Teachers’ perspectives on the use of ICT in the teaching of a South African home language, Sesotho

Abstract

The study sought to unpack teachers’ perspectives of teaching one South African language, Sesotho, as a home language using information and communication technology (ICT) in secondary schools in South Africa. Teachers were recruited to participate in the study by providing lesson plans for analysis. From the analysis, four teachers were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework guided the study. The following findings emerged from our analysis of data in the study. Firstly, regardless of having limited ICT resources, teachers nevertheless attempted to use those available in their schools to ensure that teaching does not solely depend on traditional methods. Secondly, teachers in the district studied lacked technological knowledge (TK). In addition, teachers seemed to lack knowledge of ICT policies. Finally, lack of Sesotho content on ICT resources affects the adoption of ICT in the teaching and learning of Sesotho. We recommend that in addressing the issue of the digital divide, there is a need to focus on provision of ICT resources to all schools, irrespective of quintile level, and to provide teachers with proper training, focusing on Sesotho and other African languages as subject.