scholarly journals Researching higher education in Africa as a process of meaning-making: Epistemological and theoretical considerations

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Michael Cross ◽  
Logan Govender
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
African Experience ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Political Epistemology ◽  
Theoretical Considerations ◽  
Education In Africa

In this article, we argue for a new way of thinking about knowledge construction in African higher education as a basis for developing new theoretical and epistemological insights, founded on inclusivity, epistemic freedom, and social justice. We recognise coloniality as a fundamental problem that needs us to scrutinise our knowledge of decolonisation (about decolonisation itself) and our knowledge for decolonisation (to make change possible). Following Bourdieu (1972), such thinking also requires degrees of vigilance that entail fundamental epistemological breaks, or put differently, it requires epistemological decolonisation as a point of departure. Thus, the future of tertiary education in Africa must be located within a new horizon of possibilities, informed by a nuanced political epistemology and ontology embedded in the complex African experience and visibility of the colonised and oppressed. In short, there can be no social justice without epistemic justice.

scholarly journals Tuning as Instrument of Systematic Higher Education Reform and Quality Enhancement: The African Experience

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karola Hahn ◽  
Damtew Teferra
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Higher Education Reform ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Quality Enhancement ◽  
African Experience ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Education In Africa

This article explores the state of higher education in Africa as it relates to the experience and lessons learned in the Tuning African higher education project. It analyses the specific African dimension of the methodology, its contribution to the reform efforts in teaching and learning, and the critical issues vital for quality enhancement and harmonization of higher education in Africa.

scholarly journals Nancy Fraser and participatory parity: Reframing social justice in South African higher education, edited by Vivienne Bozalek, Dorothee Hölscher, and Michalinos Zembylas

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Sergio Celis
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education ◽  
Nancy Fraser

In this review of Nancy Fraser and participatory parity: Reframing social justice in South African higher education, edited by Vivienne Bozalek, Dorothee Hölscher, and Michalinos Zembylas, book reviewer Sergio Celis discusses why this book is an invitation to reimagine our participation in the higher education field, as scholars, teachers, and citizens. Keywords: Nancy Fraser, Participatory parity, South Africa, Higher education, Book review How to cite ths article: Celis, S. 2021. Nancy Fraser and participatory parity: Reframing social justice in South African higher education, edited by Vivienne Bozalek, Dorothee Hölscher, and Michalinos Zembylas. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. 5(1): 144-148. DOI: 10.36615/sotls.v5i1.178. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Developing Social Justice and Inclusion Competencies Through Semi-Structured Reflection Papers

2017 ◽  
pp. 75-91
Author(s):  
Annemarie Vaccaro ◽  
Brooke D'Aloisio ◽  
Tiffany Hoyt ◽  
Athina Chartelain ◽  
Sarah D Croft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Student Affairs Professionals ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Competency Development ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
University Employees ◽  
Cultural Inclusion

As higher education institutions strive to foster cultural inclusion, it is imperative that university employees develop relevant competencies. This chapter offers insight into one “best practice” for fostering social justice and inclusion competencies (ACPA/NASPA, 2015). A professor and former students discuss the benefits of using self-reflection papers for competency development. The chapter begins with an overview of social justice and inclusion competencies for higher education and student affairs professionals. That section is followed by a description of graduate-level courses and reflection paper assignments aimed at developing social justice and inclusion competencies. The majority of the chapter focuses on the educational process (e.g., meaning-making, critical reflection) and products (e.g., awareness, knowledge, skills, action) of semi-structured reflection papers. Recommendations for future practice and research are included.

Transformation and Social Justice in South African Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 1248-1262
Author(s):  
Sithabile Ntombela ◽  
Itumeleng I. Setlhodi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
South African ◽  
Education System ◽  
Model Transformation ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
E Learning ◽  
South African Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

There are inequalities at all levels of the South African education system, and these are more visible in higher education, which, until recently, was inaccessible to most people. Levelling the turf and bringing about true transformation in higher education institutions requires redress of past inequalities and catering for all students who seek admission. To increase participation levels by students from varied backgrounds and achieve justice, it is essential for higher education institutions, particularly those offering open distance e-learning, to devise plans towards tackling challenges confronting students and possible ways to overcome them. This chapter discusses the purpose of higher education in offering support to students in the context of massification. It also explores the manner in which higher education institutions model transformation, how they bring about equity and redress to overcome challenges and to pursue justice. Lastly, it concludes with possible considerations for these institutions to tackle inequalities and attain social justice for their students.

scholarly journals Challenges and Curriculum Transformation in the Higher Education Sector in South Africa: A Case Study in WASH to Improve the Training of Pharmacists

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-32
Author(s):  
Roman Tandlich ◽  
Nosiphiwe P. Ngqwala ◽  
Aileen Boshoff ◽  
Phindile Madikizela ◽  
C. Sunitha Srinivas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Postgraduate Research ◽  
South African Higher Education

AbstractIntroduction: South Africa is a member state of the “BRICS” bloc (BRICS2017.org, 2017) and the G20 group of the 20 nations/economic blocs, which between them account for the majority of the world’s trade and economic activity. It faces many developmental challenges which are mirrored in its higher education sector. In this article, the authors seek to provide an overview of the challenges that South African higher education faces in the achievement of the developmental goals of the country. The focus of this paper is a case study in WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) to improve context-specific responses that trains pharmacists on knowledge and skills.Methods: The study was performed as a combination of calculations and a literature review to obtain the background or current status of the higher education sector and developmental planning in South Africa. For this, data were extracted from the Statistics South Africa reports, relevant professional articles on South African higher education sector and results of postgraduate research. Workshop results which were obtained as a collaboration between a public and a private higher education institution and results of postgraduate research were used as the paradigm for transformation and decolonisation of the curriculum for a professional degree in South Africa.Results and discussion: Challenges exist in the South African tertiary education sector and the graduation rate currently stands at 65.1% of the target set by the National Development Plan. Around 58.1% of all students do not complete their university/post-secondary education, which could provide a partial explanation for the skills shortage in South Africa. Decolonisation and transformation of the tertiary education curriculum are major topics in the discourse on higher education in South Africa. The authors propose that one way to achieve this would be inclusion of research results and group activities in the area of water, sanitation and hygiene as a topic for possible and partial transformation of the Bachelor of Pharmacy curriculum.Conclusions: The current article summarises some of topics and challenges that drive the current discourse, developmental and curriculum debate in higher education in South Africa. Student access and through put at tertiary institutions need to be improved and the curriculum needs to be transformed.

scholarly journals Decolonizing higher education in Africa: Implications and possibilities for university libraries

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 289
Author(s):  
Dennis Ocholla
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Dependency Theory ◽  
Theory Of Education ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Education In Africa

Decolonizing higher education in Africa, a process inclusive of indigenous literacy, is an emancipatory transformative concept that is largely grounded on critical theory, critical theory of education, dependency theory, and Afrikology epistemology. The four theoretical perspectives espouse emancipation, transformation, liberation, empowerment, inclusivity, equality, co-existence and social justice, and, to some degree, are rooted in neo-Marxist radical paradigms and can be used as the theoretical lens for analyzing decolonization and indigenization.

scholarly journals Impression management within the recruitment interview: Narratives of employees at a South African higher education institution

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vuyelwa Dondolo ◽  
Willie T. Chinyamurindi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education

Orientation: Job interviews remain a popular platform on which organisations source talent. Interviewees seek to make an impression in interviews to influence the decision to be hired.Research purpose: The study explores why and how impression management manifests within the recruitment interview setting.Motivation for the study: Calls exist within the local and international literature for studies that explore the concept of impression management further as a basis to improve activities such as recruitment and selection.Research approach, design/method: An interpretivist research paradigm using the qualitative approach and the exploratory research design was utilised. In-depth interviews with 20 employees at a South African higher education institution were conducted. Narrative analysis formed the basis of the data analysis by adopting the three levels of the meaning-making approach used in previous studies.Main findings: Two major narratives emerged. Firstly, when exploring why impression management occurs in the recruitment interview, the strategising behaviour was identified. Secondly, when exploring how impression management occurs in the recruitment interview, the switching behaviour was identified.Practical/managerial implications: The study provides information that organisational strategists and recruiters can use to enhance not only the recruitment process but also the decisions informed by such processes.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge in an area of study that has received scant empirical focus locally and internationally. This can be a catalyst for future research on impression management.

scholarly journals Learning 2.0 in Knowledge Economy: A Case Study of a Pilot Project in Zambia

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Juseuk Kim
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
National Development ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Innovative Project ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Key Factor

This paper explores how Learning 2.0 in a knowledge economy can promote African higher education. It uses a case study of the pilot project in Zambia. The paper begins by showing that Learning 2.0 used in a knowledge economy is changing the nature of learning and providing new possibilities for learning. As higher education is a key factor for national development in knowledge economy, this is important for Africa. But Africa has few resources to expand quality tertiary education. An innovative project in Zambia uses Learning 2.0 to overcome some of these challenges and deliver quality higher education. The article shows how the project works and discusses some of the remaining challenges. In conclusion, the concept of the project presents that elements of the learning 2.0 in the knowledge economy can help to spread the higher education in developing countries.

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