Abstract:

Since the 1994 general elections in South Africa, the education system has been characterised by several changes and innovations. The Department of Education issued different laws and policies such as the White Paper 7 on e-Education (Department of Education (DoE), 2004) to promote a shift in our pedagogic approach. These include the introduction of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) system and a shift from a single authoritative textbook to the use of a range of resources. Considering the laws and policies on ICT integration, the practicability of implementation in some South African schools poses challenges, as the ICT equipment is not evenly distributed in the schools across the country. There is further a wide gap between policy and practice and the policy approaches ignore teachers’ personal and professional beliefs and understandings. The purpose of this research therefore was to explore factors shaping teachers’ experiences in managing teaching in the era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration into the curriculum. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and a case study that involved focus group interviews with about ten to fifteen teachers representing different streams. The four schools are in Mount Frere district in the Eastern Cape province. An accurate recording of the participants’ answers was made. The recording was facilitated using a voice recorder. The theoretical framework comprises of Miller’s model of ICT integration. Miller’s model argues that integrating ICT in teaching and learning is a systematic process. The findings revealed that poor ICT integration resulted from limited training in ICT skills. This is coupled with the lack of provision of continuous support. Without training ICT integration is almost impossible. It is imperative for the DoE to conduct intensive ICT training workshops to ensure that all teachers are on board in terms of integrating ICT into their pedagogical activities. The training workshops must cater for the technological knowledge, that is, the use of the software, in connection with the pedagogical strategies teachers use in teaching their subjects and the knowledge of the subject matter which teachers specialise in.

Keywords:

Information and Communication Technology (ICT), ICT integration, Managing.