The purpose of this research is to develop a better understanding to why South African educators embrace or resist Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning by exploring the complex interplay between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, their efficacy beliefs, their context beliefs and their use of computers in the classroom. The study hypothesises that teachers’ behavioural intention, whether and how to use ICTs in the classroom, is determined by a set of teacher-related variables, which include, their pedagogical beliefs, selfefficacy beliefs and context beliefs. The specific teacher-related variables that are of significance for this study include: teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, computer self-efficacy beliefs and computer anxiety. A correlational analysis was performed to determine the complex relationships amongst these thinking processes and their effect on the utilisation of ICTs. In addition, teachers’ perception of their principals’ technology leadership was investigated. Four interrelated dimensions were investigated, that is: (a) vision, planning and management; (b) staff development and training; (c) technology and infrastructure support; and (d) interpersonal and communication skills. A mixed method of quantitative and qualitative research was employed to collect data at a secondary and primary ex-model C school in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town. Convenience sampling was applied in this study. A total of 23 teachers participated voluntarily in the research project. The results of the study suggest that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, computer self-efficacy beliefs and computer anxiety directly affect their computer use, while the principal’s technology leadership only has an indirect effect on their computer use via the mediating variables: self-efficacy beliefs and pedagogical beliefs.

M.Ed. / In the light of the increasing need for tertiary education, recent technological developments, and the vast and logarithmic developments in the natural sciences, this investigation endeavors to provide guidelines for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a multimedia learning package for use in the natural sciences ...

Using a Mixed Methods Convergent Parallel Design this study examines the Behavioural Intentions of the District eLearning Coordinators (DELCs) in the Gauteng Department of Education. The study posits that the educational beliefs of the DELCs are a significant factor in influencing their Behavioural Intentions with regard to their role concerning the integration of Gauteng Online into teaching and learning. Its purpose is to explore whether the DELCs intend to perform their roles in constructivist “Just-in-time” ways. It does this by examining their pedagogical beliefs, their knowledge about technology integration as well as other salient beliefs as formulated in the Theory of Planned Behaviour and by finding out whether these have a bearing on their intentions to provide support and professional development for teachers in the GDE. The study draws on key theories like the Theory of Planned Behaviour, theory about teacher knowledge for technology integration – Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) amongst others to explore these beliefs and behavioural intentions.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND August 2015 / The issue of best practice in the pedagogical integration of ICTs into subject teaching has been debated internationally with the aim to offer guidance to teachers on how to effectively utilise these digital tools in the classroom. The resultant literature has reported that teachers in schools with fewer resources integrate ICTs at a lower level. South African township schools fall under this category. In an attempt to bridge this divide, these schools have received digital technologies from the government and other sponsors. In addition, teachers have been trained on ICT basic skills as preparation for use of technology in their classrooms. However, studies carried out to assess the effectiveness of these interventions have resulted in the call by the South African government for solutions that ‘work’. It is increasingly apparent that more than just digital resources are required if ICT integration is to be achieved. This study investigates selected seven South African township secondary school teachers’ practices and education policies to understand what is of pedagogical value in the use of ICTs for teaching. The findings are employed to develop an ICT teacher training framework that can help teachers in this country to maximise the utilisation of the digital technologies they have in their schools. A multi-case study is employed in which teacher interviews and lesson observations of participating teachers from a district in the Gauteng Province in South Africa are interpreted. Thereafter, a document analysis of four South African education policies is used to form a policy framework that is employed to assess teacher practice compliance to the country’s education context. This is done to customise findings to the South African education setting to facilitate the development of a relevant ICT teacher training framework. Diana Laurillard’s Conversational Framework is adopted as the theory that helps make explicit the teachers’ espoused and enacted practices. Her description of media forms is interacted with Grainne Conole and Martin Dyke’s conception of ICT affordances to help identify the pedagogical value in the teachers’ practices with ICTs. The results reveal how teacher beliefs, experience, subject needs, as well as learner needs, play a substantial role in determining the value ICTs bring to the teaching and learning experience. The significance of these characteristics demonstrates and accentuates the role of the teacher as a mediator in making ICTs of pedagogical value in the classroom. Key Words: ICT Pedagogical Integration, Conversational Framework, Media forms, ICT affordances

Societal trends have changed more in the last decade than they have in the last century. This is particularly prevalent in the education environment. Concepts such as Lifelong Learning (the continued learning/educating of an individual throughout his/her lifetime), New Competencies (technology that is now part of almost every skill in the workplace) and Telecommuting (more people working from home rather than traditional offices) have become common-place today (Twigg, 1996, pp. 1-2). Education delivery needs to provide for these societal changes in order to ensure competent individuals pass on to the next level of education and ultimately to the work force. With key trends in technology such as Digitization, Maturation and Disintermediation becoming common in the workplace, education delivery must address the ―Digital Divide. (Twigg, 1996, pp. 2-3). Historically, schools in South Africa have used traditional teaching methods that have stayed the same for the last century. Educational institutions in South Africa, in particular, the previously disadvantaged schools of the Eastern Cape, face various challenges such as the dwindling ability to collect school fees from parents of scholars and declining financial support from the government. In Chapter Seven of the Draft White Paper on e-Education, which was gazetted on 26 August, 2004, the DoE, as part of its implementation strategies, urged the private sector to respond by implementing ICT initiatives nationwide. Phase 1 of the strategy advocated that ―Institutions are connected, access the internet and communicate electronically. (Department of Education, 2004, pp. 37-40). This dissertation shows that it is feasible to create a communications’ network among South African schools. It is believed that such a network can add great value to the education system in South Africa. The potential for this network to address the gap in the Digital Divide is enormous. This dissertation examines various ICT communications’ technologies and isolates wireless communications’ technology as best suited for this purpose, due to the speeds offered by the technology and the cost structure associated with it. A case study examines a pilot installation of the network and endeavours to prove the concept.

Although the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) was only first introduced in 2009, organisations and higher education institutions have shown an increasing interest in and tolerance for employees and students using their own mobile devices for work and academic purposes, to such an extent that it is predicted that BYOD will become the leading practice for all educational environments by the year 2017. Although mobile device usage is increasing in higher education institutions, it has been found that currently no generally recognised framework exists to aid South African higher education institutions with the implementation of BYOD. The problem is further worsened as research suggests that the number of new mobile vulnerabilities reported each year has increased. The primary objective of this study is to develop a framework for implementing BYOD in higher education institutions in South Africa. This primary objective is divided into several secondary objectives, which collectively aim to address the proposed problem. Therefore, the secondary objectives are to understand BYOD in organisations and the challenges it brings; to determine how BYOD challenges differ in higher education institutions; to determine the key components for implementing BYOD in higher education institutions; to determine the extent to which the BYOD key components relate to a higher education institution in South Africa; and to validate the proposed BYOD framework, verifying its quality, efficacy and utility. At first, a comprehensive literature study is used to determine and understand the benefits, challenges and key components for the implementation of BYOD in both organisations and higher education institutions. Thereafter, a case study is used to determine the extent to which the components, identified in the literature study, relate to an educational institution in South Africa. The findings from the case study, in combination with the key components, are then triangulated and a preliminary framework for implementing BYOD in higher education institutions in South Africa is argued. Furthermore, elite interviews are used to determine the quality, efficacy and utility of the proposed BYOD framework. To address the proposed problem, this research proposes a stepby- step holistic framework to aid South African higher education institutions with the implementation of BYOD. This framework adds a significant contribution to the work on this topic, as it provides a foundation upon which further such research can build. It is believed that such a framework would be useful for higher education institutions in South Africa and would result in the improved implementation of BYOD.

A research submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Education / It is increasingly becoming important for students to have a good command of technology for them to succeed at higher institutions of learning (Calderhead, 2011; Brown & Czerniewicz, 2010). However, there are still inequalities that exist in democratic South Africa. This may challenge the academic performance of students from various backgrounds who come to the university with a lower level of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. This study investigated the first-year university students’ perceptions and experience, attitude and intention to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to access learning at the University. Nine Thousand One Hundred and Ninety-Five (9195) first year university students were involved in the study. The researcher used a quantitative method research design, followed by qualitative findings which were used to complement the quantitative results. Even though most first-year students had a positive attitude towards the use of technology at the university, the majority of students did not feel self-efficacious in the use of personal computers (PC) and online tools. Therefore, as means to get a better understanding of each student’s skill set, an ICT competency test was administered. Students who did not pass this competency test were required to attend digital literacy training. Many students lacked the confidence to even attempt the test and opted to sign up for computer literacy training. About 70 % of the students who participated in the test before training scored below the set score of 80%. The researcher and team, then provided them with Digital Skills for Students training including skill sets for the university’s Learning Management System (LMS). After we trained the students, we again administered the post-test to observe if there were any changes. The post-test showed a significant average increase of 30 % in students’ ICT competency skills. It, therefore, became clear that inasmuch as today’s first-year university students are known as digital natives, they still require the training on digital tools for them to succeed at the university. The results also indicate that these students gained positive attitudes after acquiring digital skills for learning, altering their perceptions of technological knowledge. The usefulness of these digital tools, as well as ease of access, are significant predictors of student’s acceptance and intention to use ICT for learning. / NG (2020)

A research report submitted to the Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Education by combination of coursework and research. Johannesburg 2016 / Increasingly teachers are expected to integrate ICTs into their teaching practice. Recent studies have focused on the role played by teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge in explaining how they exploit the affordances offered by the new digital technologies, and yet the pace of integration has been far slower than expected. Education is founded on the business of knowledge, and yet there is a knowledge blindness in educational research. This study tries to discern what effect subject specialization and knowledge has on teacher’s adoption of ICTs into their pedagogical practice, using the framework of Legitimation Code Theory, in particular semantic waves. Seeing ICT practices as affording both knower and knowledge practices, and as affording gravitation or levitation allows us to start to unpack further how the forms knowledge takes influences decisions around ICT adoption. / MT2017

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Education (Educational Technology) School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / The internet supplies a continuous stream of information to our students. The information gleaned from the internet is ever-changing and scanty and researchers have used the term “paucity” to describe internet information. It is difficult to trust this information and value it as knowledge. The need for developing Critical Thinking and its application is advanced both internationally and in South Africa .This study, investigated the development of specific critical thinking skills for the purpose of evaluating internet materials for trustworthiness. Within this study a series of lessons were designed to develop Critical Thinking skills amongst a group of Grade 11 students at a private high school in South Africa. Once these skills were acquired the students were able to make a comparison between different internet materials and they made a well-reasoned argument about the credibility of these materials. The key skills were taught through the use of a Learning Management System (LMS). The LMS was used as a medium for isolating selected internet materials and to develop a pathway of learning. Several educational theories, models and philosophies were investigated as they were layered into the fabric of this research report. Critical thinking skills were developed through a blended approach. Although a LMS was used as a primary medium of the Critical Thinking process the teacher was the key agent for its facilitation. The research premise was based on deductive reasoning and presumed that it was necessary to use Critical Thinking to search internet material for trustworthiness. The design made use of a case study as the preferred method to investigate the premise. An inductive approach was then implemented to interpret the data obtained from the evaluation of internet materials. Pre and post tests and scales were instituted and a comparison was made of the students’ confidence and ability to evaluate internet materials using specific critical thinking skills. When comparisons were made of both qualitative and quantitative results there was evidence that there was an enhancement and effective application of the specific critical thinking skills brought about through this intervention. / XL2018

A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of BA Masters (Educational Psychology) in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, January 2017 / Educational Technology (ET) is fast becoming a part of South African classrooms. Educators play a major role in the effective and successful integration of this technology within the classroom. This study explores the relationship between educators’ level of access to ET, their attitudes towards ET and their use of ET for various teaching related purposes. The factors of perceived competence, cultural relevance and perceived usefulness are also explored. Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Ajzen and Fishbein’s Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behaviour were used as the theoretical framework for this study. A convenience sample of 119 educators from various schools in Gauteng (both public and private) completed a questionnaire consisting of a demographics section, the Attitudes towards Computer Scale (ACTS) and the Information and Communication Technology Survey. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regressions. The study found that while educator’s attitudes towards ET are positive, levels of use and integration of more complex ET items are still low. Varying levels of access were recorded for different ET items at home and at school. Both, perceived usefulness and levels of access were found to be the most significant predictors of educators ET use and integration. These results are in keepings with both Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Ajzen and Fishbein’s Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behaviour as attitudes were shown to predict use and integration of ET. This research has potential to contribute to teaching policy, practice and research in South African schools / XL2018