Abstract
The use of technology for teaching has become integral in today’s educational environment, as evidenced by the increased technology usage during the recent COVID-19 pandemic as well as its aftermath. Teachers are facing significant challenges of integrating technology improvements in schools, especially for technical subjects such as mathematics. This qualitative study examines the experiences and challenges that mathematics teachers in public schools in Moletlane Circuit, Limpopo Province, South Africa, face when using Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies in teaching. The study is guided by a conceptual framework predominantly developed from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. It employs a qualitative case study approach, using semi-structured interviews and semi-structured questionnaires to collect data from a sample of 15 (N= 15) mathematics teachers on their experiences and challenges with using 4IR technologies. The findings showed the significance of technological tools in facilitating the teaching and learning of mathematics in the classroom. They also found that teachers experience challenges including inadequate access to technology equipment such as software and hardware; poor access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure; a low level of digital knowledge, skills, and competencies; and problems with time and classroom management in technology- enabled classrooms. Appropriate institutional and stakeholder support, along with changes in teachers' attitudes towards using technology for instructional methods, would mitigate these challenges. WhatsApp was found to be an effective tool for teaching and learning, although its use was not optimised. An intervention programme was conducted on five of the 15 participants on how to use WhatsApp to gain exposure to innovative ideas; how to use WhatsApp to collaborate and have shared solutions to challenging mathematical problems; and how to use WhatsApp as a platform for sharing online resources, lesson management, and presentation techniques. The participants were responsive to these strategies and demonstrated significant improvement in using WhatsApp optimally for education purposes. The study has practical, scholarly, and policymaking implications for effective 4IR integration into South African classrooms.
Keywords: mathematics education, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), Digital technology, challenges, public schools, South Africa