Theses and Dissertations (Information Communication Technology)

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Browsing Theses and Dissertations (Information Communication Technology) by Subject "Academic performance"

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    Electronic portfolios to enhance the learning experience of scholars at private tertiary institutions in South Africa
    (Vaal University of Technology, 2016-07) Mapundu, Michael Tonderai; Lombard, A.; Jordaan, A., Prof.
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the use electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) in private tertiary institutions in South Africa to enhance the learning experience of scholars. The study adopted an interpretive ontological stance and subjective epistemological stance as the researcher sought to understand how-portfolios can be used to enhance learning. The focus was on understanding people in a social setting though employing field research to collect and interpret data. Action research, in this case employing a pre-test, intervention and post-test limited to a single cycle, was selected as strategy. The empirical part of the study was conducted during the first semester of 2014 (January to May) at a private tertiary university in Gauteng, South Africa. A pre-survey has been conducted before implementation and a post-survey after the implementation of e-portfolios to test the attitude of the participants, where after the results were compared. The pre-test was administered before creating e-portfolios and the post-test towards the end of the semester after developing and maintaining e-portfolios. Questionnaires were used to obtain information such as the attitude of the respondents on learning, assessment, reflection, collaboration and interpersonal communication through the use of e-portfolios. Questionnaires served as the main data collection tool throughout the survey. The sample was selected from first and second year students in the Information Technology faculty, with the sample size n=48. The researcher further collected data through observing subjects and conducting group interviews that were recorded to augment the questionnaire approach and verify the results through triangulation. The questionnaires were distributed to the participants who were given thirty minutes to complete. Responses were made using a five-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. The response rate was outstanding as all 48 subjects participated in the study. The researcher used a mixed-methods approach for this study; SPSS 22.0 was used for quantitative data analysis and thematic analysis was employed for the qualitative data. Reliability for quantitative data was determined using Cronbach’s alpha. Regression analysis was done as well as correlations to determine relationships and associations. To further cement relationships, t-tests and Spearman’s correlation coefficient were employed. Trustworthiness for qualitative data and justification for credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability were discussed. The results revealed that e-portfolios could be used effectively at private tertiary institutions to enhance the learning experience of scholars as evidenced by the significant statistics obtained in this study.
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    The use of pod casting revision lectures in improving learners' academic performance
    (Vaal University of Technology, 2014-04) Rankapola, M. E.; Conradie, P., Dr.
    The majority of research studies completed on podcasting technology focused on the acceptance of podcasting technology in the educational settings and the challenges that it poses for higher education institutions and instructors. Very little interest has been accorded to the effect that podcasting could have on the learners‟ academic performance. Utilizing a quasi-experimental non-equivalent group posttest, a wide used research method in the education discipline, the relationship between podcasting technology and academic performance, is investigated. The quasi-experimental was performed based on data collected over a period of 12 months, in which a non-random sample of 150 learners was taken from a population group of 350 management and entrepreneurship undergraduate learners at the Tshwane University of Technology. The sample was separated into two groups, namely the experimental group of 75 students, and the control group of 75 students. Both groups were offered the same subject by the same instructor. Control group learners are learners who have already completed the subject in the first semester before the podcasting technology was introduced in the subject. The experimental group learners are learners who have completed the subject through the support of podcasting technology. The assessment marks for four formal tests of the two groups were compared by means of a t-test to determine the effect of the intervention. The outcomes of the study showed an increase in the overall mean score of the experimental group in comparison to the mean score of the control group. The number of students obtaining distinctions also increased, compared to the control group. These considerations possibly indicate a positive relationship between the availability of podcast lectures and academic performance.