The Journal of the South African Veterinary Association (JSAVA), is a contemporary multi-disciplinary scientific mouthpiece for Veterinary Science in South African and abroad. It provides veterinarians in South Africa and elsewhere in the world with current scientific information across the full spectrum of veterinary science, diseases or other conditions that are endemic in, or particularly relevant to sub-Saharan Africa.

The use of information and communications technology (ICT) is gradually increasing in South African schools. In the Gauteng province, the Department of Education has prioritised the provisioning of electronic textbooks (ebooks) to public schools since 2014. However, to this day, there seem to be multiple barriers that hamper the adoption and use of digital technologies, and specifically ebooks. This study was premised on the technology acceptance model, and a mixed-method approach was used with an online questionnaire and a semi-structured interview protocol as the data collection instruments. For the qualitative data, thematic analysis was used to identify themes and patterns. For the quantitative data, descriptive statistics, such as frequencies and percentages, and inferential statistics, such as the two-proportions z-test and the chi-square test of independence, were utilised. Results indicated that although portable electronic devices that facilitate the reading of ebooks are readily available at public schools in Gauteng, the availability and use of ebooks are still very limited. The results also show that the participants found digital resources easy to use and easy to navigate and indicated that teachers would like to have more training to fully develop the necessary skills required to implement the ebooks effectively. Teachers do not seem to have adequate time to prepare teaching materials and learning activities using these ebooks. In this article, the barriers to the successful implementation of ebooks are explored, and the article culminates in putting forward some guidelines to create an enabling environment to support the successful adoption of ebooks in schools.

This study explored the relationship between educational technology and the mathematics achievement of South African and German students. Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) showed that the availability of computers at school and using computers in the mathematics classroom in South Africa positively associated with the mathematics achievement of students. In Germany, the shared use of a computer/tablet with others at home and internet connection correlated positively with students’ mathematics performances while students who owned mobile phones achieved lower mathematics results than their counterparts. Similarly, in both countries, students owning a computer/tablet, students using computers/tablets “every or almost every day” for schoolwork at home, school and other places achieved lower mathematics results than their counterparts.

ICT integration in the classroom is viewed as a panacea towards resolving education challenges. A quantitative approach using South African Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) 2019 Grades 5&9 data with a positivist philosophical stance was used to explore ICT use. For a long time, most school research took the form of small-scale qualitative studies, such as case studies or critical policy studies; however, research in education has witnessed an increasing demand for high-quality, large-scale quantitative studies such as the current study. TIMSS utilised a two-stage stratified cluster sampling design, sampling schools by size and selecting intact classes. This study focusses on South Africa where 297 schools, 294 mathematics teachers, and 11,903 students were sampled at Grade 5 level, and, at Grade 9 level, the sample consisted of 519 schools, 543 mathematics teachers and 20,829 students. More than 50% of students attend schools lacking computers/tablets, a figure that rises to nearly 90% concerning their availability in classrooms. Less than half of students attend schools utilising online learning systems or providing digital resources. Principals in approximately half the schools indicated shortages/inadequacies in technologically competent staff, and audio-visual and computer technology/software resources. Approximately 80% of teachers expressed interest in future technology integration training for both grades when surveyed. Over half of the students lacked home internet access; however, the majority had access to cell phones and computers/tablets at home. In tailoring this study to the South African context, a novel model for ICT integration emerged which draws upon the Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness and the TIMSS curriculum model. Recommendations for improving policy and practice in ICT implementation in schools are structured around the new model.

The Education system in Germany recently invested five billion euro in digital infrastructure for 40 000 schools. Therefore, this mixed-method study explored the relationship between integrating educational technology in mathematics education and the mathematics achievement of Grade 4 German students. Descriptive statistics and two-level Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) were used to analyse the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015 questionnaire data of students, their parents, mathematics teachers and principals. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were also used to collect data at two schools, which were conveniently and purposefully selected. Findings from HLM revealed that students who owned a mobile phone, a computer/tablet as well as those who used computers/tablets ‘every or almost every day’ at home, at school and other places for schoolwork, achieved lower mathematics scores than their counterparts. While the shared use of a computer/tablet and an internet connection positively and significantly predict student performances.

Developing curricula for english for Occupational Purposes: A case study at a South African University of Technology