https://openscholar.ump.ac.za/handle/20.500.12714/157 2026-07-06T11:31:18Z https://openscholar.ump.ac.za/handle/20.500.12714/1069 Title: Tshwane North foundation phase teachers’ views on using interactive white boards (IWBS) as a teaching tool. Authors: Khutsoane, Lesego Mantina Lorraine. Abstract: This study explored the perceptions and experiences of Foundation Phase teachers in the Tshwane North District regarding the use of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) as a pedagogical tool. IWBs are increasingly adopted to promote interactive, multimodal learning; however, their effectiveness depends on teachers’ competence, contextual support, and the resources available in their schools. The study addressed the question: How do Foundation Phase teachers perceive and experience the use of IWBs in their teaching practice? There is limited research examining this phenomenon in South African early grade classrooms, where disparities in infrastructure, digital readiness, and teacher training influence technology adoption. This research addresses that gap by foregrounding teachers lived realities in a context characterized by unequal resourcing. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through structured questionnaires to measure patterns of IWB availability, frequency of use, and institutional support. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews to explore teachers’ perceptions, classroom practices, and the challenges they face. The two data sets were analysed independently, using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, and then integrated to identify converging and diverging findings. Teachers valued IWBs for enhancing learner engagement, enabling visual demonstrations, and supporting lesson revision. However, insufficient training in pedagogy, unreliable technical support, and infrastructural inequalities between urban and township schools impeded effective implementation. Teachers with ongoing professional development reported greater confidence and more sustained integration. The study concludes that IWBs can strengthen Foundation Phase teaching if systemic barriers are addressed. Targeted professional development, consistent technical support, and equitable resource allocation are recommended. Description: Dissertation (Master(Early Childhood Education))--University of Mpumalanga, 2026 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://openscholar.ump.ac.za/handle/20.500.12714/1063 Title: Experiences with project-based learning in the foundation phase at a South African school: a descriptive case study. Authors: Nkosi, Adelaide Sindiswa. Abstract: This study investigates the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in Grades 1−3 in the Foundation Phase at a well-resourced private school in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Implementing PBL commenced in 2022 and aimed to enhance learner engagement and develop 21st-century skills. Using a qualitative descriptive case study design, the study explored the lived experiences of eight Foundation Phase teachers. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis during Terms 2−4 in 2024. Findings reveal that teachers’ understanding of PBL increased over time. Also, their roles shifted from being content deliverers to facilitators. This transformation positively influenced learner engagement, greater learner autonomy, and 21st-century skills acquisition. However, challenges such as time constraints and limited availability of some task-specific resources emerged. The study highlights the need for ongoing professional development, administrative support, and collaborative planning to sustain PBL. By situating PBL within the South African educational context, the research demonstrates its potential to address curriculum rigidity and enriching learning through real-world, interdisciplinary tasks. Recommendations include structured teacher development, timely planning to ensure task-specific resource availability, and cultivating a collaborative school culture to ensure the sharing of best practices. By providing valuable insights for teachers, school leaders, and policymakers who aim to implement learner-centred pedagogies, this study adds to the expanding body of research on PBL within early childhood education in a South African context. Description: Dissertation (Master(Early Childhood Education))--University of Mpumalanga, 2025 2025-02-28T00:00:00Z https://openscholar.ump.ac.za/handle/20.500.12714/1062 Title: Perceptions of teachers on children’s learning outcomes in post-COVID-19 hard lockdown: a case of early childhood centres in Umjindi township. Authors: Sithole, Mthobisi Patrick. Abstract: The COVID-19 hard lockdown resulted in prolonged closures of Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, leading to significant disruption in teaching and learning processes. This study explored teachers’ perceptions of children’s learning outcomes post COVID-19 hard lockdown in selected early childhood centres in Umjindi, Mpumalanga Province. Anchored within an interpretive qualitative research paradigm, the sought to understand how teachers perceived changes in children’s cognitive, social, and emotional learning outcomes following the resumption of face-to-face teaching. A qualitative case study design was employed, and data were generated through semi-structured interviews with purposively selected ECD teachers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, allowing for the identification of recurring patterns and meanings drawn from participants’ lived experiences. The findings revealed that teachers perceived noticeable learning gaps, delayed language development, reduced concentration, and challenges in social interaction among children following the lockdown period. Teachers further indicated that curriculum streamlining, remedial teaching strategies, and play-based learning approaches were to address lost instructional time and content gaps, although these strategies were perceived as only partially effective due to limited resources and increased learner needs. This study concludes that while teachers demonstrated resilience and adaptability in responding to post-lockdown challenges, sustained support in the form of professional development, curriculum guidance, and resource provision is essential to improve learning outcomes in ECD centres. The findings contribute to existing knowledge on post-pandemic early childhood education and provide insights that may guide pedagogical approaches and practices, curriculum planners, policymakers and other education stakeholders in strengthening learning recovery strategies in early childhood learning contexts. Description: Dissertation (Master(Early Childhood Education))--University of Mpumalanga, 2026 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z https://openscholar.ump.ac.za/handle/20.500.12714/1019 Title: Mixed-method study exploring the challenges of and possible solutions for underperforming Grade R learners in one school in Namakgale district in Limpopo. Authors: Nkgapele, Sepelemane Richard. Abstract: The study explored the needs and challenges of underperforming Grade R learners in a school in the Namakgale District of the Limpopo Province. As there is not necessarily a specific method for how young learners should be developed in their homes and communities before entering school, Rossi and Stuart (2007:139) make us aware of the fact that “many learners are at a disadvantage when they enter school, since they have not had the latitude to develop skills, values and attitudes that are expected of learners in the first grade.” The school is situated in a rural district where unemployment is a challenge, and this causes poverty, negatively impacting living circumstances. Negative living circumstances, in turn, worsen the high rate of drug abuse. Most residents of Mashishimale village, South Africa, where the school is situated, are unemployed parents who rely on the South African Security Agency (SASSA) to maintain their families. Because of these socio-economic conditions, schools face children with barriers to schooling, providing teaching challenges. Links (2009:12) adds to the debate by saying that when you have a school with learners from different cultural groups and clans, you will find that a variation of barriers to learning will exist. Description: Dissertation (Master(Early Childhood Education))--University of Mpumalanga, 2024 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z