pedagogical change

The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest higher education institution (HEI) in Africa. In fact, UNISA is one of the largest and leading open-distance e-learning (ODeL) institutions in the world and is reputable for its commitment to providing increased access to quality education and flexible teaching. Therefore, UNISA presents a unique context for exploring teacher education through flexible learning. To this end, the current research was conducted between February and May of 2025 and explored the role of flexible learning in teacher education at an influential model in the Global South. The rationale for this research was grounded in the need to address educational challenges in Africa through innovative teaching methods. Employing systematic document analysis and governed by the principles of grounded theory in the collection and analysis of data, this study aimed to explore UNISA’s provision of flexible teacher education. The findings revealed that flexible teacher education in Africa is a necessity and a complex undertaking. It is shaped by demographic pressures, economic constraints, historical inequalities, and crisis events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Flexible learning expands access, reduces costs, and offers opportunities for curriculum transformation. Its effectiveness, however, is constrained by systemic challenges, including digital inequalities, resistance to pedagogical change, and limitations in institutional capacity. A key contribution of this research is the development of an emerging theory that reveals that flexible education is a balancing act between expanding access and maintaining quality.

Background: Teacher agency is essential to educational transformation, yet teacher development in Nepal often relies on standardized training approaches that emphasize prescribed methods rather than critical reflection, contextual experimentation, and collaborative learning. Objectives: This study explores how teachers develop and exercise agency through Critical–Creative Pedagogy (CCP) and participatory action research in two Nepali public-school contexts. Methods: Using a participatory action research approach, the study examined two contexts: a cross-school initiative involving 11 teachers from eight public schools in Helambu and a school-based initiative involving 30 teachers at Janata Secondary School in Bardibas. Data were generated over nine months through workshop interactions, teacher reflections, lesson plans, classroom observations, reflective dialogues, and informal conversations with students. The analysis examined how reflection, dialogue, classroom experimentation, and collective professional learning contributed to the development of teacher agency. Results: The findings indicate that teacher agency developed through iterative cycles of reflection, action, observation, dialogue, and re-reflection rather than through standardized training alone. Teachers began questioning textbook-centred and examination-driven practices and experimenting with learning activities grounded in students’ experiences and local contexts. Contextual adaptation and engagement with the wider school community, including school management committees and parents, emerged as important dimensions of pedagogical change. The Bardibas initiative appeared to foster stronger shared reflection, mutual support, and continuity of pedagogical change than the cross-school arrangement in Helambu. Conclusion: Teacher agency is a relational and context-dependent process that develops through critical reflection, pedagogical experimentation, and collaborative learning. Sustaining educational transformation requires professional learning opportunities that connect teachers’ agency with local knowledge, school-level collaboration, and community engagement. Novelty: By examining participatory action research across two distinct school contexts, this study highlights how the institutional setting of teacher collaboration may shape opportunities for collective reflection, mutual support, and sustained pedagogical change. It also foregrounds the importance of connecting teacher learning with school and community contexts in efforts to transform classroom practice.

This paper examined the transformative role of digital learning in the Eastern Cape.The advent of digital learning has emerged as a transformative force in higher education institutions, reshaping pedagogical approaches and enhancing student engagement.The paper adopted a qualitative, interpretive stance to capture lived experiences, meanings, and context-specific understandings of digital learning as a transformative force in Eastern Cape higher education institutions.A qualitative stance was aligned with the emphasis on depth of understanding, pedagogical change, and student and staff experiences rather than purely measurable outcomes.A multisite instrumental case study design was appropriate for illuminating how digital learning functions as a transformative force across diverse Eastern Cape higher education institutions.The population for this paper included students, academics, and administrative staff involved with digital learning across selected Eastern Cape higher education institutions.Purposive sampling was used to select participants to capture diverse perspectives on transformation.The sampling strategy was guided by data saturation, with a focus on in-depth semi-structured interviews for students and staff, complemented by document analysis and observations.Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse, and report patterns across datasets.Findings suggest that while digital learning can enhance accessibility and flexibility, significant disparities in access to technology and digital literacy persist, exacerbating existing inequalities.The findings of the paper were context-specific to Eastern Cape higher education institutions and may not generalise beyond similar settings.The paper concludes with recommendations for improving digital learning infrastructure and strategies for future research.

این مقاله نقش تحول‌آفرین یادگیری دیجیتال در استان Eastern Cape را مورد بررسی قرار داد. ظهور یادگیری دیجیتال به‌عنوان نیرویی تحول‌آفرین در مؤسسات آموزش عالی مطرح شده است که رویکردهای آموزشی را دگرگون ساخته و مشارکت دانشجویان را افزایش داده است. این مقاله با اتخاذ رویکردی کیفی و تفسیری، به منظور درک تجارب زیسته، معانی و فهم‌های مبتنی بر زمینه از یادگیری دیجیتال به‌عنوان نیرویی تحول‌آفرین در مؤسسات آموزش عالی استان Eastern Cape انجام شده است. رویکرد کیفی با تأکید بر عمق فهم، تغییرات آموزشی و تجارب دانشجویان و کارکنان، به جای صرفاً نتایج قابل اندازه‌گیری، همسو بود. طراحی مطالعه موردی ابزاری چندسایتی برای روشن ساختن نحوه عملکرد یادگیری دیجیتال به‌عنوان نیرویی تحول‌آفرین در میان مؤسسات آموزش عالی متنوع استان Eastern Cape مناسب تشخیص داده شد. جامعه آماری این مقاله شامل دانشجویان، اعضای هیئت علمی و کارکنان اداری درگیر با یادگیری دیجیتال در مؤسسات آموزش عالی منتخب استان Eastern Cape بود. نمونه‌گیری هدفمند برای انتخاب مشارکت‌کنندگان به منظور دریافت دیدگاه‌های متنوع درباره تحول به کار گرفته شد. راهبرد نمونه‌گیری بر اساس اشباع داده‌ها هدایت شد و تمرکز بر مصاحبه‌های نیمه‌ساختاریافته عمیق با دانشجویان و کارکنان، همراه با تحلیل اسناد و مشاهدات بود. تحلیل تماتیک برای شناسایی، تحلیل و گزارش الگوها در سراسر داده‌ها مورد استفاده قرار گرفت. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که اگرچه یادگیری دیجیتال می‌تواند دسترسی و انعطاف‌پذیری را افزایش دهد، اما نابرابری‌های قابل توجهی در دسترسی به فناوری و سواد دیجیتال همچنان وجود دارد که نابرابری‌های موجود را تشدید می‌کند. یافته‌های این مقاله مختص مؤسسات آموزش عالی استان Eastern Cape است و ممکن است به فراتر از محیط‌های مشابه قابل تعمیم نباشد. مقاله با ارائه توصیه‌هایی برای بهبود زیرساخت‌های یادگیری دیجیتال و راهبردهایی برای پژوهش‌های آتی به پایان می‌رسد.