Exploring teachers’ experiences in teaching coding and robotics in the foundation phase (Grades R-3) in Umlazi, South Africa

Responding to the educational demands of the 21st century, South Africa introduced Coding and Robotics into the school curriculum to cultivate computational thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and digital literacy from the early years of schooling. To evaluate implementation and inform scaling, the Department of Basic Education piloted the programme in selected schools from 2020 onward, with the Foundation Phase positioned as a crucial site for early curriculum integration. Framed by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge model, this exploratory qualitative study examined pedagogical, content and technological teachers’ experiences in teaching Coding and Robotics in the Foundation Phase. Situated within an interpretivist paradigm, the study employed semi-structured individual interviews, document analysis, and classroom observations to generate data from five purposively selected participants across four pilot schools. The findings revealed that although teachers valued the subject and recognised its relevance to young learners, most lacked a firm grasp of the curriculum, struggled to interpret key concepts for younger children, and had limited pedagogical and technological knowledge and confidence to teach the subject effectively. The study concludes that effective Foundation Phase implementation depends on sustained professional development, access to age-appropriate curriculum resources, and stronger institutional support.