Barriers affecting the use of technology at Adult Community Learning centres in Mpumalanga Province: An Exploration of Gert Sibande District

Barriers affecting the use of technology at Adult Community Learning centres in Mpumalanga Province: An Exploration of Gert Sibande District

Nkarhi Excellent Mathebula & Habasisa Vincent Molise

Issue: Vol. 7 No. 7 2026 Article 15 pp. 900 – 912
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.20267715 Published online 25th September 2026.

22 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study explores the barriers affecting the use of technology at Adult Community Learning Centres (ACLCs) in the Gert Sibande District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Although digital technologies are widely promoted as tools for lifelong learning, employability, and social inclusion, their integration into adult community education remains uneven and limited, particularly in rural and marginalised contexts. Guided by the theory of andragogy, the study examines how socio-economic conditions, institutional realities, and adult learners’ experiences shape technology use in ACLCs. An interpretive qualitative research design was employed, with data generated through semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations conducted at selected centres. The data was thematically analysed to identify recurring barriers to technology integration. The findings reveal that interrelated challenges, including poverty, limited access to digital devices, low digital literacy levels, inadequate training, unreliable internet connectivity, and shortages of functional technological resources within the centres, limit technology use. Infrastructural inequalities, insufficient institutional support, and weak implementation of technology-related policies further intensify these barriers. The study argues that without context-sensitive and adequately resourced interventions, technology initiatives may reinforce existing educational inequalities rather than promote empowerment and inclusion. The study recommends improved investment in digital infrastructure, continuous digital literacy training for educators and learners, and the development of inclusive technology policies that respond to the realities of adult community education.

Keywords: Adult Community Learning Centres, Technology Use, Digital Inequality, Andragogy, Qualitative Inquiry.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adam, L., and A. Tatnall. “Technology and Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Adult Learning in Developing Contexts.” International Review of Education 63, no. 5 (2017): 587–606.

Adera, E., et al. “Digital Literacy and Mobile Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Education and Information Technologies 19, no. 3 (2014): 473–89.

Baatjes, I., and V. McKay. “Challenges in the South African Adult Education Sector.” South African Journal of Education 36, no. 2 (2016): 1–9.

Boeren, E. “Lifelong Learning and Technology Use among Adults: A Critical Review.” Studies in Continuing Education 41, no. 3 (2019): 309–24.

Braun, V., and V. Clarke. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, no. 2 (2006): 77–101.

Brookfield, S. D. The Power of Critical Theory for Adult Learning and Teaching. Open University Press, 2005.

Creswell, J. W., and C. N. Poth. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches (4th Ed.). Sage, 2018.

Cropley, Arthur, and Chris Knapper. Lifelong Learning in Higher Education. Routledge, 2021.

Czerniewicz, Laura, Najma Agherdien, Johan Badenhorst, Dina Belluigi, Tracey Chambers, Muntuwenkosi Chilli, Magriet De Villiers, Alan Felix, Daniela Gachago, and Craig Gokhale. “A Wake-up Call: Equity, Inequality and Covid-19 Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning.” Postdigital Science and Education 2, no. 3 (2020): 946–67.

Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). “White Paper for Post-School Education and Training.” Pretoria: Government Printer, 2013. https://www.dhet.gov.za/SiteAssets/White Paper for Post-School Education and Training.pdf.

Dijk, Jan Van. The Digital Divide. John Wiley & Sons, 2020.

Foley, G. Theoretical Foundations of Adult Education. Allen & Unwin, 2011.

Hargittai, E. “The Digital Skills Gap: Implications for Access and Learning.” Communications of the ACM 61, no. 10 (2018): 54–61.

James, T. “ Mobile Learning in African Adult Education: Opportunities and Constraints.” International Journal of Educational Development 68 (2019): 48–56.

Knowles, M. S. The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy. Cambridge Books, 1980.

Knowles, M. S., E. F. Holton, and R. A. Swanson. The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. 8th ed. Routledge, 2015.

Lincoln, Yvonna S., and Egon G. Guba. “Ethics: The Failure of Positivist Science.” The Review of Higher Education 12, no. 3 (1989): 221–40. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1989.0017.

McKay, V. “Policy–Practice Gaps in Technology Integration in South African ACLCs.” South African Journal of Education 38, no. 3 (2018): 1–12.

Means, Barbara, Marianne Bakia, and Robert Murphy. Learning Online: What Research Tells Us about Whether, When and How. Routledge, 2014.

Merriam, Sharan B., and Elizabeth J. Tisdell. Qualitative Research. 4th ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2016.

Merriam, Sharan B., and Laura L. Bierema. Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. John Wiley & Sons, 2013.

OECD. Skills for 21st Century Learning: Insights from International Assessments. OECD Publishing, 2021.

Selwyn, Neil. Education and Technology: Key Issues and Debates. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021.

Unwin, T. B., Kleessen, D., Hollow, J. B., Williams, and L. Dlamini. “Digital Inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Perspectives from the Global South.” Information Technologies & International Development 16 (2020): 1–19.

Walters, S., and J. Watters. “Digital Access and Adult Learning in Rural South Africa.” Journal of Education and Human Development 8, no. 2 (2019): 23–35.

Walters, S. “Technology in Adult Education: Barriers and Opportunities.” Adult Education Quarterly 70, no. 1 (2020): 3–22.

Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research and Applications. Vol. 6. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2018.

AUTHOR(S)

Dr. Nkarhi Mathebula is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Limpopo. He is currently offering Adult Education at the Department of Education Studies at the University of Limpopo (South Africa). He holds a PhD from the University of Limpopo. Dr Mathebula has published 37 papers. He has presented papers in both national and international conferences and chaired various conference sessions. Dr Mathebula’s key areas of research interest include Adult Education; Higher Education; Teaching Practice; and Public Administration.

Habasisa Vincent Molise is a Lecturer and researcher affiliated with the University of Limpopo, South Africa. His research interests include Economics education, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, culturally responsive pedagogy and the use of indigenous games to teach abstract economic concepts. He has published more than 50 research articles in accredited journals and presented papers in both national and international conferences. His work promotes learner-centred, participatory and contextually relevant teaching approaches, particularly in rural and resource-constrained schools.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Mathebula, Nkarhi Excellent, and Habasisa Vincent Molise. “Barriers affecting the use of technology at Adult Community Learning centres in Mpumalanga Province: An Exploration of Gert Sibande District.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 7, no.7 (2026): 900 – 912. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.20267715