Lecturer conceptions of and approaches to decolonisation of curricula

Mashiyi, Nomakhaya; Meda, Lawrence

doi:10.20853/34-2-3667

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Most published work and research on the decolonisation of Higher education curricula in South Africa are written from the perspective of traditional university curricula developers (Mashiyi 2020;Martinez-Vargas 2020;Le Grange 2016;Musitha and Mafukata 2018).…”

Section: Problem Statement and Research Questionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decolonizing the law curricula at Universities of Technology: The student’s perspective on content

Anwana

2022

SAJHE

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Universities of technologies (UoT’s) unlike most traditional universities in South Africa do not have law faculties and therefore only certain law modules such as commercial law, corporate law and other business law courses are offered to students. This article seeks to examine the extent to which Africanist epistemologies and perspectives should be included in the content of the business law curricula in UoT’s. The article applies the mixed methods research approach. Questionnaires with both closed and open-ended questions are administered to second year business law students of the Durban University of Technology (DUT). A semi-structured interview is conducted with third year business law students to ascertain their perceptions of the first year business law curricula and the content they would like to see included in the curricula. The results indicates that African students desire the inclusion of their lived experiences and epistemologies in the business law curricula. Students desire the inclusion of the indigenous jurisprudence of Ubuntu, traditional dispute settlement mechanisms, and other indigenous traditional contractual practices in the business law curricula. The findings will assist higher education managers and university curricula developers in developing an inclusive curricula that will meet the demands of African students.

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Section: Problem Statement and Research Questionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decolonizing the law curricula at Universities of Technology: The student’s perspective on content

Anwana

2022

SAJHE

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“…Decolonisation is a broad and contested field, with many South African scholars making important recent interventions (Fomunyam 2019;Mashiyi 2020;Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2018). There are important conversations to be had about whether we can seriously use a framework that contests power structures when the same framework has been adopted (co-opted) by power structures that is the neoliberal Historically White University (HWU).…”

Section: Cruel Optimism and Wilful Subjects: What Makes A "First" What Makes A "Fail"(ure)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Decolonisation of history assessment: An exploration

Godsell

2021

SAJHE

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Although assessment forms a key part of knowledge production in Higher Education spaces, it is rarely brought into the decolonisation conversation. Assessment performs a crucial inclusion/exclusion function. As this function determines formalised recognition of knowledge and proficiency, decolonisation of assessment should be part of decolonial research in Higher Education. Assessment outcomes determine whether and when students will progress and graduate If we focus solely on decolonising pedagogy and content, but rely on existing assessment practises, decolonisation stops at precisely the moment in which students' knowledge is measured.This article explores decolonising assessment through conceptual research and a case study using assessments and discussions from three History courses in a teacher education programme. This combination allows for the blending of a theoretical approach with some aspects of application, as well as a grounding in student-driven ideas. The case-study data is drawn from class discussions. 1 This article brings together principles of assessment, theories of teaching History, and theories of decolonisation. I examine how assessment can disrupt notions of where knowledge is held, built, and displayed. I also try to understand what kinds of assessment students could experience as enabling rather than gate-keeping. This investigation is exploratory, with the aim of opening a field of enquiry, not providing clear and definitive answers. However, as students pass through classrooms each year, there is an urgency to the enquiry. How these questions are approached day to day in the classroom will inform both findings and questions.

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“…One of the main reasons behind the pervasiveness of colonisation is due to the perceptions and understandings of academics which can mislead the true meaning and values non-White populations practice. For example, a study exploring the perception of university lecturers towards decolonising the curriculum revealed that lecturers had very mixed and mis-informed understandings of the issue ( Mashiyi et al, 2020 ). Some lecturers felt that there should be a shared understanding of the need to decolonise the curriculum, pondering on whether it would be a fundamental systematic change, something that would be done for research purposes, or whether decolonisation is being argued for because it is a popular topic in the media ( Mashiyi et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, a study exploring the perception of university lecturers towards decolonising the curriculum revealed that lecturers had very mixed and mis-informed understandings of the issue ( Mashiyi et al, 2020 ). Some lecturers felt that there should be a shared understanding of the need to decolonise the curriculum, pondering on whether it would be a fundamental systematic change, something that would be done for research purposes, or whether decolonisation is being argued for because it is a popular topic in the media ( Mashiyi et al, 2020 ). Some also shared the possibility of a political/racial agenda fuelling the need for decolonisation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some also shared the possibility of a political/racial agenda fuelling the need for decolonisation. In contrast to this, some lecturers strongly advocated for the need to involve students in extensive debates and discussions with academics to understand the issue at hand and explore practical changes which could be implemented ( Mashiyi et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decolonising the psychology curriculum: a perspective

2023

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Decolonisation seeks to reverse the impact of colonisation on minoritised groups. Governments, healthcare institutions, criminal justice and education systems have procedures and protocols deep-rooted in colonisation and operate through a western lens. Decolonisation reaches beyond increasing inclusivity and aims to re-establish history through the experiences and perspective of those most affected. As with many disciplines, core theories, practices and interventions within Psychology, an ethnocentric viewpoint has been used, continuously reinstated through its curriculum. With awareness around diversification and increase in varying demands, it is important that the Psychology curriculum evolves to suit the needs of its’ users. Many recommendations for decolonising the curriculum are trivial surface changes. These involve including required bibliography from diverse minority authors within the modules syllabuses or organising a one-off lecture or workshop from a minority ethnic speaker. Some universities have also suggested that lecturers participate in self-awareness practices to ensure they understand decolonisation to appropriately address it through their teaching, whilst others have provided checklists against which they can check the inclusivity of their modules. All these alterations fail to target the root of the problem. To properly reverse the effects of colonisation within the curriculum it would be necessary to re-evaluate the Westernised history that has been retold for years and teach past events through the experiences of those who suffered. Research into how decolonisation can occur in a structured and comprehensive way is necessary to enable the redress for abolition of colonial practices on a global scale.

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Lecturer conceptions of and approaches to decolonisation of curricula

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

Decolonizing the law curricula at Universities of Technology: The student’s perspective on content

Decolonizing the law curricula at Universities of Technology: The student’s perspective on content

Decolonisation of history assessment: An exploration

Decolonising the psychology curriculum: a perspective

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