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

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.