Proceedings of The 6th International Academic Conference on Education
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Decolonisation of Education: The Pre-Service Teacher Turn
Prof. Saloshna Vandeyar
ABSTRACT:
Utilising the critically conscious teacher preparation framework, this qualitative case study set out to explore how pre-service teachers make the turn towards decolonisation of education. The meta-theoretical paradigm of social constructivism and the methodology of narrative inquiry was used. The research site was a large South African contact-based, research-intensive university. Data comprised a mix of an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Forty-one pre-service teachers responded to the survey. Twelve pre-service teachers were interviewed. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings reveal that pre-service teachers held divergent and nuanced conceptions of decolonisation of education which seeped into their practice. Pre-service teachers are constituted of multiple identities. Changes in beliefs, values, attitudes and mindsets are prerequisites for meaningful educational change. A glimmer of hope surfaced from the few pre-service teachers who ‘turned towards’ becoming transformative intellectuals and agents of change as they navigated through the road less travelled: the inclusive agentic route. Humanization, emancipatory praxis, horizon of hope and elements of sociogeny should frame decolonial pedagogies.
keywords: Critical consciousness, critical interculturality, decolonisation of education, pre-service teachers, teacher agency