Connectivism Theory: Exploring its Relevance in Informing Lesotho’s Integrated Curriculum for Effective Learning in the Digital Age

Abstract

At present, the world is immersed in technology which seems to alter people’s way of life and how people learn. While traditional learning theories seem insufficient to explain how technology and the proliferation of information could be manipulated for effective learning, Connectivism theory emerged to salvage this insufficiency. Different countries around the globe are also occupied with reforming their curriculums to address contemporary issues. The study, informed by technology adoption model, deployed qualitative content analysis to investigate the degree of alignment between connectivism theory and Lesotho’s integrated curriculum for effective learning in the digital age. Document analysis was used to analyse the pedagogy section in CAP in order to identify principles and objectives that overlap with the major principles of connectivism. The findings indicated that to a large extent, connectivism and Lesotho’s integrated curriculum principles overlap. However, Lesotho’s integrated curriculum shrinks in explicitly guiding how technological skills could be promoted. It was therefore recommended that technology and digital tools should be integrated into the curriculum to enable students to engage in networked learning. In addition, there should be training of both teachers and students on ICT and network learning environments to enhance students’ learning.