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Observation and literature confirmed that men are unduly scarce in the count of foundation phase teachers in South Africa and the few that are presented as foundation phase teachers are often criticized and ridiculed with the argument that foundation phase teaching is for women. Therefore, the study sought to understand gendered ideologies in order to address the issue of missing male teachers in the foundation phase, which is currently considered to be feminized. Using Sandra Bem’s Gender Schema Theory, the study explores the perceptions embedded within gender issues and how these influence the appointment of male teachers in the foundation phase in the Amathole Education District of the Eastern Cape Province. A qualitative approach was adopted, and a case study research design was employed where six participants (three males and three females) were purposely sampled and interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analyses where some themes emerged. The study revealed that most males are unwilling to work with younger kids, while the study also confirms their roles as very important in the development of younger kids. The study concludes that male teachers’ positive influence cannot be underestimated; hence the government should devise a way to motivate male teacher educators toward the world of work in the foundation phase.

In Nigeria, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused many economies to crumble and claimed lives, has been a drawback to the teaching and learning of technical and vocational education and training (TVET). This paper examined the strategies scholars have identified in the previous studies to reposition and make effective the instruction of technical and vocational education in Nigeria post-COVID-19. A PRISMA protocol was adopted to document the analysis method and inclusion and exclusion criteria. The authors used relevant electronic databases (Google Scholar and Scopus) to search for qualitative and quantitative journal articles published in English between 2020 and 2022 on TVET in Africa. Studies that focused on primary education level were excluded. A three-step synthesis process was used to map the literature to the study objectives. It was found that teaching and learning in TVET in the post-COVID period can be improved by providing professional training programmes for teachers or instructors on relevant skills in a disruptive situation. This paper will guide the educational stakeholders (government, school administrators, teachers, and non-governmental organisations) on the effective strategies for teaching and learning TVET in Nigeria post-COVID-19. Keywords: TVET, post-COVID-19, Nigeria, Strategies, Teaching and learning

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a total shutdown of global economies and education institutions to lessen the spread of the virus. Due to strict compliance with safety protocols, educational institutions were duty-bound to shift from traditional face-to-face to virtual classroom teaching and learning strategies. This new teaching approach was unanimously embraced and adopted by all institutions globally. The easing of COVID-19 restrictions has led to the re-opening of mainstream schools. As a result, the study focused on teaching strategies adopted by educators after the lockdown. This study employed an interpretive paradigm anchored on the opportunity to learn (OTL) theory. Teaching and learning strategy is one of the key variables grounded in the OTL. Critical issues emerged from this conceptual paper. Among these was the lack of uniform teaching and learning methods approved by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in the post-COVID-19 era. The teaching approach adopted during the national shutdown mostly benefited learners from affluent homes, lack of digital learning and teaching support systems disadvantaged learners from poor communities. This study recommended, among others, the provision of adequate online teaching resources for implementing blended teaching and learning methods in South African schools. Keywords: Blended teaching approach, COVID-19 pandemic, Strategy, teaching and learning, South Africa

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, teaching and learning have experienced various challenges and shifts from normal classroom dimensions to what several scholars regard as the "new normal." This situation disrupted teaching and learning systems, with various institutions trying to find alternative ways to ensure effective curriculum implementation. In the event that COVID-19 seems to be a thing of the past, there is a need to understand how best education actors could navigate the new shift. Therefore, researchers need to continue to work on improving educators' understanding of how best to teach and learn and how students and educational institutions respond to the shift in the post-pandemic classrooms. Based on this, a special issue was initiated to galvanize findings, views, approaches, and strategies to enhance sustainable post-COVID-19 pedagogical needs. Therefore, this special issue plays an essential role in helping students, scholars, educators, policymakers and educational agencies understand the present pedagogical shift and prepare for the future. Keywords: Post COVID-19 Classrooms, teaching and learning, new normal, pedagogical needs.

Mathematical geometrical (MG) concept is often perceived as abstract and difficult to understand by students at the TVET College. Students are unable to perform well in Mathematic Assessments Tasks specifically on this concept. Drawing from this is the declining percentages of student enrolments in mathematics at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 2. The aim of this study was to enhance the teaching and learning of Mathematical Geometry through the integration of indigenous knowledge in the form of a pilot-practical assessment task (PAT). The research team made use of focus group discussions to gather empirical data. Students were given the practical assessment task that incorporated indigenous knowledge to close the gap of students being unable to relate the mathematical geometry taught in the classroom to their everyday lives that seemed to prevail amongst mathematics students at a TVET College. Ten co-researchers were homogeneously selected based on their level of experience in teaching mathematical geometry at a TVET college located in the Afromontane communities of Thabo Mofutsanyane municipality, South Africa. The result indicated that indigenous knowledge can be utilized as an effective way of learning and teaching mathematical geometry at the TVET college.

Language teachers, yet on the other side, language enhancement is compromised for learners whose home language is not English. Further than that, for teachers lacking specialisation of other subjects allocated to them, besides English language teaching and learning becomes a monotonous activity that does not inspire learner attitudes more so that the greatest percentage of subjects underpinning the curriculum is offered in an English medium. This paper aims to explore if offering different subjects in varying classes has any significant impact on language development. The study is located within interpretivist paradigm using qualitative research appraoch and case study research design. 5 secondary school English language teachers were purposefully nominated and interviewed to study the problem’s complex phenomenon. Findings divulged that multi subject allocation in the site investigated seemed to be compromising subject specification, thus leading to a decline in enhancing language development. The study recommends that to re-build teacher and learner motivation, policies should be put in place to consider subject speciality when allocation of subjects is administered.

Conflict is inevitable in an organization that depends on people’s collaboration and togetherness in actualizing its aims and objectives. A university system, which comprises staff, students, and other extraneous subjects and objects, remains under perpetual uneasiness due to interpersonal conflicts between members of staff, management and staff, students, and students and management or against other staff. The conflicts between these critical stakeholders are inevitable, not only because of the differences in their responsibilities towards organizational goals but because the place of individual differences can not be underestimated. This study presents the Ubuntu politics of process as an alternative to managing organizational conflict in the university system. The study answers questions such as: what are the Ubuntu politics of process, and how can it be deployed to manage or prevent conflicts? This article is theoretical and located within the transformative paradigm. A conceptual analysis was employed to interpret Ubuntu as a framework for alternative conflict management in universities. The concept of Ubuntu was presented, and its politics of process as the assumptions were also presented. The nexus between Ubuntu and conflict management was also argued. The findings showed that the spirit of solidarity and sharing, positive and optimist mindedness, compassion and inner goodness factors can minimize organizational conflict in the university system. The study concludes that the Ubuntu politics of process is a dimension of conflict management in the university system. Universities should promote solidarity and the spirit of sharing, positiveness, an optimistic way of life, caring and compassion, and inner goodness among stakeholders.

This paper aims to investigate whether e-learning has any significant influence on academic attainment. From this time, little is noted by literature about training teachers towards attaining the necessary skills needed for digital e-learning applications. Investigation for this paper was conducted through a qualitative research methodology. Authors decided to use this method with a concern of understanding the behaviour of humans as per teacher perspectives, leading to obtaining better understanding of underlying motives. For this qualitative investigation, three conveniently selected secondary school teachers from a rural school in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were interviewed. Engaging with the participants through administration of the interview schedule assisted authors in obtaining reach data due to contained questions that had a specific element of being open-ended. A fundamental finding revealed that teachers across all subjects have since embarked at focusing on (i) learner-centered practical approaches to allow determined e-learning engagements, thus having an impact on (ii) learner turnout. On noting this perspective from the teacher participants, it is recommended that as citizens held up in the technological revolution, there seems to be a need for teaching-learning approaches to be altered. This study, therefore, concludes that as a means to enable enhanced learner attainment, rural versus urban digital variations be addressed

Social parity, in the form of classism creates an environment where students from less privileged backgrounds feel subjugated and disadvantaged by social intimidation. In order to eliminate classism in university classrooms, the study proposes the potential of Ubuntu as a transformative strategy to promote a university system that is free of intimidation and discriminatory social classes that aid social inequalities. Hence, the study answers the following questions: What are the assumptions of Ubuntu? And how can the assumptions be used to unpack classism within university classrooms? The transformative paradigm was used to lens the study because it resonates with researchers' intention to create and suggest plausible ways of building a just and equitable university community. The analysis of Ubuntu as a transformative strategy was presented using thematic analysis to conceptualise and interpret Ubuntu and its underlying assumptions towards transforming classism. The study concludes that mirroring oneself in others, communality and togetherness, humanity and unity, and egalitarian practices is a dimension of a classless university classroom toward an equitable society. Therefore, university classrooms should be tailored toward love, communality and togetherness, humanity and unity of purpose, and egalitarian practices

Student activism has been a crucial force for social change in universities. To this end, students around the world have been at the forefront of movements to promote democracy and human rights. In recent years, student activism has been used to fight social inequality, funding problems, balancing political ideologies, promises and quest for identity, especially among the subalterns, people of colour formerly colonised and those facing systematic, epistemic, cognitive, and structural exclusion. While the fight at first value appears noble, desirable, and doable, the praxis of student activism in the 21st century among some countries in the Global South, most especially in Africa, presents ambivalence marked with thuggery, arson, and criminality. Universities in Africa have become unsafe sites for students, academics, and other stakeholders. It is against this background that the book was conceptualised with the intention to problematise destructive student activism. The book documents various case studies in the African continent on how students have practised, re-imagined and reconstructed to ensure the relevance of universities in peace-making initiatives. Thus, this research-based book argues that in the midst of student unrest within universities, alternative situational responses are available, doable and achievable, underpinned with critical consciousness, geared to make universities relevant to meet the demands of the 21st century’s sustainability needs. In conclusion, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the problem of student unrest in universities. It offers some practical solutions that can be implemented to help prevent, manage and quell such social unrest., "We need a new lens to understand student activism in the 21st century. Failure to do so will produce graduates that believe that destructive confrontation is the language of engagement." Bekithemba Dube

Various indications, including literature, have confirmed that university classrooms are still mostly inactive and undemocratic, dominated by instructors and lecturers. That is, little or no atmosphere is created for the student to be a socially active participant in generating knowledge which appears to have affected their sociality in the university and their lives after their university education. Some university lecturers still use a traditional or a systematic colonized way of teaching. This study responded by proposing unabridged Social Constructivism (SC) to create socially active university students towards becoming productive and active citizens. This was done by answering a general question: How can SC be projected in the university classroom to create active and productive students? This study was located within a transformative paradigm in order to transform students’ inactiveness in the process of generating knowledge. Conceptual analysis was used to design the study. This was done within the principle of thematic analysis by arranging SC's assumptions into themes and making sense of them. The study thus presents that SC possesses the acumen to assist lecturers in ensuring that their classrooms are socially active towards student productivity both in the schools and in the field of work.

Nowadays, many classrooms are content-based and, therefore, disadvantage students from gaining lifelong skills that could support them in their future endeavours. This study proposed transformational teaching as a veritable strategy for effective classrooms where teaching and learning are taken beyond content delivery. This theory enables teachers/instructors/lecturers to promote expressive change that could lead to life-changing experiences among students. The study answers the following question: How can transformational teaching be presented as a stimulative teaching strategy for effective classrooms. The study is located within the transformative paradigm and designed with concept analysis, where the principles of transformational teaching are conceptualised and analysed using thematic analysis. The study was implemented by exploring the theory, its assumptions, and the connections between the theory and classroom activities. The study found that when effectively implemented in the classrooms, transformational teaching will enhance students’ lifelong learning experiences and contribute to a productive society. The study further recommends that teachers and students adopt transformational principles/strategies in curriculum facilitation (in the teaching and learning activities).

Unlike other countries, rural community schools in South Africa are faced with many challenges that hinder them from discharging their academic responsibilities. This study seeks to understand the challenges faced by South African pre-service teachers deployed to rural communities during their teaching practice. This study adopted qualitative research approach and was viewed from a decolonial perspective and lensed using a transformative paradigm within the participatory research design. The participants comprised ten pre-service teachers who underwent their practice in rural schools and were selected using the snowballing method. The participants were asked to reflect on their experiences, especially their challenges during teaching practice. Thematic analysis was employed to make sense of the data based on the objectives of the study. The study found out that rural schools lack basic amenities, physical resources, teaching aids. The study also revealed that language of instruction challenges rural students, and another finding showed that absenteeism and truancy are the major challenges in rural schools. The study concludes that inadequate resources, the language of instruction, absenteeism and truancy are major challenges with recommendations that a concerted effort is needed to decolonise the rural communities and their schools towards transformation.

Sometimes, teachers or instructors find it challenging to understand or achieve a democratic education without compromising the quality pedagogical process. Hence, this study is conceptualised around the principles of emancipatory pedagogy as a tool to ensure effective classrooms democracy across levels of classrooms. This study answers the following question: how can emancipatory pedagogy be presented as an effective tool to implement a democratic classroom? This study locates its argument within a transformative worldview and adopts a conceptual analysis to interpret emancipatory pedagogy as a conceptual framework for the study. Emancipatory pedagogy, its assumptions, and how they informed democratic classrooms were argued with the conclusion that emancipatory pedagogy is a dimension of effective and democratic classrooms because both concepts promote critical thinking and social justice among students, develop a personal connection with learning and create an atmosphere for freedom of knowledge construction among students. The study recommends that teachers or instructors interested in implementing democratic education/classrooms adopt the assumptions of emancipatory pedagogy by tailoring their classrooms towards promoting critical thinking skills, development of personal connection with learning, and freedom to enable students to construct knowledge of their own.

To establish patterns or themes of dreams and dreamlike mentation content reported in all forms of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnias and to identify gaps in the current understanding of this topic.A scoping review of available evidence on dreams and dreamlike mentation in NREM parasomnias was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. We searched peer-reviewed literature using Google Scholar, PubMed, Ovid (Embase), Ovid Medline®, Global Health, and APA Psych Info. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to appraise the quality of selected articles.The final analysis included 16 studies. All of the studies were from high-income countries. The studies reported on dreams and dreamlike mentation in NREM parasomnias, but there was scarcity of literature for sexsomnia, sleep-related eating disorder, and confusional arousal. All of the studies had the highest quality as shown by the MMAT (76%-100%). Emotions such as apprehension and misfortune were associated with sleepwalking and sleep terrors.Sleep studies involving collection of dream content immediately following NREM parasomnia could significantly minimize reporting bias and improve dream data quality.

It has been observed that students do not adhere to COVID-19 regulations on campus despite various instructions from both government and university authorities for staff and students to maintain adequate COVID-19 protocols in universities. Therefore, this study explores the challenges faced by students that make them disregard COVID-19 protocols, such as wearing nose masks, hand sanitization, and social distancing. The study is located in an interpretive paradigm using a case study as a research design. The convenience sampling technique was used to select ten university students who responded to interview questions on the challenges that hinder them from complying with COVID-19 protocols. The study adopted thematic analysis (TA) as a qualitative tool to interpret and make meanings from the data generated. The study found that limited COVID-19 awareness on campus, health challenges among students, and lack of classroom capacity and personal protective equipment (PPE) are significant challenges. In contrast, the recommended solutions are stricter COVID-19 regulations, provision of PPE and spacious lecture rooms, and creating COVID-19 awareness/education. The study suggests that university management or authorities should provide strategies to make students adhere to the measures, provide PPE to alleviate students financially or socially and ensure adequate awareness of COVID-19 on campus.

The study investigates the effects of e-learning as an alternative form of curriculum dissemination for rural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students. This study adopted connectivism theory, which enabled lecturers to reflect and adapt to how learning has changed and the accompanying implications of designing the spaces and structures to the current mode of learning. The researcher made use of two research methods to gather data; phone interviews and questionnaires. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0, Office Word format. The results indicated that the unavailability of technological resources, lack of financial support from single parents’ side due to socio-economic factors, and child-headed families hinder the correct implementation of e-learning and make it difficult to reach its objectives.

Introduction The defects found in Tessier clefts number 3 and number 4 come in various forms in different patients. These variations have to a great extent affected not only documentation of these craniofacial defects but invariably their treatment and communication amongst craniofacial researchers. This study has not only documented the clinical presentation of these clefts in a South African population but has also incorporated the clinical presentation of Tessier clefts number 3 and 4 from different regions of the world. Methods The records of 8 patients, who had been treated for either Tessier clefts number 3 or 4, were reviewed and compared with 16 studies pulled from the literature systematically. The defects recorded as well as associated clefts and other congenital malformations were documented, and findings were compared. Results The anatomical and clinical presentation of the patients was compared to the reviewed literature and the different parameters were documented. In addition, associated clefts were also recorded in the study—it was noted that the association pattern recorded in Tessier cleft number 4 in this study did not conform to its traditional counterpart. Conclusion This study concluded that the clinical presentations of these clefts, however variable, seem to have a similar presentation worldwide. Additionally, associated clefts do not conform to the original Tessier classification system and therefore it is imperative for these patterns to be clearly mapped out.

University system, all over the world, most especially in Africa had witnessed various social unrest traceable to social factors such as; student-management dichotomies, disagreement between staff unions and university management, external and political interferences, gangsterism, among others. These in our observations and experiences had impeded in so many ways, the speedy actualisation of the predetermined goals and objectives of the university system. We recognised that solutions to this lacuna were propounded by various scholars and educational agencies, despite these interventions, the problem still persist. In lieu of this, Ubuntu philosophy, is presented as an alternative process, input and output to mitigating the challenges of social unrest in the university system. This argument was made to answer the prevailing question of; how can Ubuntu, the philosophy of love, oneness, humanity and togetherness be used to unravel social unrest in the University system? The study is situated in transformative paradigm. The analysis was done using Socio-thematic Analysis where Ubuntu praxis and literature on students’ unrest constitute the data and argument in order to present an alternative strategy that could ensure peaceful university operations. We concluded that honest practices, humanity, social inter-dependency and togetherness via unity of purpose are dimension of peace and tranquility in the university system with recommendation all stakeholders should be trained and retrained on the importance of ubuntu, while ubuntu practices as a compulsory module or course is recommended for students.

Social parity, in the form of classism creates an environment where students from less privileged backgrounds feel subjugated and disadvantaged by social intimidation. In order to eliminate classism in university classrooms, the study proposes the potential of Ubuntu as a transformative strategy to promote a university system that is free of intimidation and discriminatory social classes that aid social inequalities. Hence, the study answers the following questions: What are the assumptions of Ubuntu? And how can the assumptions be used to unpack classism within university classrooms? The transformative paradigm was used to lens the study because it resonates with researchers' intention to create and suggest plausible ways of building a just and equitable university community. The analysis of Ubuntu as a transformative strategy was presented using thematic analysis to conceptualise and interpret Ubuntu and its underlying assumptions towards transforming classism. The study concludes that mirroring oneself in others, communality and togetherness, humanity and unity, and egalitarian practices is a dimension of a classless university classroom toward an equitable society. Therefore, university classrooms should be tailored toward love, communality and togetherness, humanity and unity of purpose, and egalitarian practices

Literature and social reality confirm that rurality and its people remain underprivileged, while groups within communities, even in urbanism, still demonstrate marginalisation and social inequalities. Not only that, but research is also limited to emancipate the perpetual deficiencies and the various inequalities that emerge within the context of rurality and community livelihood. Even the little research output in this category suffers revered outlets where rural and community studies could be disseminated. This forms the gap to which the Interdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies (IJRCS) intends to fill. This, therefore, is the inaugural statement of the Journal. The statement presents the historical background of the Journal, the focus of the Journal, and subsequently defines the conceptual understanding of the rural and community to enlighten the authors and readers about the kind of acceptable articles. The editorial process and the professional profile of our editors were presented with a conclusion that whatever knowledge production is coming from the archives of IJRCS is authentic, productive and will definitely assume national and international standards without giving loopholes for contestation.

This theoretical formulation responded to the quest for Africanised epistemic space to construct the hidden indigenous practices into the world of knowledge. Kenimani (that others may not have) and Kenimatoni (that others may not reach up to one’s status), a Yoruba language, one of the African languages was rationalised as an organisational theory of relationships capable of understanding and interpreting people’s actions, and inactions in organisations. The exploration was guided by examining how the underlying meaning and principles of Kenimani-Kenimatoni can be exemplified to the leadership and followership syndrome of organisational relationships. The article was designed using inductive and deductive experiential exploration to present the argument. Yoruba and its beauties were examined to open a linguistic permutation for the analysis. The two Yoruba words ‘kenimani’ and ‘kenimatoni’and their conjunctional framing as peculiar to university community were elucidated to reflect university organisational relationships. The dilemma of positivism and the negativism and the principles embedded in the Kenimani-Kenimatoni organisational practices were uncovered. The Kenimani-Kenimatoni epistemic standpoint was also exemplified with the conclusion that African society is rich in knowledge and practices. Therefore, an Africanised practice like Kenimani- Kenimatoni can explain relationship dynamics in organisations, though this is open to further scholastic discourse.