School teachers must be prepared for ongoing, unpredictable and rapid changes in the world, therefore, they need specialised and general knowledge to be able to think independently and imaginatively. The purpose with this article was thus to report on the effectiveness of a self-directed professional development (SDPD) intervention that guided…

This research investigates errors and misconceptions among learners in algebraic education by utilizing Koch's error analysis method alongside the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy. The primary aim of the investigation is to discern the kinds of errors and cognitive stages demonstrated by Grade 9 students when engaged in…

Learners in general struggle when working with word problems. South African learners in particular have an added barrier owing to the many official languages that have been legislated. The South African Department of Basic Education, through its curriculum statements, envisages that problem solving will play a fundamental part in mathematics…

Background: The high number of poor-performing learners in reading comprehension in South African schools is a concerning factor that calls for studies to mitigate this problem. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) of 2021 indicates that about 81% of South African Grade 4 learners who participated, failed to reach the…

Background: While the concept of translanguaging has gained significant traction in education in multilingual contexts, it is also debated and contested. Claims are made about what translanguaging can and cannot do, how different it might be from code-switching, whether it arises from a single repertoire of language resources or from use of…

Nurturing creativity in Technology classrooms will, potentially, prepare learners for adaptability to the sweeping transformations that the new industrial revolutions portend and equip them to maximise the opportunities inherent in these revolutions. This study examined the effects of physical factors on the development of creativity in Grade 9…

In poor-performing, resource-constrained education systems, such as South Africa, solutions to improve academic achievement have tended to focus on resources and cognitive factors. An area that requires more attention is the importance of non-cognitive, psychosocial factors and their relationship with academic performance. These factors are…

COVID-19 has permeated news since December 2019 and has impacted all areas of life. Despite widespread coverage of COVID-related risks, there is limited understanding of adolescent resilience in Global South contexts (e.g., Africa) and against the backdrop of COVID-19. We, therefore, conducted a qualitative secondary analysis of 79 documents…

We acknowledge the existing educational inequalities that South Africa faces as a result of differences in developmental and equal educational opportunities. The aim with this study was to investigate the role of non-cognitive learning performance variables that affect the learning performance and success of secondary-school learners. Data were…

South African learners' performance in mathematics, both locally and internationally, has raised significant concerns, particularly in the realm of algebra. To address this issue, a mixed-methods study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of using algebra tiles to teach algebraic expressions. The study aimed to investigate algebraic…

Participating in classroom mathematics conversations, particularly engaging with the opinions of others, can improve learners' mathematical comprehension. Teachers can use a variety of invitation and follow-up moves to encourage student engagement. The study aimed to explore teacher follow-up on learners' initial responses to teacher questions and…

This paper investigated factors affecting the teaching of practical assessment tasks in the Senior Phase Technology classroom at Ehlanzeni District in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The study follows the case study design. Three teachers were purposively sampled from three different schools based on their experience in teaching Technology in…

Mathematics achievement is core to South Africa's readiness for digital innovation, yet current pass rates in this subject are below the global average. Simply attributing mathematics performance to intelligence does not fully account for the multifaceted reality of achievement in the subject. The current study investigated the value of both…

Globally girls' performance in mathematics has improved over the years as measured by TIMSS results. Inconsistency in mathematics performance of boys and girls is still an area of great concern. This study examines the relationship between mathematics achievement and gender of South African Grade 9 learners from TIMSS 2015 data. The data were…

Understanding ecological concepts is crucial in tackling environmental issues like climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction. These concepts also serve as a teaching framework, encouraging learners to effect positive change. This research was conducted with grade 9 learners from three schools in Bloemfontein, South Africa, randomly…