Evaluation of a pilot project on information and communication technology
for rural education development: A Cofimvaba case study on the
educational use of tablets
In an endeavour to find solutions to the country’s improving but ailing education system the South
African government through some of its departments is attempting to find out if the introduction of
technology in the class room has the potential to improve teaching and learning. The paper is
based on a pilot study currently underway in Cofimvaba in Eastern Cape Province where tablets
were introduced to teachers in eleven schools. The paper used the Cofimvaba ICT4RED
initiative as a case study to ascertain how teachers accepted the introduction of tablets at their
schools for teaching and learning. The main research methodology is qualitative multiple case
study research with interpretivism as paradigm. Data were gathered though the use of
questionnaires administered to teachers. The results showed that most teachers embraced
tablets and were using them in the classroom, for their own professional development and
personal use. Therefore, within the South African education system the introduction of tablets in
learning and teaching is an important step towards improvement of education particularly in
poorly resourced schools.
The main research methodology will be qualitative multiple case study research with
interpretivism as philosophy. “Interpretive methods start from the position that our knowledge of
reality, including the domain of human action, is a social construction of human actors” (Walsham
2006). It accepts the notion that individuals create meaning within a specific environment
(Hanson 2008).
These methods support our research paradigm because of their flexible use, particularly with
technology, while allowing future developments. The research employed interpretive
methodologies which included the use of case study and questionnaire for data collection. The
case study research method can be defined as an empirical study that uses multiple sources to
investigate a contemporary phenomenon in a real-world context (Yin 1984 & Thomas 2011) and
emphasise detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions and their
relationships (Soy 1997). The weaknesses of case study methods, according to Mikkelson
(1995), are that sometimes they serve as a foundation for generalisations, which might be
erroneous. In this study, a number of TCs will be studied as part of our case studies.
Rich data were collected using questionnaires whereby the objective was to find out how
respondents used their tablets, for what and to determine the levels of confidence in their use.
Questionnaires are one of the most frequently used methods of collecting effectiveness data and
they can be composed of items that address information and attitudes (Reeves and Hedberg,
2003). The aim of the questionnaires was to ascertain the real impact of how teachers are using
tablets in their teaching.