Welcome to this bumper edition of Perspectives in Education (PIE). This edition consists of two parts. In the first part, we focus our attention on education provisioning in higher education and post school education, whereas the second section focuses on preschool, primary and secondary education.
Notwithstanding the growing importance of community engagement in South African higher education, its implementation is marred by significant tensions that undermine its effectiveness. Research on community engagement is growing, although few studies, if any, have explored how Ubuntu values can reconfigure universitycommunity partnerships, thereby obscuring our understanding of the applicability of Ubuntu principles to community engagement. Using document analysis, this study aimed to situate Ubuntu values in recasting community engagement within universities to enhance societal change in South Africa and beyond. Using South Africa as the context, we conducted a narrative literature review in Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Directory of Open Access Journals to collect data. From the 135 initially retrieved articles, 18 were selected for thematic analysis. Findings reveal an inconsistent operationalisation of community engagement due to an imbalance of power relations among stakeholders, a misalignment between university and community priorities, and a lack of institutional support despite policy rhetoric. Building on these findings, we argue that the institutionalisation of community engagement amid these tensions can be reconfigured by resolving systemic tensions and fostering authentic, co-creative university-community partnerships grounded in Ubuntu values. By anchoring community engagement in the principles of Ubuntu, which emphasise relational humanism and communal values, this study advances the discourse on community-university collaborations in African universities – moving beyond rhetoric and traditional models of community service or philanthropy towards more inclusive, contextually grounded practices
This mixed-method phenomenological study explores teachers’ challenges in implementing differentiated mathematics instruction and its implications for e-module development in Indonesian primary education. The group of participants consisted of 122 elementary school teachers who completed questionnaires and 22 students from 10 selected schools who participated in semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings reveal that although teachers demonstrate strong conceptual understanding of differentiated instruction, its classroom implementation remains constrained by limited preparation time, large class sizes, insufficient professional training, and limited access to technological resources. Students also reported difficulties in understanding abstract mathematical concepts due to the limited use of interactive digital media. Technology-based solutions, particularly adaptive and differentiated e-modules, show strong potential to support mathematics learning; however, access, infrastructure, and teachers’ digital competence remain key barriers. This study highlights the need for structured professional development in technology-integrated differentiated instruction and the provision of accessible differentiated e-modules aligned with Kurikulum Merdeka (Independent Curriculum).
This empirical paper reports on the use of questioning strategies that enabled pre-service foundation phase teachers (PSFPTs) to enhance their mathematics word-problem-solving instruction. The objective of the study was to determine how PSFPTs used questioning strategies as proverbial keys to unlock meaning from word problems and to support their teaching of mathematics word problem solving. Using a qualitative research approach within the constructivist paradigm, the study employed a multiple-case study design embedded in the lesson study process (LSD). At the same time, Desimone’s core conceptual framework for professional development served as the conceptual framework. Twelve second year PSFPTs were purposefully selected from a university in the Gauteng Province. As part of LSD, data were generated through collaboratively developed lesson plans, video-recorded lessons, observation checklists and collaborative discussions. The data were analysed inductively through thematic analysis. Findings reveal that PSFPTs’ mathematics word problem-solving instruction was strengthened when they purposefully used questioning strategies to unlock the contextual and conceptual meaning and to clarify the meaning of the words used in the word problem, while alternative interactive strategies also proved successful in delving deeper in the meaning of words. These strategies highlighted the reciprocal relationship between reading comprehension and mathematical reasoning. Instead of approaching word problem-solving in isolation, PSFPTs began integrating questioning as a central pedagogical tool within their mathematics lessons.
University life heralds extensive personal, academic, and social challenges that students face throughout their university tenure. These students are also expected to possess the employability skills that potential employers demand. This study evaluated the value of a personal mastery module through the lens of a student cohort. A qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews was employed on a convenience sample of 36 third-year students who had recently completed the personal mastery module. A thematic analysis technique was used to analyse the data from these rich interviews. The findings highlight the module’s value and suggest that integrating similar modules into university curricula could be an effective strategy for enhancing student mental health and resilience. The students offered numerous suggestions to improve both the delivery and content of the module. These ranged from offering the module in the first year to increasing classroom time and providing more formative feedback. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on the well-being of higher education students. It suggests that higher education institutions replicate the personal mastery module to enhance students’ emotional well-being and mental health. The generalisability of the study’s findings is limited as it was done in a single institution.
