MALES IN FOUNDATION PHASE (MIF)

The team is united by a shared commitment to advancing equitable and innovative education that supports both teachers and young learners. Their collective goal is to strengthen teaching and learning in primary and early childhood education through research, collaboration, and the integration of contextually responsive and technology-enhanced pedagogical practices.

Leadership

The team is led by Dr Samantha Kriger, a lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. With extensive experience in teacher education, curriculum, and educational equity, she provides academic leadership and direction, guiding the team’s research and collaboration in advancing primary and early childhood education.

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Meet the team

The team embodies a collaborative and inclusive culture rooted in academic excellence, innovation, and social justice in education. With expertise spanning educational technology, curriculum studies, teacher education, leadership, physical education, and early childhood development, the team is united by a shared commitment to improving teaching and learning across South Africa, particularly within primary and early childhood education contexts. Their research and practice engage deeply with the realities of under-resourced and rural schools, promoting equitable access to quality education and fostering inclusive pedagogies. The team values mentorship, reflective practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration, creating a vibrant environment where research, teaching, and community engagement intersect. Collectively, they cultivate a culture of care, integrity, and professional growth, one that empowers educators, supports young learners’ development, and advances transformative educational practices across all learning levels.

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Samantha Kriger

Dr Samantha Kriger is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa. She holds undergraduate, Honours, and Master’s degrees in music and education from the University of Cape Town (UCT), and a PhD in Curriculum Studies from Stellenbosch University. With over 25 years of teaching experience in South African schools, her research lies at the intersection of teacher education, curriculum, literacy & language development, and educational equity in South Africa. More specifically, she investigates how socio-cultural, linguistic, and institutional factors influence teaching practice and learning opportunities in under-resourced contexts. During and after the COVID-19 era, she expanded her inquiry into how disruptions impact academic careers, care work, and institutional resilience in higher education, particularly for female academics. Publications have appeared in Research Policy, Harvard Educational Review, Women’s Studies International Forum, South African Journal of Childhood Education, and Perspectives in Education. ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4085-4380

Amy Sarah Padayachee

Dr Amy Sarah Padayachee is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). She specialises in Education Management and Leadership, with a strong focus on governance, policy implementation, and the transformation of South African schooling. Her academic and research interests include educational leadership for social justice, school governance dynamics, teacher professional development, and the impact of contextual challenges on education. Dr Padayachee has presented her work at several national and international conferences and has authored publications exploring issues of educational policy, leadership, and teacher retention. As an emerging researcher, she is committed to advancing equitable and inclusive leadership practices in education. Her work bridges scholarship and practice, contributing to the development of reflective, ethical, and transformative leaders within South Africa’s evolving educational landscape.

Andrew Wambua

Andrew Wambua is a Kenyan scholar and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Global Institute for Teacher Education and Society (GITES) at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa. He is the co-founder and director of Africa Voices Dialogue, an organization that amplifies the voices of African educators, learners, and communities. He also serves as an advisory board member for the Journal of Professional Capital and Community (JPCC) and previously served on the board of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI). Dr. Wambua, who holds a doctorate in Educational Sciences from Heidelberg University in Germany, has educated students in Kenya, Germany, and South Africa. He has also mentored early career communities in Chile, Ireland, South Africa, and Australia. His research interests include school leadership, teacher professional development, collaborative professionalism, and indigenous knowledge systems. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1696-095X

Lebohang Mahlo

Dr Lebohang Mahlo is a Lecturer in ICT in Education within the Faculty of Education at Sol Plaatje University in the Northern Cape, South Africa. He holds a Doctor of Education degree from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, specialising in educational technology. Before joining higher education, he served as a primary school teacher, where he developed a deep passion for researching how young learners engage with technology to support meaningful learning. His research interests lie in the integration of educational technology in both primary and higher education, teacher professional development through hybrid Communities of Practice, and the use of Artificial Intelligence to enhance teaching and learning. Dr Mahlo’s scholarly work also extends to exploring gender dynamics and teacher identity in the foundation phase, particularly through his involvement in the Males in Foundation Phase (MiF) research project, which investigates the role and experiences of male teachers in early childhood education. His ongoing work reflects a strong commitment to advancing equitable and innovative pedagogical practices across educational levels, with a special focus on improving learning outcomes in the primary school sector. ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6645-6009

Clive Jimmy William Brown

Dr Clive Jimmy William Brown is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa, where he coordinates the Intermediate Phase Teaching Practice programme and serves as Chairperson of the Faculty Transformation Committee. A Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education, his research critically explores power dynamics, precarity, and student-teacher experiences during teaching practicum, drawing on phenomenological and autoethnographic approaches. Dr Brown is deeply engaged in national and international higher education collaborations, including the TAU (Teaching Advancement at Universities) Fellowship, and co-edits scholarly volumes and special journal issues on transformation and work-integrated learning. Passionate about advancing inclusive teacher education, he advocates for greater participation of male educators in the Foundation Phase and foregrounds student voice, relational pedagogy, and care ethics as essential to transforming educational spaces.

George Joubert

Dr. GF Joubert is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa. He holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Human Movement and Education, and a PhD focusing on the impact of physical education on the lives of learners from rural multigrade school environments. With extensive experience in teacher education and community development, Dr. Joubert’s research and teaching are rooted in Physical Education, multigrade pedagogy, and educational equity. His work explores how contextual, social, and environmental factors shape teaching and learning within under-resourced and rural settings, with a particular focus on the development of holistic and inclusive physical education practices. In addition to his academic career, Dr. Joubert is an international track and field athlete and coach, having contributed to athlete development and talent identification initiatives across Africa and abroad. His international collaborations bridge education, sport science, and community engagement, promoting capacity-building among teachers and young athletes in diverse contexts. Dr. Joubert’s current research and outreach projects focus on multigrade education, physical literacy, and teacher training, integrating critical thinking, responsible AI use, and culturally responsive pedagogy in Human Movement studies. His academic and coaching expertise continues to inform innovative approaches to teaching, mentorship, and applied research in physical education.

This project is proudly supported by the Global Institute for Teacher Education and Society (GITES). Thank you for the research support, and ongoing commitment to advancing education in South Africa. GITES’s commitment to advancing research on equity, teacher development, and transformative education has provided both intellectual and practical grounding for this work. Through its collaborative ethos and focus on addressing systemic inequalities, GITES continues to inspire research that shapes inclusive, socially just, and contextually responsive teacher education in South Africa and beyond.

We gratefully acknowledge the invaluable financial support of the Research Innovation Fund for Teaching and Learning (RIFTAL) at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The institutional leadership, research support, and ongoing commitment to advancing education in South Africa has been invaluable to this project.

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