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    Assessing teacher-lecturer competency in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (steam) in KwaZulu-Natal
    (Alpinus Publication, 2024) Buthelezi, Simphiwe; Cele, Thobani; Nxumalo, Londeka; Zondi, Bonginkosi
    The convergence of technology and digital communications has revolutionized most businesses, including education and training facilities. Advances in technology has completely transformed the world of work. Being well-educated is no longer sufficient. What matters is the possession of critical essential talents, skill sets, and capabilities. South Africa is characterised by high inequality, poverty and high unemployment. Thus, provision of quality education is one of strategies that could be employed to address such developmental challenges. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess teacher-lecturer competency in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) in KwaZulu-Natal. This study was conducted in different parts of KwaZulu-Natal province with participants from various schools and institutions of higher learning. The study was commissioned due to skills deficit that is perpetrated by, amongst other things, the poorly functioning basic education system, inadequate infrastructure, shortage of STEAM teacher supply, and skills mismatch. The study employed an exploratory research design, and the survey was used as the research strategy. Among other findings, the study found that while a significant portion of educators expressed a commitment to promoting reflective and critical thinking among learners and students, inadequate STEAM equipment and infrastructure continued to be the primary challenge in implementing STEAM. Furthermore, the study found that there is a majority support for the STEAM centres which suggests a positive inclination towards their establishment, underlining the perceived value they could bring to the educational landscape for both teachers and students. This study recommends a targeted professional development programs for educators at primary and secondary schools. In addition, this study advocates for interdisciplinary collaboration among educators in primary and secondary schools which must be pioneered by the department of education. It was further recommended that knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer be facilitated, and specialized training in the development and use of technology, software, and other teaching materials for educators in primary and secondary schools be provided
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    Student teachers’ conceptions and experiences of pedagogical practices in mathematics education in teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe
    (2021-10) Manyadze, Constance; Mukeredzi, Tabitha; Preece, Julia
    Conceptions about mathematics are crucial as they are conscious formations that convey personal meanings towards mathematics. They are critical for teaching and learning and need to be addressed in teacher education. Many student teachers who enter teacher education struggle to pass the national O level mathematics examinations, sitting at least twice to gain entry into teacher training. Such experiences may shape their conceptions regarding mathematics, and consequently influence learning and teaching of mathematics when they qualify as teachers. This study sought to understand student teachers’ conceptions of and experiences during mathematics pedagogical practices in mathematics education in teacher training. It was those student teachers who struggled to pass O level mathematics to gain entry into teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe who were investigated in this study. This qualitative study was located in the interpretive paradigm, and adopted a multiple-site case design where data were generated from 40 student teachers and four lecturers. Sampling of participants involved convenience and purposive selection for student teachers and self-selection for lecturers. A questionnaire served as the springboard to determine the number of sittings for purposive sampling of the student teachers and data were generated through focus group discussions, individual face-to-face interviews and lecture observations. Data analysis employed manual, eight-step open coding. Theoretical frameworks: Conceptions about mathematics (Dionne 1984) and Socio-constructivist theory (Vygotsky 1978; Kim 2001) guided the study. Findings showed that the student teachers held traditionalistic conceptions about mathematics, but conceived interactive, student-centred pedagogies as crucial during mathematics pedagogical practices. However, student teachers across the four colleges explored were only exposed to the lecture method where there was no student engagement during mathematics pedagogical practices, and only experienced interactive strategies in research. Drawing on the conceptions theory, I argue that student teachers were exposed to traditionalist classrooms (Dionne 1984) where they passively received mathematical knowledge during pedagogical practices. Findings also revealed that these student teachers who struggled to pass mathematics at O level were exposed more to pedagogical knowledge than to mathematics content knowledge which they needed. Private colleges were grossly structurally and materially under-resourced and students did not experience use of technology during lectures. The student teachers explored, who struggled to pass O level mathematics to enter teacher education still struggled with the subject in teacher training. Their conceptions and prior experiences strongly influenced their cognitive and behavioural engagement during mathematics pedagogical practices. They feared mathematics and only studied it because they had to, given that primary school teachers were required to teach all curriculum subjects to the primary school child. The student teachers viewed mathematics as a difficult subject, meant for ‘a select few’. The study recommends bridging programmes for student teachers who struggled to pass mathematics at O level to enter teacher education, and adoption of constructivist pedagogies with active ‘noisy’ classrooms in mathematics education, contrary to the dominant lecture method. The study further recommends provision of adequate physical and material resources in private colleges to ensure student comfort, and enhance learning effectiveness and engagement, during mathematics pedagogical practices. In relation to the theoretical framework (Dionne 1984) my argument is that the framework provides a useful generic, analytical tool for thinking through conceptions about mathematics in pedagogical practices in mathematics education. However, on its own it does not provide a complete lens to make sense of the variations in students teachers’ learning experiences. The thesis therefore argues for an additive model to Dionne’s conceptions theory that may expand the framework and deepen its applicability specifically, in trying to understand issues around student teacher conceptions and experiences during pedagogical practices in mathematics education. The thesis therefore suggests the need for more studies, drawing on the framework and developing it to determine its applicability beyond this particular inquiry.