Research in Social Sciences and Technology
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The Role of the Writing Centre in Enhancing Student Employability a Case Study of a University in South Africa
Full text linkIn the quest of bridging the high graduate unemployment gap of South African graduates, universities introduced initiatives which sought to assist graduates gain the necessary working experience. South African graduates struggle to find sufficient employment due to lack of work experience. The peer-to-peer coaching led by senior students, who are postgraduate students, leads to the enhancement of graduate employability. Therefore, this paper sought to investigate the contribution of the writing centre in increasing the chances of employment for its consultants. In light of this, literature was consulted to reveal the role of the writing centre in promoting student employment. Unstructured interviews were conducted on fifteen (15) participants, who were identified through convenient sampling technique. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the collected data. The paper found that the programme equips students to be familiar with the working environment. The study further revealed that the writing centre office is under-capacitated financially. The study thus proposed that the programme must be financially supported by the university, Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and other external stakeholders to continue capacitating the development of students. The study, therefore, concluded that the writing centre office effectively promotes student employability and increases the working experience of writing centre consultants. 
Reimagining Learner Engagement Through Flipped Classrooms in the Post COVID-19 Era
Full text linkThe post-COVID-19 era gave rise to the emergence of innovative teaching and learning strategies, which, among others, included flipped classrooms. This article sought to determine whether flipped classrooms are beneficial when online learning material is distributed prior the commencement of the class. Piaget’s (1986) Constructivist Learning Theory underpinned this inquiry. Constructivism is an approach to education that holds that people actively generate their own knowledge and that reality is shaped by the learner's experiences. The interpretive paradigm and a qualitative approach were utilized to collect information through semi-structured interviews with twelve conveniently selected grade 10 teachers. Using a case study design, the researcher could investigate the phenomenon in detail. Findings, which ensued from thematically analysed data, indicated that learners benefit most from pre-class activities as they offer increased participation opportunities as learners engage in discussions in their native languages. Thus, discussions and modelling tasks during in-class activities are learner-centred, with the development of paraphrasing skills, which promote good essay writing skills with minimum plagiarism effects. The author, therefore, recommends that Teachers require ongoing professional development in applying flipped classrooms using advanced learner-centred technological pedagogies, which promote maximum participation in the learning environment.  
Enhancing Physical Science Education: The Integration of Digital Practical Work in Teaching Electrodynamics for Experiential Learning
Full text linkDigital practical work (DPW) has emerged as a highly effective and indispensable component of science education, enhancing and extending traditional laboratory experiences. DPW aims to complement physical laboratory experiments, particularly those that teachers may find challenging to conduct or lack the confidence to perform. In this study, a content training workshop on electrodynamics was implemented to showcase DPW's effectiveness. The workshop was designed to equip in-service physical science teachers with the skills needed for integrating digital tools into their teaching methods. To gather comprehensive data, the study utilized video recordings, discussions, and evaluation reports, providing rich qualitative evidence of DPW's effectiveness. These methods captured teachers' understanding of electromagnetic concepts, their experiences, and their perceptions of DPW. The findings revealed that DPW significantly enhanced teachers' knowledge of electrodynamics and their awareness of effective digital pedagogy. The study strongly recommends integrating DPW into physical science teaching, particularly when traditional laboratory work is impractical. Unlike conventional teaching that merely transmits information, physical science education requires hands-on, practical observation to support theoretical concepts and promote meaningful learning. DPW bridges this gap, ensuring that students receive a robust and engaging science education, regardless of the constraints of the physical laboratory environment. 
Adopting Learner-Centred Pedagogy to Develop Business Studies Learners' Problem-Solving and Creative Thinking Skills in Selected Schools in South Africa
Full text linkThe need for problem-solving and creative thinking skills to be taught well in business studies classrooms can never be overemphasised due to the complexity of the problems and challenges faced by businesses in the 21st-century business environment. Teachers are, therefore, required to adopt pedagogies that would enable learners to acquire problem-solving and creative thinking skills to operate effectively in the new business environment. This study investigates business studies teachers' adoption of learner-centred pedagogy to nurture learners' problem-solving and creative thinking skills. This qualitative study is positioned within the interpretive paradigm. An exploratory case study was employed as a research design. Progressive Learning Theory was adopted as the lens of the study. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were used to collect data from six business studies teachers who were sampled purposefully from six secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The raw data was analysed thematically. It was found that most teachers managed to adopt learner-centred pedagogy and learning activities that promoted the acquisition of problem-solving and creative thinking skills. The study concluded that business studies teachers are now embracing learner-centred pedagogy in their classrooms, and they understand the importance of teaching learners to equip them with skills that are demanded by the 21st-century business environment. Despite these findings, it is still recommended that workshops and short learning courses be offered to teachers to equip them with pedagogical skills that would help them to engrain and sustain learner-centred pedagogy in their instructional practices. 
Digital Technologies for Mathematics Learning in Rural Higher Education: Students’ Perspectives
Full text linkThe use of digital technologies is a fundamental part of being a university student. Hence, there is a growing interest in equipping students with the skills they need to thrive in a world that is full of technology and constantly changing. Moreover, the need to provide university students with the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing, technologically advanced society is also growing. It has become more common for students to learn mathematics using digital technologies and conventional techniques as a result of recent advancements in both the world and technology. To ensure the future of mathematics students and society for sustainability, technology, and education should collaborate. The study investigated how students felt about using digital technology to teach mathematics. This study employed a case study design and was qualitative in nature. The technology Acceptance Model was employed as the theoretical framework which explains how to encourage users to accept and utilise new digital technologies. Twenty second-year mathematics students who were specifically chosen to be information-rich participants made up the study's participant pool. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students had a positive attitude towards embracing digital tools to learn mathematics. However, they encountered some difficulties as they were learning mathematics using digital tools
Queer Affirmative Practice in Africa: A Social Work Practice Model for Working with LGBTQIA+ People
Full text linkDespite the legislation put in place by the United Nations, Africa continues to grapple with issues of monosexism and heterosexism. In fact, of the 54 African countries, 33 have criminalised queer relationships, a legacy primarily attributed to colonial rule. However, social work literature has recently introduced a culturally sensitive model for working with the LGBTQIA+ community, known as Queer affirmative action. By utilising available literature and adopting an intersectional approach, which was collected and analysed through PRISMA, this paper aims to discuss the Africanising of sexuality in Africa. It argues that it is crucial to undertake a critical analysis of the colonial legacy and its impact on queer identities. Furthermore, the article posits that social work education must incorporate knowledge of the intersection of gender, sexuality, and other identity markers to form an inclusive and comprehensive approach towards practice. An affirmative philosophy to social work practice can serve as a counterweight to all punitive and discriminatory practices. Thus, in Africa, the most effective way to improve the well-being of queer individuals is to eradicate structural forms of inequality and decriminalise same-sex consensual relationships
Rural primary school principals’ leadership strategies for ICT integration
Full text linkThis paper explored the factors influencing the leadership strategies of school principals in rural primary schools regarding the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the process of teaching and learning in their schools. School principals are responsible for ensuring that there is ICTs integration in their schools’ teaching and learning processes. Embedded within the theory of learning-centred leadership (LCL), school principals have a responsibility to lead, foster, manage, and support the learning process for teachers and learners in their schools. Thus, school principals need to be well acquainted with innovative technologies for teaching and learning amidst the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is global, complex, and fast-paced, to lead learning through ICT integration. Underpinned by the interpretive qualitative approach and using a multiple case study as a research design, this study generated data from three selected South African rural primary schools through face-to-face interviews with the three school principals. Data were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that school principals’ leadership strategies are influenced by their attitudes towards ICT integration into teaching and learning, their exposure to ICT workshops, and their own judgements of their abilities in using ICT. The paper recommends customised in-service training for school principals and teachers to alter and improve their exposure to, attitudes, perceptions toward ICT integration in teaching and learning
The Difference in Parental Financial Socialisation Across Parental Education Level
Full text linkAround the world, parental financial socialization now heavily depends on the educational attainment of the parents. This study looked into how parental financial socialization varied depending on the educational attainment of the parents. Parental financial behavior, financial monitoring, financial discussion, financial communication, and financial teaching were used as metrics for measuring parental financial socialization. In this study, a quantitative research approach was used. Since Fetakgomo Tubatse and Intsika Yethu municipalities are the most rural and low-income locations in South Africa, data were gathered through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis techniques included Tukey HSD test, Welch robust test, Levene's test, descriptive statistics, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The results demonstrated that parental financial socialization varies significantly depending on the educational attainment of the parents. Therefore, financial socialization is more common among parents who have greater education levels than it is among those who have lower education levels. This study's findings are the first to show that parental financial socialization varies significantly depending on the educational attainment of the parents. This study suggests that more research be done on the variations in parental financial socialization across parental educational levels in other areas. Additionally, it is advised that the South African government develop initiatives aimed at addressing and raising parental education levels because research indicates that parents who have completed more education are more likely to participate in financial socialization, which affects young adults' financial literacy and well-being. 
A Review of Official Documents and Literature on the Forgotten Victims of Parental Incarceration in South Africa
Full text linkThis article is a literature synthesis of the living conditions of black children after their parent's imprisonment. In Africa, the prison population currently stands at 1,194,497, while in South Africa, 147,922 people were being held in correctional facilities as of January 2021. Parental incarceration has affected all children, regardless of race, age, or cultural background. An increasing amount of research indicates that children with incarcerated parents are prone to internalized behaviors such as depression, anxiety, and withdrawal, as well as externalized behaviors including criminality and substance use. They may also experience cognitive delays, academic struggles, and insecure attachments in their relationships with both their imprisoned parents and primary caregivers. The term "caregiver" denotes the individual who assumes the role of the child's main caregiver while the parents are incarcerated. It is important to note that the literature focusing on child-headed households in South African informal settlements and townships may be limited. This paper is a narrative synthesis of the literature review and uses secondary sources.  
Exploring the Impact of E-Learning Strategies on Enhancing Workplace English Competence at an Open Distance E-Learning (ODeL) University in South Africa
Full text linkThis study explores the implementation of e-learning strategies to enhance workplace English competence. The focus is on a semester module that consists of approximately 10,000 first-year university students in an ODeL context in South Africa. The study’s objective was to collect data and contribute to the field of language learning in the workplace. Guided by the TPACK theory, the investigation employed qualitative research methods, incorporating open-ended evaluation questions and an observation schedule. The instruments allowed for a deep exploration of students’ perspectives and experiences with e-learning strategies, specifically their impact on workplace English competence. The results of the study highlighted the positive effects of e-learning strategies on enhancing workplace English competence. Participants reported improved language skills, increased confidence in communication, and an enhanced ability to meet workplace language requirements. In addition, the findings revealed the significance of interactive multimedia materials, collaborative learning activities, and personalised feedback as effective pedagogical approaches in the module. The contributions of this study lie in its exploration and validation of e-learning strategies for the enhancement of workplace English competence at a distance learning university