ERIC Number: EJ1383393
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2415-0991
EISSN: EISSN-2519-5638
Decolonising and Transforming Curricula for Teaching Linguistics and Language in South Africa: Taking Stock and Charting the Way Forward
Transformation in Higher Education, v8 Article 200 2023
The #RhodesMustFall (RMF) protests at South African universities (2015--2018) were the publicly visible manifestation of deep epistemic problems in the higher education (HE) sector, particularly around questions of whose knowledges are validated and whether these are reflective of students' lived realities. This exploratory research attempted a snapshot of the state of curriculum transformation of the linguistic language disciplines in South Africa and to identify areas that require more attention. The authors focus on curriculum underpinning the teaching of linguistics and language-related disciplines. The study takes place at HE institutions in South Africa against the backdrop of substantial academic and public engagement around epistemic access in the HE sector. The authors used an anonymous questionnaire distributed among a purposive sample of 32 HE academics within the linguistics and language studies disciplines to elicit views around university curriculum transformation and decolonisation with particular focus on linguistic language disciplines curricula. Generally, practitioners indicate that there have been substantial changes in the disciplines over the past 10 years. There have also been notable achievements with respect to building broad curricula that are responsive to student needs and which balance the need to equip students to engage in global conversations while also being embedded in the contextual realities of South Africa, the African continent and students' lived experiences. Contribution: The authors conclude that although transformation has progressed considerably in key areas, the representativity of languages and theoretical approaches remain areas for development. The authors also highlight how disciplinary curricular choices are value-driven and that contestations around which values are to be validated may inhibit curricular transformation. In these contexts, individual agency around curricular choices is important.
Descriptors: Activism, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Educational Change, Colonialism, Curriculum Development, College Faculty, Teacher Attitudes, Intellectual Disciplines, Decision Making, Personal Autonomy, Professional Autonomy, Culturally Relevant Education, African Culture, Social Justice, Language Minorities, Applied Linguistics, English, English (Second Language), Indo European Languages, African Languages, Western Civilization, Language Usage, Language Variation, Student Empowerment, Multilingualism, Student Attitudes, Metalinguistics, Language of Instruction, Language Attitudes, Likert Scales, Social Change, Racial Segregation, Disadvantaged
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A