EDITORIAL

Editorial

Labby Ramrathan

School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. ramrathanp@ukzn.ac.za

In this general issue, most articles focus on pedagogical concerns related to teaching and learning while others concentrate on the development of competence among novice teachers and post-graduate students.

This issue opens with Loquitur Maka and colleagues' article, "A ten-year bibliometric analysis of technology integration in South African higher education (2013-2023)" that assesses publication trends, maps thematic structures, and analyses frameworks that inform the integration of technology in higher education teaching and learning practices. They advocate for a balanced focus on infrastructure development, digital competencies, and pedagogical innovation. Then Phiwayinkosi Gumede and Andiso Ngobe contribute to this analysis of technology in teaching and learning processes with their article, "Infrastructural challenges impeding the integration of Information Communication Technology in South African Schools: The case of Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa", in which they identify key barriers to ICT adoption in school education.

Soené Botha, Maryke Anneke Mihai, and Pieter Hertzog du Toit in "The journey to developing a coding and robotics Whole Brain® curriculum for grade 4", use a case study of curriculum innovation at a private school to reveal that learner engagement and proficiency in coding principles in robotics in the early years of learning about this is enhanced by including Whole Brain® thinking. Then Appolonia Masunungure and colleagues, in "Embracing learners' cultural identity in the early years to enhance education for sustainable development", argue that in relation to immigrant learners at this phase of education, teachers should implement approaches that promote learners' cultural identities to improve their self-esteem. Then Sandra Stark et al., in their article "Distinguishing Dyslexia from foundational delay: Post-Covid reading outcomes in a high-needs South African school" explore reading proficiency outcomes in learners at risk of grade failure in a high-needs South African school. Their analysis reveals that external, context-specific factors, individually conceptualised as Foundational Delay Phenomenon, rather than Developmental Dyslexia, are often behind learners' low reading proficiency.

Kathy Luckett and Amanda Hlengwa, using a collaborative autoethnographic methodology, argue that accepting being vulnerable and building trust are key elements in decolonial pedagogy in their aptly named article, "Towards a decolonial pedagogy: Building trust and daring to be vulnerable." Then Rochelle Kapp et al., in their article, "Normalising newness: Towards a model for facilitating the transition of newly qualified teachers" respond to the praxis shock experienced by newly qualified teachers in the worksite. They argue that professional identity formation and development involve emotional labour as well as professional capabilities to address this shock. Noting the popularity of using writing retreats to assist post-graduate students in offering support to improve academic writing, Vaneshree Govender et al., in their article, based on a case study, "Perceptions of writing development among postgraduate students: The role of academic writing retreats at the Durban University of Technology", explore how such retreats enhance writing confidence and research engagement in these students.