The purpose of the study is to explore the advantages of study groups for first-year engineering students in a challenged Global South context. The research aims to explore how the support and resources provided by the peer-led study groups can help students cope with the stressors and challenges that are often associated with the transition to…

Given a peculiar sociocultural pressure for knowledge to reap immediate socioeconomic benefits in Africa, philosophy courses have gained a very low valuation by African students. They misperceive the courses not to be relevant to their future careers, leading to a lack of engagement with the courses. Focusing on South Africa, this paper proffers…

Purpose: This paper aimed to determine the self- and co-regulation influences on the community of inquiry (CoI) for collaborative online learning. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative survey was used on a sample of (N = 626) enrolled postgraduate students in a South African Open Distance and e-Learning (ODeL) university. The measuring…

This paper reports on how a team of final-year pre-service teachers experienced a lesson study approach, as a program-specific form of student support. Guided by Bandura's social learning theory, this purposive qualitative case study reveals how the pre-service teachers' engagement in the lesson study approach triggered feelings of commitment,…

In this paper, we share interim insights that emerged from "Female Voices in the Third Space: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in South-North Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)," a project co-funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust. Drawing on data generated through interviews conducted with female participants…

This part-reflective, part-conceptual article focuses on the issue of supervision models and the need to move away from the dominance of the traditional master-apprentice model which continues to persist in many social sciences and humanities contexts. Drawing on communities of practice theory, I critically reflect on my own PhD supervision…

Today, many countries ensure that student teachers get into the real classrooms, practice in there, spend more time and translate theoretical knowledge into practice in schools during Initial Teacher Education. So that they can receive stronger support in the practicum process, and they can develop themselves. However, schools have been closed in…

During work-integrated learning (WIL), student teachers usually practice what they have learned in theory under the apprenticeship of mentor lecturers and teachers. This experience might not adequately prepare them for the complexities of full-time teaching. To address this concern, 252 student teachers worked in small groups to identify…

Although there is increased uptake of active learning approaches in especially developed countries, this is still lagging within the African context. The current study therefore focused on the implementation of group learning at Stellenbosch University, with several modifications versus our earlier, pilot study. Students freely formed small groups…

Purpose: This study aims to explore the contribution of Enactus sustainability initiatives to youth empowerment and community development, thus analysing how South African higher education institutions can increase student involvement in Enactus projects across all faculties. Design/methodology/approach: Using a systematic literature review…

Playing authentic educational games can support learners of all ages and abilities, particularly those with special educational or remedial needs. Playing games in cooperative groups allows learners to relate socially, motivate each other competitively and rehearse schoolwork. Literature mostly covers computer games rather than real-life…

Micro lessons in teacher education are intended to empower student teachers by developing skills which are necessary in their teaching careers. The study used student teachers' reflections to explore how participation in micro lessons develops skills which are key in the teaching profession. Experiential learning theory was the theoretical…

Diversity influences students' learning experience and their ability to learn. Gender is one of the characteristics of student diversity that could affect students' attitudes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences manifest in men and women students' experience of collaborative learning. An existing questionnaire was used…

The study aimed to determine if there is a significant difference between peer and lecturer assessment scores and to explore the relationship between peer assessment scores and the study year of preservice teachers. Furthermore, the study explored the effect of Blackboard Collaborate online group presentations on the development of pedagogical…

Aim/Purpose: Social media platforms have been increasingly incorporated into teaching and learning. However, studies using mixed methods to explore WhatsApp's potential to broaden online teaching and learning remain limited. Background: This study reports the experiences and perspectives of undergraduate students in terms of their WhatsApp usage…