Mathematics Teachers’ integration of technology for pedagogical use in a less affluent High School in the Western Cape

Abstract

This study investigates factors that affect the integration of Educational Technology (ET) by mathematics teachers for pedagogy in less affluent high schools in the Western Cape. ET has permeated the education system in the 21st century. It is now a norm for ET to be used in classrooms for educational purposes. Despite the prevalence of a variety of ETs, not all mathematics teachers are fully equipped to take advantage of the immense benefits posited by ET. This study reveals that a lot of mathematics teachers in public schools in the Western Cape still face critical challenges in their attempt to fully integrate ET for pedagogy. The study employed a qualitative research design to explore the factors affecting the integration and use of ET for curriculum delivery by mathematics teachers in less affluent high schools in the Western Cape Province. The framework underpinning this study is the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework which guided the researcher in the analysis of the research findings. The researcher used two data collection instruments, namely, semi structured interviews and observations. Face to face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 participants and themes were used for analysing data. Participants were fully furnished with information regarding their rights when participating in the study. They were informed that they could withdraw at any given stage during the interview process. Despite the permeance of technology in the education sphere, the study’s findings show that teachers in less affluent schools in the Western Cape still experience mitigating factors that militates against effective integration of technology in classrooms for pedagogy. For effective integration of ET to take place, several factors needed to be critically addressed. They included the lack of training, limited access to ET, lack of technical support, lack of time and the theft of ET resources.