Sustainability of play and technology-based approaches in science and elementary technology lessons at upper primary level in Rwanda

• In Event: Exploring Teacher Effectiveness, Technology Integration, and Equity Across Global Contexts

Proposal

The digital revolution has introduced significant changes in educational landscapes, fostering new learning opportunities while also presenting challenges such as the digital divide and ethical concerns regarding data use and privacy. In Rwanda, efforts to incorporate technology into education aim to enhance learning experiences and outcomes, especially in STEM subjects. This study explored how sustainable these technology-based educational interventions are and their impacts on students (ages 10-12) and educators. It investigated the sustainability of integrating play and technology-based approaches into Science and Elementary Technology lessons at the upper primary level in Rwanda, using Learning to Play with Technology approaches (LtPT). It focused on how teachers and headteachers can continue using the methodologies taught after the project ends.
The Government of Rwanda (GoR) has increasingly focused on building a knowledge-based economy, with a strong emphasis on science and technology. This shift is anchored in the competency-based curriculum (CBC) introduced in April 2015. The government's latest education policy underscores the importance of holistic skills – referred to as 'generic competencies' – such as communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, creativity, and entrepreneurship. These competencies are viewed as essential for children's academic success, civic engagement, and lifelong learning. Among the government's key priorities is the enhancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education at all levels (MINEDUC, 2019). LtPT has emerged as a powerful tool for fostering these holistic skills, aligning with curriculum goals, and engaging children in STEM education. LtPT taps into the technological and digital landscapes that are increasingly central to children's lives, offering innovative, interactive learning approaches that prepare them for the future workforce (World Economic Forum, 2020). The study focused on a project aimed at integrating LtPT into Rwanda's educational system and improving Science and Elementary Technology (SET) education for children aged 10-12 (Primary 4-6). It involved training and supporting teachers to implement play-based learning, with a particular emphasis on the three SET topics of tinkering, coding, and robotics. By collaborating with the Ministry of Education, the Rwanda Education Board, and local EdTech partners, this four-year project, running from July 2021 to December 2024, reached over 110,000 students and 750 teachers across 312 schools in six districts.
Our study aimed to provide in-depth insights into the extent to which the approach to learning through play and technology was intended to be sustained by educators beyond the life of the project, and to assess the sustainability of these approaches in the Rwandan educational context. The research objectives were to identify the most useful and sustainable LtPT practices in the classroom, and to identify factors that influence the long-term adoption and integration of these approaches.
The study adopted a qualitative approach to exploring the implementation of the LtPT approach in SET lessons across twelve participating schools from the perspective of those delivering and participating in these approaches. Our methods were based on the interpretivist approach, which emphasises the exploration of the way that social actors experience and interpret the world they participate in. This usually involves drawing on multiple sources of qualitative, in-depth data collected through interviews, observations or focus groups to construct a picture of subjective ‘realities’ (Robson and McCartan, 2016). Thus, this approach emphasises the importance of lived experiences, feelings, and perceptions of social actions.
Qualitative approaches (or ‘case-based’ strategies) tend to be interested in a small number of interesting or significant cases (Ragin, 1999) which allows a depth of learning, and an understanding of contextual factors that explain how or why certain patterns occur (or do not occur). This study explored the specific case of the most useful LtPT approaches used in SET classrooms in twelve schools supported by the Plug-in Play project in different contexts. A non-probability purposive sampling strategy was used to select a list of primary schools for data collection.
The study employed qualitative data collection and analysis. It explored the views and practical experiences of teachers, headteachers and Directors of Studies in twelve schools participating in the project, and of SET teacher trainers from Teacher Training Colleges (TTC).
The study's results underscored the potential benefits of integrating play and technology in education but also highlighted the need for supportive infrastructure and professional development for educators. These findings are crucial for informing policies aimed at promoting digital inclusivity and equitable access to educational resources.
The research provided valuable insights into the effectiveness and sustainability of innovative teaching methods in the digital age. The LtPT practices had the potential to be scalable, there were variations in how teachers applied these practices, with some methods being more easily adopted than others. Schools and Teacher Training Colleges utilised LtPT resources in diverse ways, but the sustainability of these practices depended on several factors, including leadership support, resource availability and teacher skill, which differed in each of the three SET topics, and community involvement. By addressing the challenges and leveraging the opportunities presented by technology, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on how to envision and implement future-ready education systems.

Authors

• Maria Jose Guevara Duque, National Foundation for Educational Research

• Geeta Gambhir, National Foundation for Educational Research