Die gebruik van inligting- en kommunikasietegnologie in aktiewe leerdergesentreerde onderrig- en leerstrategieë in die Inligtingstegnologie-klas

Abstract

Literature often reports that there has to be a shift from a teacher-centred approach to teaching that focuses on self-directed learning (SDL). The current study investigated the application of active learning by using different learner-centred teaching-learning strategies in combination with information and communication technology (ICT) in the Information Technology (IT) classroom. The use of teaching-learning strategies, such as cooperative learning, game-based activities, computerless programming and interwoven learning, also brought about new stimuli to achieve the lesson objectives in the IT class easily. Different teaching-learning strategies were used during a six-week intervention to develop various learning strategies in the participating learners. A combination of active learning and ICT was used to determine whether this could lead to an improvement or change in the SDL skills of learners.

Within the pragmatic paradigm, a QUAL-quan research methodology was selected for this research. According to Creswell and Creswell (2018), pragmatists often combine positivist and constructivist principles in the same research project by using both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine different components of a research problem. A purposive sample was selected from the research population comprising learners in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase of a high school in Potchefstroom, specifically in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district, located in North West, a province in South Africa. Information Technology (IT) is offered as an elective in secondary schools in the FET phase, and IT learners in Grades 10 and 11 were therefore involved.

The aim was to answer the following research question: How can active learner-centred teaching-learning strategies be combined with ICT to promote SDL in the IT class?

The research question was supported by sub-questions with the aim of finding a way to equip IT learners with the ability to develop as self-directed learners. Consequently, an attempt was made to strengthen their self-directedness by combining active learning with ICT in a social-constructivist way so that they may claim their rightful place as dignified digital citizens in the world of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The research question and sub-questions were answered by employing an intervention over a six-week period. The following qualitative measurement instruments - audio-visual material, focus group interviews, reflective journals and observation schedules - were used for data collection. For quantitative measurement, Cheng et al.'s (2010) SelfDirected Learning Instrument was used.

Tasks that could be solved with the help of different teaching-learning strategies (TL) were set for the learners. The learners were actively involved during the lesson presentations, and ICT was used. The ICT used, were hardware, software and communication technology.

The enthusiasm of the learners' active participation in the IT class strengthened group work in a social-constructivist way. Cooperative learning and game-based activities were used in a social-constructivist way that learners themselves wanted to know more about. Through IT learners' active involvement in this study, SDL was promoted in the IT class. It was also found that mobile phones have a rightful place in the IT class. By using various ICTs, it was found that the IT learners remain actively involved during a lesson presentation. The application of TL in combination with ICT contributed in a socialconstructivist way to make learners - as self-directed learners - ready for the 4IR.