Exploring the Teacher Professional Development in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: In Pursuit of Social Justice

Oluwatoyin Ayodele Ajani
Edu-HRight Research Unit
North-West University, Potchefstroom
South Africa
oaajani@gmail.com

Abstract: The emergence of technology in various sectors of life has transformed the global world. Thus, making things easy. Technology acceptance in the education system has impacted and transformed the education system. This qualitative study explored the need for professional development of teachers in developing African countries to promote the adoption and use of ICT in classrooms for instructional delivery. Ten subject teachers from selected ten schools were engaged in a semistructured interview to collect data. Interviews were conducted after all necessary ethical conditions had been fulfilled. The interviews were audio-recorded with the permission of the participants. The recorded interviews were transcribed, coded to generate themes for the presentation and discussion of findings. Findings revealed that the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution was clearly understood by the teachers, however, they were hindered from embracing it in their teaching due to some factors such as lack of computer knowledge and skills, inadequate resources, and other barriers. The study, therefore, recommends regular and adequate training for teachers on the effective use of ICT in teaching and learning. Stakeholders are encouraged to provide adequate technical resources to all schools regardless of the school locations.