Interdisciplinary Journal of Education Research

Leveraging artificial intelligence as a learning tool in higher education

2024-08-16T09:38:38+02:00

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in education has gained significant attention, particularly in the context of higher education, in recent years. Despite concerns about academic integrity, academics recognise the opportunity for AI to foster critical thinking and prepare students for real-world scenarios. However, its integration into courses requires careful consideration of course objectives and ethical implications. This study explores the utilisation of AI in higher education settings, focusing on its role as a learning tool. The study systematically reviewed 87 empirical studies from databases between 2014 and 2024 to investigate the benefits, challenges, and implications of incorporating AI into higher education. Additionally, it examines the potential impact of AI on teaching methodologies, student outcomes, and the overall learning experience. The findings of this study underscore the significant influence of AI integration in higher education on teaching methodologies. This integration promotes personalised and adaptive instruction, enhancing student engagement, performance, satisfaction, and overall learning experiences. However, the adoption of AI in higher education raises significant ethical concerns that demand careful consideration. These concerns include data privacy, algorithmic bias, intellectual property rights, and academic integrity. Academics' perspectives on AI adoption vary based on technological proficiency, pedagogical beliefs, and institutional support. Successful AI integration necessitates alignment with pedagogical theories such as constructivism, connectivism, and self-directed learning, ensuring a robust technical infrastructure and addressing ethical considerations to maximise benefits while minimising risks.

Implementation of democratic classroom management at a university: Practices and perceptions

2025-01-11T18:05:09+02:00

In South Africa, the translation of democratic principles into actionable classroom management strategies presents a significant challenge, particularly within teacher-educator training programmes. This study explores the practices and perceptions of student-teachers and lecturers regarding democratic classroom management practices at a university in South Africa. The research is framed by critical theory as its theoretical foundation and adopts a transformative research paradigm within a qualitative research approach. A participatory research design is utilised, with data collected through observation and semi-structured interviews involving 10 student-teachers and 5 lecturers at a selected university in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Thematic analysis indicates that some classrooms predominantly employ traditional lecture-based approaches, characterised by limited student engagement and minimal use of participatory methods, while others exhibit efforts to cultivate a more inclusive and interactive learning environment. The findings reveal that students place a high value on feeling heard and respected, advocating for active participation in decision-making processes. Conversely, lecturers underscore the empowering nature of democratic management in fostering student ownership of education and collaborative learning environments. The research identifies challenges in translating theory into practical techniques due to student reluctance and highlights the positive effects of providing students with opportunities for decision-making in class activities. Furthermore, the study emphasises the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the implementation of democratic practices. In conclusion, the research posits that effective democratic management is contingent upon nurturing a collaborative environment in which students feel empowered, while also ensuring alignment with educational objectives.

Supportive mechanisms in enhancing teachers’ agency for inclusive educational practices in rural Lesotho schools

2024-11-15T20:16:39+02:00

Recently, the government of Lesotho has intensified its focus on promoting inclusive education across all sectors, driven by a commitment to enhance access to quality education and improve learners’ success. Despite these efforts, challenges persist, particularly in rural schools, which are often disadvantaged and face difficulties in fully implementing inclusive educational practices. Although the overarching goal of inclusive education remains vital for ensuring access and success for all learners, effective implementation necessitates enhanced teacher skills and knowledge. This paper explores the supportive mechanisms that enhance teachers’ agency for inclusive educational practices in rural Lesotho schools. It further examines their perspectives on fostering inclusive education. A qualitative transformative approach was adopted through a participatory case study design. Data were generated through focus group discussions with two groups of six teachers, totalling twelve participants, from two rural primary schools in Lesotho. These discussions were then analysed using a thematic approach. The findings illuminate supportive mechanisms that can enhance teachers’ agency in fostering inclusive educational practices. Additionally, the paper identifies a significant lack of explicit acknowledgement of teachers' agency within Lesotho's inclusive education practices. There tends to be a tendency to blame teachers rather than recognise and build upon their strengths. Consequently, acknowledging and leveraging teachers' resilience is highlighted as crucial. The paper advocates for the effective implementation of inclusive education in Lesotho by strengthening rural educators, emphasising the significance of an asset-based approach to challenge the notion of rural insufficiency rather than the richness of resources needed for successful inclusive education.

Teachers' pedagogical knowledge of integrating indigenous knowledge systems in economics education curriculum

2024-10-26T12:46:02+02:00

In South Africa, the movement towards a decolonised curriculum is gaining traction. In contrast to the Western-centric emphasis of school curricula, indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) highlight and utilise indigenous materials and knowledge processes. Several research works have emphasised the importance of IKS and the necessity of incorporating them into South African educational practices in an effective manner. This study aims to assess the pedagogical competency of instructors in integrating IKS into the teaching of economics. The pedagogical competency of economics teachers regarding the incorporation of IKS into economics education was investigated through a qualitative literature review. Sixteen studies were selected following a search conducted in electronic resources such as ResearchGate and Google Scholar. The results of the literature review synthesis were analysed using the content analysis approach in light of the framework for culturally responsive pedagogy. This review identified aspects, including IKS incorporation guidelines, policy reviews, teacher professional development on IKS, development of specific IKS study materials, and IKS knowledge strands, that influence teachers' integration of IKS in economics education. The study's recommendations, based on the findings, suggest that professional development, appropriate content selection training, instructors' competency in using IKS, and IKS integration policies all affect their pedagogical proficiency in the subject. According to the study's findings, the CAPS curriculum document ought to specifically specify which economics topics can be taught using IKS in order to prevent teachers from relying on their own judgment when deciding how to incorporate IKS into their lessons.

Student teachers’ perceptions of artificial intelligence chatbots for classroom practices: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

2024-07-15T12:37:41+02:00

This paper examines student teachers’ understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots and their application in teaching and learning practices. A qualitative research methodology, specifically Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), was employed to explore student teachers’ perceptions of AI chatbots. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select eleven (11) student teachers in their fourth year of study for a B.Ed. degree at the University of Technology in South Africa. To interpret and analyse student teachers’ perceptions of the use of AI chatbots in their teaching and learning practices, data analysis was conducted using Systematic Text Condensation (STC) in a five-step process. The study explored themes aligned with the knowledge dimensions of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. Findings revealed a generally limited understanding among student teachers regarding artificial intelligence, particularly chatbots. Although some learners in schools use chatbots, student teachers still lack the knowledge to utilise these technological systems for teaching practices. This includes, among other things, using AI chatbots to transform classrooms into personalised learning environments for classroom management and student analytics. In a nutshell, an AI chatbot for classroom purposes can serve as a diligent administrative assistant, an Indigenous planner, and enhance pedagogical practices. These findings underscore the need for further research and training to improve student teachers' knowledge and utilisation of AI chatbots in the classroom.

Nothing but noise: Challenges impeding the transformation of higher education in South Africa

2025-02-20T04:48:20+02:00

The transformation of higher education in South Africa remains an ongoing challenge that has been progressively shaped by historical inequities, structural inefficiencies, and socio-political dynamics. This study examines the barriers hindering transformation and highlights persistent disparities between historically White institutions (HWIs) and historically Black institutions (HBIs), the financial constraints limiting equity-driven reforms, and the impact of exclusionary institutional cultures. While policy frameworks advocate for inclusivity, bureaucratic inefficiencies and leadership shortcomings continue to impede substantive transformation. Furthermore, the emphasis on global rankings often diverts institutional priorities away from local imperatives, reinforcing existing hierarchies. Using a literature review methodology, this study synthesises research on transformation in South African universities to identify key obstacles and propose strategic interventions. Using keyword combinations, data were collected from 38 articles that were searched from Scopus, JSTOR, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and the Directory of Open Access Journals. The findings emphasise the need for equity-driven funding models, decolonised curricula, inclusive leadership, and governance reforms that foster meaningful stakeholder participation. Combatting these issues requires sustained commitment from policymakers, institutions, and civil society to dismantle entrenched barriers and create a genuinely transformative higher education system.

Unseen influencers: Deputy principals' perceptions of their roles in primary school leadership

2024-12-22T16:49:23+02:00

This study examines the often overlooked yet critical roles of deputy principals in primary schools, exploring how they perceive their responsibilities within the existing school hierarchy. Although deputy principals make significant contributions to the quality of educational activities and the promotion of a positive school environment, their roles are minimally recognised in the Personnel Administration Measures (PAM). This limited recognition may influence how they perceive their impact and responsibilities, affecting their interactions and effectiveness in the school setting. Guided by Distributed Leadership Theory, which highlights the shared distribution of leadership roles across different school levels, these roles can be shaped by factors such as race, gender, age, and other intersecting identities. However, this study specifically focuses on gender. Grounded within the qualitative interpretive paradigm and using phenomenological narrative inquiry through individual face-to-face interviews, this study purposively selected four female deputy principals to capture their experiences and perspectives on their roles. Data were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that deputy principals' perceptions shape their roles and reinforce mutual relationships between actions and perceptions. The study recommends that policymakers implement policy changes, emphasising the need for increased recognition and support for deputy principals to cultivate school environments that promote positive educational outcomes and encourage staff collaboration.

Synchronising English second language proficiency and mathematical understanding through plurilingualism in correctional centre classrooms: Empirical perspectives

2025-02-15T09:17:53+02:00

Several scholars have outlined the existence of a direct proportionality relationship between mathematics understanding and learners’ second language proficiency. Nonetheless, the role of plurilingualism in realising the synchronous development of mathematics understanding and second language proficiency within the context of adult correctional centre classrooms has received minimal scholarly attention, particularly given the expansion of multilingualism. This paper sought to probe into how the correlation between mathematics understanding and English second language proficiency is realised through plurilingual pedagogical strategies. In this research endeavour, we employed a pragmatic epistemological stance and framed the study within the QUANT-QUAL explanatory sequential mixed methods research design. We collected quantitative data through mathematics and L2 tests from 150 conveniently sampled adult offenders. We further collected qualitative data through semi-structured interviews from 5 purposively sampled educationists. We analysed data thematically and by SPSS data analysis tool, through Pearson Correlation. The study was underpinned by the Socio-Cultural Learning theoretical stance. Amongst our findings is that L2 proficiency correlates positively with adult offenders’ mathematics understanding. We further identified plurilingualism as the prominent pedagogical strategy through which the synchronisation between L2 and mathematics understanding is realised. Based on findings, we acclaimed the use of plurilingual strategies in the synchronisation of L2 proficiency and mathematics understanding in the context of multilingual adult offender education.

Mathematics education lecturers’ experiences in supervising online teaching practice lessons: An Ubuntu approach

2025-02-15T09:09:55+02:00

This study documents mathematics education lecturers' experiences supervising pre-service teachers’ lesson presentations in various schools across South Africa to maximise their support. The convergent conversation focuses on the lived experiences of ten mathematics education lecturers during an online teaching practice at an Open Distance and e-learning (ODeL) university. This qualitative case study draws on Ubuntu pedagogy, which promotes positive community relations grounded in the principles of collaboration, cooperation, coordination, interdependence, and kindness within the techno-educational landscape. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The study explores fostering a collaborative culture through innovative approaches to enhance lesson presentations, benefiting future in-service teachers and learning environments. The findings shed light on the significance of cultivating a culture of collaboration among mentor teachers and pre-service teachers to enhance pedagogical strategies and ultimately improve techno-educational outcomes. The findings reveal that overcrowded classrooms and insufficient teaching resources impede effective instruction and learning; resource constraints underscore fundamental inefficiencies in educational planning and infrastructure, while insufficient support from mentor teachers and lecturers constrains the professional growth of pre-service teachers. Other challenges relate to inadequate ICT integration and unstructured lesson planning. These challenges may be mitigated through the implementation of well-structured pre-session interactions with pre-service teachers. The practical implications emphasise the significance of reflective practice in educational research, particularly for insider researchers. Effective pedagogical mentoring and the amalgamation of domain expertise with instructional methodologies embody Ubuntu's principles of guidance and communal knowledge.

Educators' views on bullying among high school students in the O. R. Tambo Inland: Implications for social work practice

2025-02-09T18:35:24+02:00

Bullying is a pervasive issue in high schools, with profound detrimental effects on students' academic performance, social well-being, and emotional health. This study examines educators' views on bullying among high school students in the O. R. Tambo Inland and explores its implications for school social work. Employing a qualitative approach and an interpretive paradigm, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten educators selected using convenience sampling. The findings reveal that physical and verbal bullying are the most prevalent forms, often exacerbated by peer dynamics and a lack of parental involvement. Bullying was also found to diminish students' motivation and engagement, resulting in lower academic achievement and heightened emotional distress. Educators underscored the importance of collaborative efforts among schools, parents, and social workers to address bullying comprehensively. The study recommends implementing robust anti-bullying policies, enhancing parental engagement, empowering bystanders, and integrating school social workers into intervention initiatives. These findings highlight the need for holistic, multi-stakeholder approaches to effectively reduce bullying and cultivate safer, more inclusive school environments.