Thirty-First International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Research has been conducted on the effectiveness of using WhatsApp for teaching and learning; however, few scholars have addressed preservice teachers’ experiences in early childhood education and in a developing country like South Africa. WhatsApp in teacher education has the potential to support preservice teachers during theory learning on campus and collaborative learning even during school-based work-integrated learning. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore preservice teachers’ experiences of using WhatsApp as an instructional aid in a teacher education program. The study is grounded on connectivism which emphasizes the importance of people connecting with each other and quickly access information. Three research questions focused on participants’ uses, benefits and challenges of integrating WhatsApp as a learning tool. A purposeful sampling method was used to select 8 final year preservice teachers who have been enrolled in the early childhood education program. The study used semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Interviews were transcribed, and the data were coded to identify patterns and major themes. The results revealed that preservice teachers had a positive experience with the use of WhatsApp as an academic tool including the sharing of learning material and the use of WhatsApp as a communication tool as well as a collaboration tool. Participants also identified challenges to learning using WhatsApp such as the cost of data, connectivity and load-shedding. Therefore, the paper proposes the use of WhatsApp in teacher education programs to close the bridge between theory and practice.