Consumer Studies Educators in North West Province, South Africa Surmounting Challenges with Digital Technologies and Software Use
摘要
Numerous studies had lauded the positive contributions of digital technologies to education. Limited evidence was, however, found regarding simi-lar research on the South African school subject Consumer Studies, which is valuable and meaningful towards preparing learners for a broad array of futures. One article reported how Consumer Studies teachers in the North West province are utilising digital technologies, but also hinted at barriers that hinder their optimal implementation. The purpose of the current article is, therefore, to report in more detail on the challenges which Consumer Studies teachers experience in their utilisation of digital technologies and the strategies they employ to overcome such challenges. An exploratory qualitative case study, involving twenty Consumer Studies teachers from North West province, was employed for this investigation. Participants completed an online questionnaire, with the items focusing on challenges and strategies they used to overcome those challenges, which were inductively analysed. The findings confirmed that Consumer Studies teachers are facing several challenges in implementing digital technologies, including hard-ware, software, and sociopolitical issues. All of these hinder the potential of digital technologies to support and foster teaching-learning in the subject. The findings further indicated that Consumer Studies teachers use several strategies, often including collaborative ones, to overcome challenges, utilising what they have, regardless of the context. Some inspiring examples of their resilience are presented. The insights gained from this research will contribute to developing strategies to mitigate or overcome challenges related to using digital technologies in Consumer Studies, thereby enhancing teaching and learning in the subject.