Guided by Bronfenbrenner's (1994) ecological systems theory Bronfenbrenner (Int Encycl Educ,3(2):37-43) , this study highlights the interplay between learner psycho-social challenges and teacher emotional fatigue, which affect classroom dynamics, and the critical role of systemic support--the role of school social workers (SSWs)--in South Africa.…

Students' challenging classroom behaviour remains problematic in some primary schools, causing daily disruptions. In South Africa, alternatives for managing student behaviour have proven ineffective, leaving teachers to grapple in classrooms. To gain insights into "what teachers are doing to curtail the problem," fifteen teachers were…

Several teachers have recently started introducing coding into their teaching in primary schools. This comes on the back of the emerging prominence of educational technology and the teaching of computational skills at school level, in light of the country's policy commitment to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Coding has been punted as 1 of 2…

This study explored Grade 3 teachers' use of an inquiry-based approach to mediate the development of basic science concepts among learners within the socio-cultural theory. This study adopted interpretive case study research of the qualitative type, using a sample of four (4) female teachers who use the home language of learners as the language of…

The purpose of this study is to explore the expressions of confidence by a group of South African mathematics teachers about teaching mathematics and statistics concepts from various perspectives. The participants were 75 mathematics teachers who were teaching Grades 4 to 12 in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) schools. They then were asked to express their…

Even though quality education is important for the empowerment of individuals and development of society, some rural schools in South Africa continue to function amid tough conditions. Because little research on the topic exists, with this article I explore and identify teachers' experiences of the working conditions in rural schools in South…

Research on mathematical equivalence, and to some extent, on number structure in early grade mathematics, has shown that most students at primary and secondary levels understand these concepts instrumentally rather than relationally. The study reported in this paper uses a design research approach to explore both mathematical equivalence and…

Background: Teachers' support for addressing cisgenderism and cisnormative cultures in schools is necessary to support students' freedom to express gender in expansive ways and to embrace trans identities. However, few questions are asked about how primary school teachers grapple with trans identities in South Africa. Purpose: The article fills…

Continuing professional development (CPD) within a low resourced education environment necessitates context specific and needs-driven learning, particularly in Physical Education (PE) where personal and systemic barriers impede negatively on teachers and children's educational experiences. This paper provides evidence-based guidelines as to how an…

The South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) technology Grades R-9 includes indigenous technology under its third aim, to appreciate the interaction between people's values, technology, society, and the environment, and the sub-aim emphasises that students learn how indigenous cultures use specific materials and processes to…

Teachers collaborating with parents is an axiom of successful school programmes. The parents' role should be supportive and complementary to the teachers' pedagogical function. A functional or dysfunctional parent-teacher partnership is a predictor of children's success or failure in school. The functionality of parent-teacher partnerships is…

Background: Many teachers for different reasons recognise the teaching of fraction as a challenge. This research explored the teaching of fraction in Grade 5 by three experienced teachers (Ben, Greg and Will) in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of different approaches to the…

This study sought strategies to improve teachers' professional curriculum practices in a Grade R mathematics class. A phenomenological research design was employed to generate data for the study using a sample of fifteen participants. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect the data for the study. In this regard, the interview guide…

Background: In 2012, the South African government initiated the Integrated School Health Policy (ISHP) to serve as a national guideline on providing school health and support services from key stakeholders such as the Department of Health (DoH), Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Department of Social Development (DSD). However, despite the…

Utilising a qualitative case study, we set out to investigate how learners at Hope Saturday School evoked the principles of ubuntu/humanity as they collaborated during project-based learning. The article is part of a broader study in which a mix of semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, observations, document analysis and field notes…