Research in Social Sciences and Technology
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Enhancing the Character and Readability of Mission Statements in IT Startups: Implications for Stakeholder Communication and Sustainable Business Growth
Full text linkThe mission statement connects vision and operations. It supports communication between organizations and stakeholders. Readability of the mission statement is important for business communication. This research examines the characteristics of mission statements. The study analyzes the readability of mission statements from several technology startup companies. The research uses Gunning’s Fog Index with data from 18 Thai technology companies listed on the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI). Counting methods are applied in the data collection and analysis process. The statistics used include frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Gunning’s Fog Index (GFI). The findings show that most mission statements contain fewer than 250 words and consist of 3 to 4 sentences. The readability level ranges from acceptable to ideal. Most readers rate the mission statements as optimal at 38.89 percent and acceptable at 33.33 percent. These two groups of businesses succeed in interacting with stakeholders to create mutual business value. Only 11.11 percent of the businesses receive ratings in the difficult category and should revise the goal statement. To support long-term growth, technology startups should prepare mission statements that show readiness in terms of customer perspectives, internal operations, financial performance, and learning and development. These findings may be useful for both businesses and stakeholders. The study is relevant to the technology industry and other sectors. The contribution to sustainable development goals remains important for economic growth and cooperation. 
Enhancing School Administration in Rural South African Schools: Challenges and Opportunities-Using the Scooping Review Method
Full text linkThis scoping review investigates the deployment and operational challenges of the South African School Administration and Management System (SA-SAMS) within rural secondary schools in the iLembe District. Aiming to understand the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in educational administration, this review analyses existing literature from 2008 to 2024 to map the effectiveness and obstacles encountered by SA-SAMS. Rural schools often need help adopting technological innovations due to inadequate ICT infrastructure, limited access to technology, and a deficit in training and support for educators and administrators. The review highlights that while SA-SAMS is designed to enhance administrative efficiency and improve data management, its implementation needs to be improved by these systemic issues, complicating its potential benefits. Furthermore, using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the review identifies a need for targeted interventions, including enhanced training programmes, better ICT resource allocation, and infrastructure development. Overcoming these challenges could improve educational outcomes by enabling more efficient school management practices. This review contributes to the broader discourse on educational technology integration in rural settings, providing a foundation for policy recommendations and future research to optimise the use of SA-SAMS in improving school administration
Prospects of Implementing the Flipped Classroom Blended Learning Model among Lecturers in African Universities
Full text linkThe flipped classroom is an emergent digital pedagogy credited with virtuous and student-centric characteristics of increased learning. The purpose of this study was to discuss the implementation of the Flipped Classroom Blended Learning Model among lecturers in African Universities. The study employed a qualitative literature review, after reviewing 15 articles drawn from EBSCO host, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Findings reflected that: The flipped classroom model is virtuously unique, student-centric, facilitative, and interactive, employs active learning, and faces daunting implementation challenges in Afrocentric settings. The paper calls for more training among lecturers in Afrocentric settings to raise lecturers' state of professional development.  
Enhancing Pedagogical Development of Natural Science Teachers Through a Key Concepts in Science Project: A Social Constructivist Perspective
Full text linkThis study investigated whether the Key Concepts in Science Project influenced the pedagogical development of Natural Science teachers. Grounded in social constructivism, emphasising collaborative learning and hands-on interaction, the study employed qualitative methods to collect empirical data. Through photographic evidence, field notes, and focus group discussions with participating teachers, the study unveiled several themes, including the mastery of practical teaching approaches, horizontal and vertical knowledge articulation in syllabus delivery, sharing of best practices, and the significance of practical demonstrations in school settings. Field notes highlight rich information sharing and teacher commitment to professional development. The findings underscore the pivotal role of partnering with local community schools in fostering teacher optimism, resilience, and ongoing professional growth. This research offers valuable insights for educators seeking to enhance practical teaching skills and promote effective science education. 
Investigating Teachers’ Integration of Technology in Automotive: A Case in Technical Schools
Full text linkThe study aimed to examine how teachers in technical schools in automotive classrooms integrate technology, employing a case study research approach. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model coined by Mishra & Koehler (2006) was used to underpin the study as a framework. It emerges as a useful construct for researchers working to understand technology integration in learning and teaching. We collected data by conducting face-to-face interviews with automotive teachers and making observations during the study period. Interviews were thematically analysed through verbatim quotes, and observations were analysed descriptively. Existing literature provides various factors that contribute to the difficulties of teaching and learning automotive. The aim and purpose of this study were to examine and explore automotive teachers’ knowledge in terms of how they integrate technology in automotive. The participants who were regarded as knowledgeable and experienced in automotive were selected using a convenient sampling method. The study made use of a case study approach. The data collected was thematically analysed and presented using categories such as teachers with experience showing enhanced technology integration, teachers engaging in active learning, teachers showing positive attitudes towards the integration of technology, and teachers believing in blending classroom and workshop teaching styles. The teachers emphasised access to the workshops, machinery, and knowing how to use them. The findings suggest that innovative strategies, including but not limited to being proactive, improvising, and seeking assistance, can be used to integrate technologies. The study reveals that the teachers attempted to use various innovative strategies for integrating educational technologies into their instructional methods. Teachers were in pursuit of integrating content, pedagogy, and technological knowledge for successful teaching. Automotive teachers need to be TPACK specialists to successfully integrate pedagogy, content, and technology into their teaching to maximise the process of knowledge construction. The study suggests that technical schools offering automotive courses, the Department of Education, and other key stakeholders should implement innovative strategies to facilitate the complete integration of technology. Furthermore, it recommends that teachers receive continuous training in using innovative technology. The study recommends that technical schools offering automotive, the Department of Education, and other key stakeholders implement innovative strategies to help in the complete integration of technology. Furthermore, it recommends that there should be continuous training in the use of innovative technology for teachers. 
TikTok Videos Enhance the Understanding of Food Processing among Grade 9 Technology Learners
Full text linkThis study investigated the effectiveness of TikTok videos in enhancing Grade 9 Technology learners’ understanding of food processing. Grounded in constructivist theory, the research employed a mixed-method approach using a Concurrent Embedded Design. A total of 120 learners were sampled from three schools within the Lebowakgomo Circuit, Limpopo, South Africa. Quantitative data was collected through pre- and post-test scores, while qualitative data was collected through analysing the scripts of the learners. The findings revealed that learners who were taught using TikTok videos achieved higher scores than learners who received instruction through traditional lecture method. The findings further discovered that TikTok videos are effective in enhancing the understanding of subject matter. Our study results highlight the potential of digital platforms to enhance teaching, particularly in practical and conceptual subjects. This study recommends that teachers incorporate TikTok videos into their teaching methods to enhance conceptual understanding and make lessons more engaging. Teachers should consider creating TikTok accounts to share educational content, providing learners with accessible resources for self-study
Tackling Gendered Violence: Social Workers Intervention in Violence That is Meted Against Men? A Case Study of a Rural Town in a South Africa
Full text linkThe study discusses the issue of gendered violence against men and whether laws and legislation equally protect them. It focuses on the findings of research conducted in Bityi, outside Mthatha, which aimed to improve social work interventions in dealing with gender-based violence cases regardless of client gender. It summarises the literature on violence against men and how the concept of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) against men worked in practice. The study also offers a reflection on men's experiences with violence and the need for improved social work intervention. The research was conducted with 12 selected participants using snowball sampling and qualitative methods, and findings were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic content analysis. The study found that men are also victims of gendered violence and further recommended that social workers should be at the forefront of speaking against all forms of violence
The Impact of the Pandemic on Digital Literacy Skills for Online Teaching in Zimbabwean Schools: A Mixed-Methods Research Approach
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced a rapid shift to online teaching and learning, presenting challenges for teachers in developing countries such as Zimbabwe. This study employed a sequential mixed-methods research approach to explore how rural Zimbabwean teachers relate to digital technologies and how their digital literacy skills impacted their online teaching during the pandemic. An online questionnaire was administered to a purposeful sample of 100 teachers, followed by telephone interviews with ten key informants selected through cluster sampling. The findings revealed that limited digital literacy skills and socioeconomic factors were major barriers for rural secondary school teachers in accessing, creating, evaluating, and sharing teaching information with their learners. This study highlights the need for increased support to enhance teachers' technological knowledge in the face of complex demands for digital literacy, exacerbated by unprecedented challenges such as worldwide pandemics. The mixed-methods research approach allowed for a comprehensive investigation of this complex educational problem, drawing on qualitative and quantitative perspectives to capture the historical context and multifaceted nature of teachers' challenges in integrating digital technologies into their teaching practices
Analysing Grade 9 Technology examination papers’ design and learners’ performance: A case of two schools in KwaZulu-Natal
Full text linkPoor performance in the senior phase Technology has been a challenge for a very long time now, which led to many scholars investigating the issue. This qualitative study was conducted to analyse how Grade 9 Technology teachers design examination papers and how learners perform. To meet the objective of this study, researchers conveniently selected two (2) secondary schools in the Maqongqo area on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg and collected data through document analysis of Grade 9 Technology examination papers and learners’ scripts. Analysis of the data was done in accordance with Bloom’s taxonomy grid to gauge how cognitive levels were distributed. The theory of Bloom’s taxonomy by Benjamin Bloom (1957) was used to frame this study. The findings emanating from the data show that Grade 9 Technology teachers are unable to align the examination question papers with Bloom's Taxonomy cognitive levels, which leads to learners’ poor performance as the examination papers are poorly structured. In addition, the findings indicated that Grade 9 Technology learners are struggling with the topic of electrical systems and control. Based on the findings, the study recommended that Grade 9 Technology teachers should be subjected to developmental workshops aimed at implementing Bloom’s taxonomy when setting examinations. The department of education should be responsible for the designing of Grade 9 Technology examinations while teachers are getting relevant training. 
The Role of Forums in Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition in English as Foreign Language Classrooms
Full text linkThis study investigated the effectiveness of online forum-based collaborative learning versus traditional instructional methods for vocabulary acquisition among English as a foreign language learners. Twenty-one first-year translation and interpreting students participated in a comparative study examining two distinct vocabulary teaching approaches. For tourism vocabulary, students engaged in collaborative forum activities comprising writing descriptive texts and responding to peers’ posts using 15 target lexical items. For media vocabulary, students received traditional instruction through individual exercises and instructor-led activities. The delayed assessments revealed significant differences in vocabulary retention. Students demonstrated a 62% lexical utilization rate following forum-based instruction compared to 35% following traditional methods, representing a 75.5% improvement. The forum-based approach facilitates functional lexical acquisition with appropriate semantic and pragmatic deployment. These findings support sociocultural theory and the interaction hypothesis, suggesting that collaborative forum environments create effective digital zones of proximal development, where meaningful peer interactions enhance vocabulary learning. This study provides empirical evidence that asynchronous online forums significantly outperform conventional vocabulary instruction by promoting deeper lexical processing through collaborative meaning negotiation.