Teacher perspectives on CAMI implementation: Usability and pedagogical effectiveness for grade 8 linear equation word problems

Computer-Aided Mathematics Instruction (CAMI) has gained popularity in the teaching and learning of mathematics in rural schools. Davis’s Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Bandura’s Observational Learning Theory (OLT) were utilised to underpin this study. The two theories complement each other, with TAM addressing teachers' perceptions, while OLT was necessary in this study to explain how these perceptions are formed. This study employed a qualitative research approach to explore teachers' perceptions of using CAMI to teach linear equation word problems (LEWP). Additionally, this research adopts an existential phenomenological design to investigate CAMI's usability and pedagogical effectiveness within the Grade 8 LEWP context. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with Grade 8 teachers teaching LEWP. Thematic analysis was applied to the collected data, and the findings revealed that teachers who use CAMI to teach LEWP have both positive and negative perceptions. CAMI was found to be effective, as it assists teachers in teaching LEWP for conceptual understanding. However, the shortage of computers has limited many learners’ participation in lessons, as one laptop is shared by ten or more learners. The study recommends that CAMI be implemented in rural schools to teach mathematics, as it can work offline, which makes it easily accessible. Finally, schools should provide learners with more computers.