IR challenges, can assist educational policy makers and planners to be more proactive and craft mechanisms to ameliorate the obstacles and discrepancies inhibiting the acquisition of the 21st century educational competences and skills. Employing a qualitative paradigm, semi-structured focus group interviews were used to solicit data from a sample of 30 grade 10 and 11 learners. Findings reveal that computer technology was irregularly and insignificantly used indicating that South African schools are highly ineffective in dispensing gradeappropriate skills thus producing ill-prepared learners to prosper in the 4IRworld of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education (HE) is considered to be the apex of all educational endeavours. Therefore, it is expected that student in various institutions of higher learning should be self‐motivated for individualized synchronous and asynchronous learning. Lamentably, it seems that such expectation within the HE spaced is yet to be achieved. While stakeholders in HE are in search for an approach to ensure that students have sufficient self‐directed learning (SDL) capacities needed for blended learning (BL), this article advance and propose the use of the constructivist framework to foster SDL to ensure that students develop their own understanding of learning, its meaning according to the context, and the ways to acquire it using BL as a mediator. Using the constructivist theory as a theoretical lens, we proposed the use of a three‐ring‐drag‐in approach as a model to fostering SDL among students in various institutions of higher learning. We, therefore encourage the adoption or adaptability of the three‐ring‐drag‐in approach as it promise to address and resolve the concerns and agitation of enthronement of SDL among students within the HE spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]