What are their perceptions of supplemental instruction? A South African study of student feedback analysis

What are their perceptions of supplemental instruction? A South African study of student feedback analysis

Siphelele Mbatha , Xolani Khohliso & Luzaan Schlebusch

Issue: Vol. 7 No. 2 2026 Article 6 pp.85 – 99
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026726 Published online 11th March 2026.

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ABSTRACT

This paper documents students’ perceptions of supplemental instruction based on feedback analysis. With the context of two South African universities occupying the central focus, the study presents the findings on how students observe supplemental instruction, thereby proposing the framework for advancing university teaching. The ontologies and epistemologies of the paradigm of pragmatism were employed in the investigation of the perceptions of supplemental instruction. Through a mixed-methods research approach, quantitative data from 6,772 randomly sampled final year students was collected. Qualitative data, on the other hand, were collected from 20 purposively sampled students. The latter methodological lens was used to collect and analyze data, which sought to address the following research question, which served as the guideline for this research endeavor: What are students’ perceptions of university supplemental instruction? The study was framed within the QUANT-QUAL explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design. The analysis of data, by SPSS and a thematic approach, was anchored on Constructivist theory. The findings identified that technology integration and supplemental student-teaching hallways lead to enhanced student engagement and active learning. The findings further underscore the critical role of supplemental instruction in assisting students to reflect on their performance in different modules. This study contributes to the growing field of technology-based teaching and learning by illustrating how supplemental instruction can be systematically integrated into the university teaching-learning context. The framework for advancing university teaching presented offers practical guidance for lecturers to implement supplemental instruction, while accommodating students’ technological needs and preferences.

Keywords: Supplemental instruction, university teaching, technology integration.

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AUTHOR(S)

Dr. Siphelele Mbatha is a Lecturer at the Central University of Technology, Free State, South Africa. His research interests lie within the teaching and learning of isiZulu literacy in childhood and in adult education, correctional adult early literacy and numeracy, as well as adult education as the behaviour rehabilitation strategy in correctional centre facilities. His research advocates for the intellectualization of isiZulu as the Language of Learning and Teaching in childhood and in adult education spaces. He has published in national and international journals.

Dr. Xolani Khohliso is the Director for Curriculum and Academic Staff Development and the Head for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. He is currently leading DHET funded project on Curriculum Renewal and Institutional Coordinator for the Language Policy Development project at the Central University of Technology, Free State. He holds a PhD in Curriculum Studies (UKZN), His research and teaching interests are in African Languages Pedagogy, Curriculum Design and Assessment in Higher Education. He supervises postgraduate students (Masters and PhDs). He has published numerous journal articles and book chapters, including co-editing a scholarly book. He has been a guest editor in various national and international journals.

Prof. Luzaan Schlebusch is a South African academic at the Central University of Technology, Free State, Welkom campus, where she serves as Assistant Dean: Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Humanities and as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. She holds a PhD in Education focused on computational thinking in Computer Applications Technology. Her research centres on ICT in education, digital pedagogy, curriculum innovation, and the integration of emerging technologies in teacher education. She has published in accredited international journals and regularly presents her work at national and international conferences, contributing to scholarship on technology enhanced teaching and learning in diverse educational contexts.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Mbatha, Siphelele, Xolani Khohliso and Luzaan Schlebusch. “What are their Perceptions of Supplemental Instruction? A South African Study of Student Feedback Analysis.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 7, no.2 (2026): 85 – 99. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2026726