- Potchefstroom, North-West, South Africa
Seugnet Blignaut
North-West University, Educational Sciences, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Information Technology, Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Distance Education, Community Development, and 15 moreAcademic Technology, Design Research, Instructional Technology, Faculty Development, Information Communication Technology, Computer Mediated Communication, Higher Education Teacher Development, Academic Emotions and Motivation, Distance Learning, Faculty Professional Development, Community of Inquiry, Developmental Work Research, Instructional Engineering, Classroom Management and Misbehaviour, and E Learning
Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Research Interests:
Literature on teaching and learning indicates that lecturers should constantly amend their teaching methodologies. Responses from the accounting profession indicate that lecturers should absorb the teaching of skills and practical... more
Literature on teaching and learning indicates that lecturers should constantly amend their teaching methodologies. Responses from the accounting profession indicate that lecturers should absorb the teaching of skills and practical application of theory in their teaching methodologies. Research on teaching methodologies suggests that the use of games in classrooms could address these needs from the accounting profession by actively engaging students with the learning content. The authors of this paper developed a table-top game and consequently assimilated a pilot study on the use of the table-top game as an instrument that amplifies and supplements their existing teaching methodology. The authors previously conducted a pilot study of the table-top game which indicated that by playing the game, students developed skills and actively applied their theoretical knowledge to advance in the game. The pilot study was designed as a locally bound case study. The authors therefore postulate that the use of the table-top game could change the way students learn. The results from the pilot study held that the students would favour a digital component for the next phase of development of the table-top game. This paper therefore address how mobile technology could further the benefits of the table-top game in terms of social aspects, virtually playing the game, and the random generation of game elements with mobile technology.
Research Interests:
This paper reports on disadvantaged South African practising teachers’ perceptions on computer literacy competencies while studying to improve their teaching qualifications. During the process of developing a learning technology... more
This paper reports on disadvantaged South African practising teachers’ perceptions on computer literacy competencies while studying to improve their teaching qualifications. During the process of developing a learning technology integration framework for the School of Continuing Teacher Education at North-West University, South Africa, an initial exploratory survey identified issues and themes for systemic inquiry, in order to provide substance to the integration framework. The purposive sample related to a criterion-based selection of N=338 teacher-students attending supplementary computer literacy training sessions. Queues from the Technology Acceptance Model supplemented the questions intended to investigate enablers and barriers to learning technology adoption. The pragmatic approach was towards discovering which possible interventions could be introduced to enable adoption of technology in interaction and learning. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling produc...
Research Interests: Computer Science, Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Distance Education, Higher Education, and 15 moreComputer Literacy, Decision Support Systems, Computer Mediated Communication, Clustering Algorithms, Community of Inquiry, Education of Disadvantaged Groups, Academic support, Education Systems, Community College, Cognitive Presence, Adult Computer Literacy, Developmental Work Research, Instructional Engineering, Internet, and E Learning
The purpose of this paper is to present work in progress as part of the analysis of the South African SITES 2006 data which forms the basis for an ongoing PhD study. The PhD study aims to examine how teachers in classrooms representing... more
The purpose of this paper is to present work in progress as part of the analysis of the South African SITES 2006 data which forms the basis for an ongoing PhD study. The PhD study aims to examine how teachers in classrooms representing the majority of South African schools use ICT when they teach science and to explore factors which may be used as predictors of ICT use by science teachers in similar developing country contexts. The study is relevant and timeous in light of the South African government’s preparation to embark on its rollout of ICT in schools across the country in 2009, despite a strong ‘traditionally important’ pedagogical orientation of South African teachers in science education and little evidence to suggest South African teachers are ready to integrate ICT into teaching practice.
Research Interests:
This paper describes the multi-mode research methodological steps during the development of a competitive intelligence (CI) framework for cricket coaches. Currently no framework exist to guide coaches to gain a competitive advantage... more
This paper describes the multi-mode research methodological steps during the development of a competitive intelligence (CI) framework for cricket coaches. Currently no framework exist to guide coaches to gain a competitive advantage through competitor analysis. A systematic literature review (SLR) ascertained the similarities and differences between the business CI and sport coaching and performance analysis (PA) domains. The qualitative document analysis performed in ATLAS.TITM rendered a reputable inter- and intra-document analysis validity with κ = 0.79 and 0.78 respectively. The document analysis contributed towards the compilation of a semi-structured interview schedule to investigate the business-related CI process occurrence within the sport coaching context. The interview schedule was finalised after university-peers’ interviews provided input on the proposed schedule. Thereafter data collection entailed semi-structured interviews with high-level cricket coaches and support ...
Research Interests:
This article focuses on the importance of initiating the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Innovation technology (STEMI) pipeline to facilitate the delivery of suitably qualified and motivated individuals for the national... more
This article focuses on the importance of initiating the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Innovation technology (STEMI) pipeline to facilitate the delivery of suitably qualified and motivated individuals for the national system of innovation. The Young Engineers and Scientists of Africa (YESA) programme is emerging as a national delivery vehicle for promoting creativity and innovation through a number of different school-based interventions. The heart of the process is the ability to track learner involvement in STEMI activities, events and competitions from Grade 1 to postgraduate level, with the expectation of identifying talented learners using social media on mobile phones.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This case study focused on a community outreach initiative in South Africa and sought to explain why – despite technology that permits bi-directional oral communication during televised instruction – viewer participation was poor. A... more
This case study focused on a community outreach initiative in South Africa and sought to explain why – despite technology that permits bi-directional oral communication during televised instruction – viewer participation was poor. A small-scale quantitative approach established how prevalent poor participation was, while rich experiential interviews and video data identified why viewers refrained from participating overtly. The use of Atlas.ti TM to analyse systematically the volume of unstructured data as a single unit not only facilitated analysis, but also enhanced the validity of the inquiry. Key findings suggested that the rate of viewer participation during telelessons was not directly influenced by their English proficiency, as initially anticipated, but by a combination of variables related to technical limitations and inappropriate methodological design. This article focuses specifically on the instructional dissonance created by telepresenters, and how this accounted for v...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Background: Games for learning (educational games) are viewed as instructional strategies requiring students to engage in competitive activities with predetermined rules and conditions. Various studies propose beneficial effects of games... more
Background: Games for learning (educational games) are viewed as instructional strategies requiring students to engage in competitive activities with predetermined rules and conditions. Various studies propose beneficial effects of games for learning and predict their increased future use. The elements of games for learning contribute towards making them pedagogically sound and teachers and higher education lecturers have increasingly become interested in using them to enhance traditional teaching and learning environments. Aim: This paper documents a systematic review of empirical and theoretical articles on the use of games for learning in teaching and learning in order to determine how games for learning could contribute towards Accountancy Education. Method: Articles listed in digital academic databases were systematically reviewed according to: (i) the timespan as 2011-2017; (ii) the document type as journal articles; (iii) the keywords as “educational games AND student curiosi...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The National Research Foundation of South Africa for the Second International Technology in Education Survey 2006 grant (ICD2006071400008) and the North-West University
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A growing body of literature on undergraduate teaching and learning indicates that lecturers should constantly amend their teaching practices and pedagogical framework. Responses from the business world and the accounting profession... more
A growing body of literature on undergraduate teaching and learning indicates that lecturers should constantly amend their teaching practices and pedagogical framework. Responses from the business world and the accounting profession indicate that lecturers should incorporate workplace skills, as well as the practical application of theory in their teaching practices. Teaching and learning research across disciplines suggests that the use of games in classrooms could not only address the skills required in practice, but also enhance students’ motivation to learn. The objective of this paper was to develop a table-top board game for accounting students to address the skills they require in the workplace, but also to apply theoretical concepts learnt by playing the game in order to motivate students to deepen their learning. This paper was designed as a locally bound case study. Accounting students, as research participants, played the custom-made table-top board game and later, by mea...
This paper presents the results of a heuristic evaluation to appraise the design components and the first development interface of a first year mobile Statistics serious game-Vuvu's Statventure. Through the heuristic evaluation the... more
This paper presents the results of a heuristic evaluation to appraise the design components and the first development interface of a first year mobile Statistics serious game-Vuvu's Statventure. Through the heuristic evaluation the researchers wanted to ensure that the preferred game attributes are present and accounted for in the first Episode of the mobile serious game for statistics. This enabled the researchers to: (i) assess whether the conceptual features of the educational game pose potential problems to prospective first year student users, and (ii) to incorporate participants' contributions into game design realities. Three game attributes formed part of the heuristic evaluation: (i) character-based inquiry; (ii) gameplay-related inquiry; and (iii) user-interface design. The results indicated that the students were satisfied with the elements conceptualised for the game and contributed greatly in terms of gameplay and character enquiry.
Research Interests:
The paper describes playing experiences and features of mathematical mobile game UFractions developed for the South African context. We explore the role of culture in learning mathematics, and describe the phenomena of mobile gaming in a... more
The paper describes playing experiences and features of mathematical mobile game UFractions developed for the South African context. We explore the role of culture in learning mathematics, and describe the phenomena of mobile gaming in a real-life developing educational context. Since UFractions applies concrete, tangible manipulatives (math rods) to permit deep understanding of mathematical concepts, we explore which aspects of combining manipulatives and a mobile game influenced the learning of mathematics. A prototype of UFractions was tested in five South African multi-cultural school environments during March 2009. A total of 105 Grade 8 mathematics learners and five teachers participated in the evaluation of the game. UFractions created the opportunity for the participants to learn the concept of fractions, as well as familiarize themselves with the main game characters, Mother Leopard and her cub Senatla, while playing the game. The empirical research indicates positive attit...
Research Interests:
This study aimed to identify and rank the serious game fidelity themes that should be considered for retaining both the learning potential and predicted market growth of serious games. The authors also investigated existing links between... more
This study aimed to identify and rank the serious game fidelity themes that should be considered for retaining both the learning potential and predicted market growth of serious games. The authors also investigated existing links between fidelity and AI. The methodology unraveled serious game fidelity through the co-development of a theory- and data-driven codebook, applying the constant comparison method for data analysis. The theory-driven codes stemmed from literature while the data-driven codes emerged from a heuristic user interface evaluation of a comic book style game, named ExMan. This article identifies five fidelity themes, with functional fidelity as most important, and postulates that functional fidelity is most suited to AI integration. This study delivers a fidelity-for-serious-games codebook and concludes that observing the suggested fidelity hierarchy could safeguard that neither digital game-based learning is watered down, nor the lustre of digital gameplay dulled. ...
Research Interests:
Student satisfaction, as a key psychological-affective outcome of tertiary education, is a direct measure of the success of Open Distance Learning (ODL). It is therefore vital for ODL Higher Education Institutions to assess and improve... more
Student satisfaction, as a key psychological-affective outcome of tertiary education, is a direct measure of the success of Open Distance Learning (ODL). It is therefore vital for ODL Higher Education Institutions to assess and improve student satisfaction constantly. Existing theories on student satisfaction are mostly derived from deductive research, i.e. from research that considers the existing body of knowledge, followed by an investigation of a specific aspect or component, in order to reach a specific conclusion. We, however, maintain the inductive stance that a research framework for student satisfaction in ODL should be derived from students themselves. Accordingly, we purposively collected qualitative data from N=34 South African postgraduate ODL students, representative of various cultural language groups, with regard to student satisfaction. Supported by Atlas.ti, we composed an integrated dataset comprised of students’ responses to two focus-group interviews, as well as...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This article reports on the development of a custom-made questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed with the aim to compile guidelines for the professional development (PD) of mathematics teachers for the pedagogical use of... more
This article reports on the development of a custom-made questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed with the aim to compile guidelines for the professional development (PD) of mathematics teachers for the pedagogical use of information and communication technology (ICT) integration in teaching and learning. During the standardisation and validation of the questionnaire it was distributed to 179 schools and 300 teachers in eight educational management districts in the Western Cape, South Africa. The extracted factors had a reliability level higher than 0.8, which indicates the items in the questionnaire are significant to address the research problem and the questionnaire is valid for ICT PD.
Research Interests:
Serious games have, to some degree, relocated from desktops to palmtops. Developers of serious games employ eyetracking as part of their evaluation of user learning experiences on an array of devices. Those who do not use eyetracking for... more
Serious games have, to some degree, relocated from desktops to palmtops. Developers of serious games employ eyetracking as part of their evaluation of user learning experiences on an array of devices. Those who do not use eyetracking for usability evaluation agree that it seems a good idea. This paper provides an initial analysis of literature findings selected according to stringent search criteria to contribute towards a conceptual framework for the use of eyetracking for serious games to improve user learning experiences. Electronic articles were analyzed of which (i) the time span was 1999–2015; (ii) the document type was articles in journals; (iii) the keywords for searches were ‘‘eye tracking AND serious games’’ and some permutations thereof; and (iv) the articles spanned all disciplines. The qualitative analysis of the six identified articles rendered an unexpected large number of 34 findings suited to compilation of the conceptual framework. The findings grouped as six themes; three relating to user learning aspects during gameplay and three relating to eyetracking measures.
Research Interests:
This paper addresses the affective human experiences in terms of the emotions of South African teacher-students while attaining computer competencies for teaching and learning, and for ODL. The full mixed method study investigated how... more
This paper addresses the affective human experiences in terms of the emotions of South African teacher-students while attaining computer competencies for teaching and learning, and for ODL. The full mixed method study investigated how computers contribute towards affective experiences of disadvantaged teacher-students. The purposive sample related to a criterion-based selection of N=339 teacher students attending supplementary computer literacy training which not only entailed the attainment of pedagogical knowledge and skills, but also of basic computer literacy skills for teaching and learning. Affective coding methods investigated subjective qualities of human experience. Qualitative emotion coding identified n = 31 emotion codes that categorized n = 1235 instances of computer literacy learning emotions. Quantitized qualitative data were used to quantitatively proof the validity of n = 29 emotion codes, before trustworthy qualitative discussion of findings were reported. A two di...
Research Interests: Educational Technology, Mixed Methods, Mixed Methodologies, Critical Pedagogy, Political Science, and 15 moreComputer Literacy, Computer Mediated Communication, Academic Emotions and Motivation, Emotions And Self Regulated Learning, Mixed Methods Research, Coding, ICT in Teachers Education, Emotions, Models, Knowledge Communities, Adult Computer Literacy, Developmental Work Research, Instructional Engineering, Open Distance Learning, and E Learning
We are investigating thin foil Faraday collectors as a diagnostic for lost alpha particles from high yield d-t tokamak fusion plasmas. One advantage of this concept is the predicted ability to operate under fairly high neutron/gamma... more
We are investigating thin foil Faraday collectors as a diagnostic for lost alpha particles from high yield d-t tokamak fusion plasmas. One advantage of this concept is the predicted ability to operate under fairly high neutron/gamma radiation backgrounds. We have tested this prediction by measuring the current from a thin (2.5 n) Ni foil placed in the core of the TRIGA fission reactor at the Denver Federal Center. At a maximum steady state power of 950 kW (1E13 n/cm2/s) a current of 1.2 nA/cm2 was measured. This measured current at the maximum power is somewhat larger than the calculated current (0.5 nA/cm2). These results, future planned measurements, and the application of this diagnostic to proposed burning plasma (BPX) experiments will be discussed.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Computer Science, Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Distance Education, and 15 moreHigher Education, Instructional Technology, Computer Mediated Communication, Online Learning, Distance Learning, Interactive Learning Environments, Learning Community, Asynchronous Communication, Interactive Learning, Online Discussion, Community of Learners, Online Community, Online Courses, Group Project, and Lurkers
The requirement for continuous professional development for in-service teachers is no longer a choice but an imperative in South Africa. The School of Continuing Teacher Education (SCTE) at the North-West University (NWU), Potchefstroom... more
The requirement for continuous professional development for in-service teachers is no longer a choice but an imperative in South Africa. The School of Continuing Teacher Education (SCTE) at the North-West University (NWU), Potchefstroom Campus can no longer ignore ...
Abstract: Higher education institutions deliver web-based learning with varied success. The success rate of distributed online courses remain disappointingly low despite high expectations from students of anytime, anywhere, and... more
Abstract: Higher education institutions deliver web-based learning with varied success. The success rate of distributed online courses remain disappointingly low despite high expectations from students of anytime, anywhere, and just-for-me education. Factors such as ineffective ...
Research Interests:
Abstract: Online facilitation influences successful completion of online courses. Facilitators walk a tightrope between providing sufficient student support and keeping a suited profile to establish a virtual community of learners. King... more
Abstract: Online facilitation influences successful completion of online courses. Facilitators walk a tightrope between providing sufficient student support and keeping a suited profile to establish a virtual community of learners. King solved his dilemma by creating A Virtual Student, ...
Research Interests:
Forklift training is one of many training programmes which involve heavy machinery or industrial equipment. During such sessions, it is not only the equipment, but also the trainer, trainees and others who may be at risk. Theoretical... more
Forklift training is one of many training programmes which involve heavy machinery or industrial equipment. During such sessions, it is not only the equipment, but also the trainer, trainees and others who may be at risk. Theoretical aspects can be presented without any risk, but practical aspects are dangerous, especially where novices are involved. Novice trainees not familiar with forklift controls, could easily err as they do not always contemplate the outcomes of their driving. It would be ideal if they could undergo training in a risk free virtual environment where they could have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Due to advanced technologies in the world we live in, the younger generation find the use of technology interesting while they perceive learning as boring. Serious games provide Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) which is also fun when learning and gaming are combined. The authors previously investigated how a digital forklift training in a virtual enviro...
This paper addresses the affective human experiences in terms of the emotions of South African teacher-students while attaining computer competencies for teaching and learning, and for ODL. The full mixed method study investigated how... more
This paper addresses the affective human experiences in terms of the emotions of South African teacher-students while attaining computer competencies for teaching and learning, and for ODL. The full mixed method study investigated how computers contribute towards affective experiences of disadvantaged teacher-students. The purposive sample related to a criterion-based selection of N=339 teacher students attending supplementary computer literacy training which not only entailed the attainment of pedagogical knowledge and skills, but also of basic computer literacy skills for teaching and learning. Affective coding methods investigated subjective qualities of human experience. Qualitative emotion coding identified n = 31 emotion codes that categorized n = 1235 instances of computer literacy learning emotions. Quantitized qualitative data were used to quantitatively proof the validity of n = 29 emotion codes, before trustworthy qualitative discussion of findings were reported. A two di...
Research Interests: Educational Technology, Mixed Methods, Mixed Methodologies, Critical Pedagogy, Political Science, and 15 moreComputer Literacy, Computer Mediated Communication, Academic Emotions and Motivation, Emotions And Self Regulated Learning, Mixed Methods Research, Coding, ICT in Teachers Education, Emotions, Models, Knowledge Communities, Adult Computer Literacy, Developmental Work Research, Instructional Engineering, Open Distance Learning, and E Learning
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract: Anecdotal evidence suggests that instructor performance in the online discussion portion of online courses has a major impact on learning and learner satisfaction. If this is the case, faculty development is an important... more
Abstract: Anecdotal evidence suggests that instructor performance in the online discussion portion of online courses has a major impact on learning and learner satisfaction. If this is the case, faculty development is an important component of success. This paper describes the ...
In an online forum at a higher education institution in South Africa, interventions from management in order to moderate discussions, result in antagonism and the smothering of dissident discourse. Critical poststructuralist theory, the... more
In an online forum at a higher education institution in South Africa, interventions from management in order to moderate discussions, result in antagonism and the smothering of dissident discourse. Critical poststructuralist theory, the model of communicative democratic discourse as held by Iris Marion Young, and the tenets of ideal speech as held by Jürgen Habermas, inform the study while it investigates how the internal and external moderation of the forum limit and terminate essential discourse which could be instrumental in the critical construction of meaning and the exercise of freedom of speech. The methodology of grounded theory and the approach of critical discourse analysis direct the exploration of interview transcripts and forum text. In the analysis of characteristics displayed in discursive moderating strategies, the researchers are enabled to propose a form of emancipatory moderation within the discourse which could result in better understanding among opposing partie...
Research Interests:
Organizations aspire to lead in their fields to attract the most profitable customers and clients. e-Maturity, specifically the utilization of Information Technology (IT), provides such a leading edge. Workers are constantly retrained to... more
Organizations aspire to lead in their fields to attract the most profitable customers and clients. e-Maturity, specifically the utilization of Information Technology (IT), provides such a leading edge. Workers are constantly retrained to keep up with the dynamics of the organization. ...