Using E-Gaming to create a Sustainable Mentoring Framework for Foundation Phase Preservice Teachers

Lindiwe Jiyane ORCID iD, Blanche N. Hadebe-Ndlovu ORCID iD & Blandina Manditereza ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol. 6  No. 12 2025 Article 9  pp. 1355 – 1365
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.20256129 | Published online 30th December, 2025.
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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More often than not, the needs of big cohorts and the responsibilities of modern teaching are not adequately met by traditional mentoring systems. To provide a solution to this challenge, the study provided strategies on how to incorporate eGamification into mentoring, establishing a dynamic, cooperative online setting that promotes greater comprehension and memory of teaching techniques. The study involved 20 pre-service teachers, five mentor teachers, and five mentor lecturers from the selected Higher institution in Mpumalanga, and used a qualitative methodology based on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which included focus group interviews, individual interviews, and purposive sampling. The findings show how important mentoring is to pre-service teachers navigating lesson planning and classroom management. While mentor lecturers emphasized continual professional development to improve mentoring skills, mentor instructors emphasized open communication and trust. According to observations, effective mentor modelling and scaffolding enhanced pre-service teachers’ professional development and pedagogical expertise. Positive reactions were given to the suggested eGamification-enhanced framework, which emphasized group goal setting, ongoing feedback, and reflective activities. This creative mentorship strategy ensures pre-service teachers are prepared for the demands of modern teaching by utilizing professional capital and collaborative expertise to provide a dynamic solution to age-old problems. This study contributes to scholarship by demonstrating how e-gamification can create a scalable and sustainable mentoring framework that extends Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and addresses the pedagogical and digital needs of foundation phase teacher education.

Keywords: Mentoring Framework, E-gamification, Pre-Service Teachers, Teaching Practice, Foundation Phase, Progress Tracking.

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Dr Lindiwe Jiyane is a lecturer and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Coordinator at a university in South Africa. Her research interests include teacher education, mentoring and reflective practice in teaching practice, Foundation Phase pedagogy, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), language and literacy in multilingual contexts, and student success during WIL. Her scholarship advances practice-based and context-responsive approaches to teacher preparation.

Dr.Blandina Manditereza is an early childhood education specialist and university lecturer whose work focuses on language learning and digital pedagogy in the early years of education. She is recognised for her research on how teaching practices and educational technologies influence young children’s learning experiences. Her work contributes to improving teaching quality and supporting equitable learning opportunities for young learners in South Africa and beyond.​

Dr. Blanche N. Hadebe-Ndlovu is a scholar in early childhood and Foundation Phase education, with research interests in mathematics teaching and learning, play-based pedagogies, and inclusive practices in early schooling. Her work focuses on teachers’ pedagogical practices in diverse and resource-constrained contexts, with particular attention to strengthening teaching quality and learner engagement in the early years.

Jiyane, Lindiwe, Blanche N. Hadebe-Ndlovu, and Blandina Manditereza. “Using E-Gaming to create a Sustainable Mentoring Framework for Foundation Phase Preservice Teachers .” Journal of Education and Learning Technology  6, no. 12 (2025): 1355-1365. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.20256129.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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