This chapter seeks to provide the reader with the general background of the study. This chapter also shows the title, the focus, research objectives, and research questions of the study as well as the location of the study. Chapter One indicates the rationale or background of the study which outlines my personal reasons for undertaking the study; what the literature says about the study phenomenon (lecturers’ reflections) and study focus (use of Moodle); as well as the significance of the study. In addition, this chapter briefly looks at the literature review as based on the phenomenon (reflections), the focus (use of Moodle to teach science modules) as well as curriculum signals. Chapter One also highlights the synopsis of research design and methodology.
25 1.17.2 Chapter Two
This chapter provides the reader with the reviewed literature on lecturers’ reflection on the use of online Moodle LMP. In other words, this chapter interrogates lecturers’ reflections, Moodle as resource, and theories associated with online learning.
1.17.3 Chapter Three
Chapter three provides a detailed literature review on construction on curriculum and also provide detailed literature on curriculum signals which includes ensuring justice when teaching, teaching activities, assessment, platform, time, permission, content, and teacher’s character. These signals were unpacked according to their propositions framed by reflections.
1.17.4 Chapter Four
This chapter provide details on the contextualising of adopted theory, Technological, Pedagogical And Content Knowledge (TPACK) by unpacking its main knowledge domains into the context of teaching Physical Science modules using Moodle LMP to produce Reflections, Resources, Procedures And Module signal (RRPAMS) theory. In the contextualisation of TPACK theory this chapter used the Moodle training guide and module outlines in replacement of the university online learning policy.
1.17.5 Chapter Five
Chapter Five conceptualises reflections into action in the field context by unpacking the methodological paradigm (qualitative, quantitative, and pragmatic) as well as metacognition paradigm (critical, positivist, and interpretive). Strengths, competences, and advantages is unpacked in each paradigm.
26 1.17.6 Chapter Six
This chapter actualise lecturers’ reflections by outlining the style (Action research) which is used in conducting this study. It also unpacks research methods (reflective activity, artefacts, and one- on-one semi-structured interviews). Sampling (convenience and purposive sampling), trustworthiness (credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability), guided analysis (inductive and deductive reasoning), ethical issues and the limitations of the study are also unpacked based on definition, strength, weakness and the processes that prevails in this chapter.
1.17.7 Chapter Seven
This chapter presents, analyses, and discusses the findings from lecturers’ accounts generated in the action research. This chapter display how guided analysis is used through the deductive and inductive process. This chapter also shows how emerged concepts are developed into themes (lecturers’ reflections, resources, permission, Justice/goals, teaching activities, character, assessment, platform and time, and content) which then form categories that are aligned with the three levels of reflections (informal, formal, and non-formal).
1.17.8 Chapter Eight
This chapter outlines the overall purpose of this study by interpreting lecturers’ reflections using artefacts. Principles that create negativity and positivity are discussed in line with levels of reflections. This chapter discusses the principles that lead to the development of theory of an equilateral Moodle curriculum. The summery of the key findings based on the curriculum signals are discussed in order to address the three research questions of the study. Similarly, the summary of key responses to key research questions and educational implications are addressed in this chapter and this led to conclusions from the complete thesis.
27 1.18 Conclusion
This chapter introduced the study and laid the background of exploring lecturer’s reflections on the use of Moodle to teach Physical Science subjects. In support of this, the chapter has outlined the title, purpose, location, rationale, problem statement, and brief of the reviewed literature.
Further to this, Chapter One managed to show that this study is doable by outlining the skeleton of research design and methodology which includes the research approach, paradigm, style, sampling, data generation methods, data analysis, trustworthiness, ethics, and limitation.
Interestingly, this chapter outlined the overview of all chapters from Chapter One to Chapter Eight.
This chapter then leads to the start of Chapter Two.
28
CHAPTER TWO
Lecturers’ reflections on the use of Moodle in teaching Physical Science modules
Figure 2.1: Chapter 2 flow chat
29 2.1 Introduction
The previous chapter outlined this study on the basis of its background. The study background focused on study location, research aims and objectives, research questions, preliminary literature, importance of the study, basic review on theoretical framework, research and design. This chapter will unpack lecturers’ reflections (phenomenon). Thus, this chapter intends to look at the background definition of the reflections by discussing the trends of reflection as from 1933 to 2017. Furthermore, this chapter invents an emerging definition of reflection, which is embedded on the grounds of three categories as personal reflection, formal reflection, and informal reflection.
Be that as it may, this chapter also intends to unpack the literature on educational technology:
Moodle resource, which are divided into three namely, hard-ware, soft-ware, and ideological-ware resources (Govender & Khoza, 2017). Moreover, the ideological-ware resources are further discussed in order to show that electronic ideological-ware resources are divided into three types, namely, informal, formal, and personal electronic ideological-ware resources. It is one of the main objectives of this chapter to show that personal electronic ideological-ware resources merge the two electronic ideological-ware resources (informal and formal) through the discussion of various teaching and learning theories, which includes connectivism, Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), five-stage model, and Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK).
Towards the end of this chapter the importance of curriculum signals will be highlighted before conclusion is drawn which will lead to the next chapter.