Papers by Reginald G Govender
Lecturers’ technostress at a South African university in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19)
Cogent Education
Exploring In-service and Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Integrating Technology-based Tools When Teaching Circle Geometry
The international journal of science, mathematics and technology learning, 2019
International journal of ebusiness and egovernment studies, Jul 9, 2020
The increasing influence of technology in education has made us want to understand how teachers w... more The increasing influence of technology in education has made us want to understand how teachers will view its use when teaching Euclidean geometry. Teachers' technological knowledge, skills; competence and readiness are crucial, in their preparation to integrate technologies in their future classrooms. This paper is part of a larger study that looked into the experiences of student teachers when using a form of online technology, which utilised meaningful interactions to teach and learn high school geometry. The study was conducted with ten mathematics student teachers at a South African university using a mix methods approach using worksheets, interviews, surveys and observations. This case study sought to capture the students' knowledge of technologies when teaching circle geometry through a careful implementation of Geometric Habits of Mind and an Instructional Design model. The intention of the support programme was that students will reproduce their learning experience, during this study, in their classrooms. According to results the perceptions of technology can be categorised as: Knowing the essentials, A tool in learning geometry and A catalyst to learning geometry. It can be clearly stated that all of students liked the readily available learning tool online.
The purpose of this study was to explore pre-service teachers' views on the use of technology bas... more The purpose of this study was to explore pre-service teachers' views on the use of technology based teaching methods in geometry. In 2008, geometry and other topics formed part of the newly-introduced optional Mathematics paper 3. The main reason for an optional paper was that teachers lacked knowledge, resulting in poor learner performance. In 2011, geometry was reinstated in the South African mathematics curriculum as a compulsory topic. Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) offer essential features to the learning and teaching environment. Ongoing advancements in ICT, including software upgrades and fiber optic connections, have significantly enhanced institutions' capacity by expanding their range of services and capabilities. Both teachers and learners have an important role to play in using ICTs in education. However, in order to effectively integrate technology into mathematics education, teachers need to know when, where, and how to prepare and use such technology. In recent years, there has been an increase in teaching and communicating with learners through an online setting, with universities and teaching institutions investing resources in this effort. This study focuses on geometry applets that are loaded online, which pre-service teachers (students) are exposed too, in order to gauge their views on their usage and experience. Geometry topics from the General Education and Training (GET) and Further Education and Training (FET) band were selected for this investigation, namely, the theorem of Pythagoras and circle geometry. Data for this study were gathered through a literature search, administration of questionnaires in the form of worksheets, interviews, observations; and surveys. An interpretivist paradigm, which allows one to understand the phenomenon under study, was adapted within this case study, together with elements from an ethnographic study. The group of pre-service teachers averaged 79.6% for the theorem of Pythagoras and 80% for circle geometry using the selected technology. The themes emerging from the findings were: Motivation through the use of technology; visualisation is key when teaching geometry; using technology to teach is not for everyone; geometrical conceptual growth through technology; the use of technology promotes independent thinking and Geometric Habit of Mind (GHOM); and the quality of teacher training at university. A positive correlation was established between participants' understanding, views; and use of a technology based method when teaching geometry. Further analysis revealed three categories in which teachers can be classified based on their adaption of technology to geometry: Knowing the essentials; a tool in learning geometry; and a catalyst to learning geometry.
Education Sciences, Mar 21, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
International journal of innovative research and scientific studies, Sep 23, 2022
Governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to co... more Governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This has culminated in the largest school disruption in recent history. This study explored learners' awareness of using smart educational systems (social networks) to support remote learning (e-learning). The study examined three constructs: Motivation, Active role, and Interaction, based on the theory of Connectivism. These constructs contributed to the development of a survey used to gather perspectives on social networks in education from a group of Business Studies learners in a South African high school. Data was collected from a sample of Business Studies learners (n=133) just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show there was an awareness of the use of social networks in education among learners. Therefore, social networks had the potential to support distance education during the pandemic.
First-hand user experience: can Kaltura video come to the rescue of Moodle during/post COVID-19?
African Identities, Jun 5, 2022
A Physical Computing Approach to the Introduction of Computer Programming among a Group of Pre-service Teachers
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Jan 2, 2021
The emphasis on programming and robotics owing to the unfolding of the Fourth Industrial Revoluti... more The emphasis on programming and robotics owing to the unfolding of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the African continent has led the South African National Department of Education to propose a new subject in Grades R to 9. Hence, the training and development of pre-service teachers is crucial so that they can respond to the skills needed in the Digital Age. This preliminary study set out to explore and gauge pre-service teachers’ experiences of programming and robotics. Programming is perceived as being difficult and challenging because of its abstract nature. Block-based programming has gained popularity in introducing the novice to programming concepts. This paper presents a case of nine computer science pre-service teachers from a South African university and their experiences of physical computer programming using Scratch for Arduino. Data was collected from unstructured observations during a practical session followed by a semi-structured group interview. The meaningful implementation of physical computing was supported by Rogers’s (Freedom to learn: A view of what education might become, Charles Merrill, 1969) experiential learning theory. A prominent finding was that physical programming affords the opportunity to learn electronics and programming simultaneously, making programming relevant and interesting. Programming with Scratch for Arduino takes advantage of the fact that an Arduino is a physical device when paired with Scratch, further making these concepts accessible in a concrete manner.
Teaching and learning using virtual labs: Investigating the effects on students’ self-regulation
Cogent Education, Feb 19, 2023
Education Sciences
The understanding of basic constructs in computer programming has always been seen by students as... more The understanding of basic constructs in computer programming has always been seen by students as challenging, especially for novice programmers with no prior exposure at the school level. This paper emanates from a larger study and sets out to explore the use of robotics to enhance the learning of computer programming by asking: what are students’ experiences of using robotics when learning to program? Guided by Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, a series of workshops were conducted that promotes hands-on learning and encourages the use of tools in the learning process for knowledge development. The site for this study was a university campus in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The sample was composed of 75 students, most of whom were first-year students who had just started a computer course and had no prior exposure to Computer Programming. The findings showed that the meaningful adoption of Kolb’s experiential learning has proven to be successful in the progressional development of...
First-hand user experience: can Kaltura video come to the rescue of Moodle during/post COVID-19?
African Identities
International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies
Governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to co... more Governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This has culminated in the largest school disruption in recent history. This study explored learners’ awareness of using smart educational systems (social networks) to support remote learning (e-learning). The study examined three constructs: Motivation, Active role, and Interaction, based on the theory of Connectivism. These constructs contributed to the development of a survey used to gather perspectives on social networks in education from a group of Business Studies learners in a South African high school. Data was collected from a sample of Business Studies learners (n=133) just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show there was an awareness of the use of social networks in education among learners. Therefore, social networks had the potential to support distance education during the pandemic.
Pythagoras, 2021
This study, using a quantitative approach, examined Spanish and South African pre-service teacher... more This study, using a quantitative approach, examined Spanish and South African pre-service teachers’ responses to translating word problems based on direct proportionality into equations. The participants were 79 South African and 211 Spanish prospective primary school teachers who were in their second year of a Bachelor of Education degree. The study’s general objective was to compare the students’ proficiency in expressing direct proportionality word problems as equations, with a particular focus on the extent of the reversal error among the students’ responses. Furthermore, the study sought to test the explanatory power of word order matching and the static comparison as causes of the reversal error in the two contexts. The study found that South African students had a higher proportion of correct responses across all the items. While nearly all the errors made by Spanish students were reversals, the South African group barely committed reversal errors. However, a subgroup of the ...
International Journal of eBusiness and eGovernment Studies, 2020
The increasing influence of technology in education has made us want to understand how teachers w... more The increasing influence of technology in education has made us want to understand how teachers will view its use when teaching Euclidean geometry. Teachers' technological knowledge, skills; competence and readiness are crucial, in their preparation to integrate technologies in their future classrooms. This paper is part of a larger study that looked into the experiences of student teachers when using a form of online technology, which utilised meaningful interactions to teach and learn high school geometry. The study was conducted with ten mathematics student teachers at a South African university using a mix methods approach using worksheets, interviews, surveys and observations. This case study sought to capture the students' knowledge of technologies when teaching circle geometry through a careful implementation of Geometric Habits of Mind and an Instructional Design model. The intention of the support programme was that students will reproduce their learning experience, during this study, in their classrooms. According to results the perceptions of technology can be categorised as: Knowing the essentials, A tool in learning geometry and A catalyst to learning geometry. It can be clearly stated that all of students liked the readily available learning tool online.
Pythagoras, 2014
Trigonometry is an important section in mathematics that links algebraic, geometric and graphical... more Trigonometry is an important section in mathematics that links algebraic, geometric and graphical reasoning. Many secondary school learners are not familiar with these types of reasoning; thus, trigonometry presents a challenge for these learners. The traditional ‘chalk and talk’ method of teaching trigonometry is used by many teachers; however, this article is based on a case study that explores the innovative use of a dynamic online software program in the teaching and learning of Grade 10 trigonometric graphs. The participants in this study were 25 Grade 10 mathematics learners from one school in the south of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were collected by using two trigonometry worksheets, semi-structured interviews with selected learners and lesson observations. The worksheets were constructed based on the following focus areas: behaviour of graphs, interpretation of graphs, modelling and overall performance of the learner. In all focus areas, the participants’ scor...
For the novice, learning their first programming language is perceived as a series of challenges.... more For the novice, learning their first programming language is perceived as a series of challenges. The core skill required is problem-solving, starting with the design of flowcharts. This paper presents RobotProg, a programming instructional tool that uses flowcharts to create a series of robotic actions through gameplay, creating a learning path through gamification using levels and missions. The aim is to provide a reflective overview of the gamified flowchart-learning tool, RobotProg, as a form of instruction. RobotProg flowcharts are executed by the built-in interpreter, which displays the movement of the robot on the computer screen. The tool offers pre-exposure to programming concepts prior to languagespecific syntax and semantics, providing a seamless transition from simple logic of flowcharts to more complex programming languages in text-based environments later on. The contemplation of RobotProg through the lens of Fogg's Behavioural Model effectively addresses the facto...
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Papers by Reginald G Govender