Research Publications (Academic Support)

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Affective and embodied pedagogy as pathways to equity in curriculum and responsiveness
(2022-12-31) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
The question of equity in the South African educational landscape and particularly in the curriculum at all levels cannot be over emphasised, however achieving this equity has proven to be daunting task. The purpose of this article is to explore affective and embodied pedagogy as alternative pathways to equity in curriculum and responsiveness. Hamilton (2007) argues that beyond the idea that equity is morally right, striving for radical educational equity, is a winning strategy for all learners regardless of their background. With resistance to the drive to achieve equity almost guaran-teed, questions arise on how to achieve the same and ensure that curriculum responsiveness takes places for all learners/students. This paper seeks to answer the question. This paper theorised affective and embodied pedagogy, and generated pathways or forces which can be used to establish equity and responsiveness in education. The paper proposes diffractive physicality, social vulnerability and rhizomatic spatiality as the key constructs for equity and responsiveness. The paper concludes that affective and embodied pedagogy can be used as pathways to achieve equity in curriculum and responsiveness.
Can alignment of digital resources with needs produce a new curriculum theory for teaching?
(BRILL, 2020-12-14) Khoza, Simon Bheki; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Fomunyam, Kehdinga; Simon, Khoza
Teaching and graduating students have become important responsibilities for academics, helping their universities to fulfil disciplinary, societal, and personal needs. Academics use digital resources to support their teaching processes, in order to increase the student completion rate for their universities, improving the world rankings with funding. Digital resources divided into hardware, software, and theories work well when they are aligned with relevant needs. Therefore, this chapter presents an interpretive case study of eight academics who taught students specialising in Curriculum Development at a university in South Africa. The study explored and understood the alignment of digital resources with human needs involved in the teaching of master of education (MEd) students. Semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, and document analysis were used for data generation. Purposive with convenience sampling was used to select the eight most accessible participants. The study revealed that, when digital resources were used for teaching, this created competing perceived and conceived spaces that had to be integrated into lived space. This chapter, consequently, recommends the understanding and the use of the lived space, which is capable of helping individuals to self-actualise and be able to address societal and disciplinary needs.
Decolonising for higher education excellence
(2019-03-01) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
Decolonising higher education in the changing world
(Sun Media, 2019-03-01) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
The decolonisation of higher education is a critical yet highly debatable discourse in the early 21st century where scholars from across the world are moving towards a more congruent and borderless notion of education and responsiveness. The need for decolonisation in higher education, and more so in African higher education, cannot be overemphasised, especially in this era of globalisation and internationalisation where Africa and its education systems are continuously being misconstrued as possessing the same level of capital and political will to engage at a variety of levels. Education and decolonisation in Africa should embrace the notion of the pluriversal in response to the diverse contextual differences and realities permeating the local landscape, which in itself is longing for engagement and interrogation, so as to drive change and development
Decolonising perspectives in the era of globalisation and internationalisation
(African Sun Media, 2019-07-01) Jabosung, Kelly Ngesungwo; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Doh, Nubia Walters; Fru, Raymond Nkwenti
Conceived within a context of transdisciplinarity and pluriversalism, and in rigorous response to the Eurocentric, globalising and nationalising structures of power that undergird and inhabit contemporary praxis in higher education -
Decolonising the future in the untransformed present in South African higher education
(University of the Free State, 2017) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
South Africa as a nation became democratic in 1994 because of the end of apartheid. Since 1994, higher education has geared towards transformation and redress of the inequalities created by the inhuman policies of apartheid. While few applaudable steps have been taken towards this direction, South African higher education remains largely untransformed. For the past two years, a wave of student protest swept across the nation, calling for decolonisation of higher education in general and the curriculum in particular. This move brings to mind several questions about decolonisation and transformation. What is the state of South African higher education? Why has it remained untransformed since the advent of democracy? What should be decolonised to ensure transformation of the present and the future? This paper therefore ventures to answer these three questions using the theory of social transformation as a lens. The paper points out that funding structures, research politics, administrative structures and a lack of interest are amongst the reasons for the lack of transformation. The paper concludes that there will be no transformation until higher education institutions have been decolonised. Social transformation is therefore argued as the pathway for decolonisation. The paper recommends that transformation in higher education should go beyond the shelves where they are stored as policy to the classroom and university environment for practice and universities need to revise their understandings of transformation under the guidance of the DHET.
Deconstructing quality in South African higher education
(Emerald, 2018) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
>This study aims to examine six South African universities with a particular focus on the quality of teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was adopted and data were mainly generated by means of open-ended questionnaires. The questionnaire was circulated to approximately 1,800 students and 746 completed it. The data were categorized and analysed thematically, using both national and international benchmarks for quality teaching and learning. Findings The findings reveal that teaching and learning in South African universities is marred by a plethora of challenges. Lecturers lack basic skills and essential resources to effectively facilitate teaching and learning. Furthermore, quality benchmarks set by the Council on Higher Education are only met on paper and little or nothing is done to translate this into practice. Originality/value The study proposes among others that clearer policies on funding are recommended to ensure proper allocation of resources, staff development and institutional comeliness. Finally, to enhance transformation, universities should prioritize teaching and learning and take steps to ensure that those teaching in the classroom are qualified to do so.
Genopolitics : the dormant niche in political science curriculum in South African universities
(AOSIS, 2018) Hlatshwayo, Mlamuli N.; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
South African higher education institutions have been grappling with the challenges of transformation and decolonisation as a result of the 2015–2016 student protests calling into focus issue of access (both formal and epistemological), belonging, social justice, transformation and others. One of the key sites for this struggle for transformation has been curriculum and the notion of relevance in responding to the development of social reality. Political Science as a discipline has increasingly been confronted with an ‘existential crisis’ with scholars in the field asking critical questions on whether the discipline has reached a point of irrelevance to social reality. Three key critiques of political science as a discipline are discussed in this article – firstly, the critique that political science is obsessed with what has been termed ‘methodological fetishism’ in being unable to embrace new knowledge. Secondly, that political science tends to construct universal theories and concepts that assume global homogeneity and de-emphasise the importance of context and locality in knowledge, knowledge production and its experiences. Thirdly, and the central point of this article, the social disconnection between political science as a field and its [in]ability to make a socio-economic contribution to society. This article suggests that genopolitics allows us to critically reflect on and respond to the above notions of relevance in political science by looking at the role of genes played in political behaviour and genetic dispositions to see and analyses how people, communities and societies behave in the ways that illuminate our understanding of social reality.
ICT possibilities for primary and secondary education in Africa
(iaeme, 2019) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is an essential aspect of the primary and secondary education system in Africa. It is a well-known fact that ICT improves the quality of learning and teaching curriculum in schools, while serving as an agent of change by bringing growth and development to the economy. The aim of this paper is to highlight the positive impact of ICT in primary schools across the African continent. It discovers that this new world order is under-utilized in schools as teachers prefer using the traditional way of teaching. The paper concludes that the governments should come up with appropriate ICT policies to improve the school systems and recommends the introduction of workshops and training for teachers at all levels of education.
Introduction : theorising curriculum approaches and praxis
(BRILL, 2020-01-01) Khoza, Simon Bheki; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Fomunyam, Kehdinga; Simon, Khoza
Curriculum studies is at the core of the educational endeavour: it informs what happens in every educational institution. As a result of the criticality or primacy of the curriculum, every educational practitioner appears to claim expertise in curriculum matters, and in the direction the field of curriculum studies should take. The curriculum practitioner, especially in Africa, has been given little or no space to theorise, orienting the future of the field in Africa. Instead, European and American curriculum theorisers have been allowed to exert a marked influence on the nature and direction of African theoretical and philosophical underpinnings, especially in relation to curriculum studies. This situation raises fundamental questions about the future of education in Africa in general, and curriculum studies in particular. While Europe and America seem to be experimenting with new philosophical paradigms in curriculum studies, Africa seems to be trailing behind by ten or fifteen years. A case in point is the implementation in South Africa in the late nineties of outcomes-based education (OBE) (a European and American theoretical enterprise), although there was clear evidence that it would not work. Is Africa, therefore, doomed to repeat the mistakes of Europe and America in curriculum studies? Has educa-tion in Africa preconditioned the theoriser only to explore traditions from the global North, rather than experimenting and articulating alternative pathways for education in Africa? Must curriculum theorising in Africa slavishly follow the traditions of theorising laid down by the global North, or can such tradi-tions be used as springboards for the articulation of alternative perspectives, as we strive to develop African curriculum matters?
The itinerant curriculum as a key to responsiveness in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Nigerian higher education
(Society for Research and Knowledge Management, 2022-07-30) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
The current age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) brings together digital, physical, and biological awareness in ways never before seen. The transition has contributed to new technology and developments, such as robotics, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. As a nation, Nigeria is still behind with preparations for its future through appropriate, unique educational practices in this era for its citizens. This is because the quality of Nigeria’s higher education curriculum has not improved much. To boost the responsiveness of Nigeria’s curriculum in this technological era, this theoretical paper explores the itinerant curriculum as an alternative direction to other highlighted alternatives in the literature. The paper explains how the itinerant curriculum can be used to achieve economic, cultural, disciplinary, and learning responsiveness in the era of the 4IR. The paper concludes that the itinerant curriculum is an important tool that can help Nigerian higher education achieve curriculum responsiveness.
The itinerant curriculum as an alternative pathway for responsiveness in African higher education in the era of the fourth industrial revolution
(Durban University of Technology, 2022) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us, and it has serious implications for education globally. The educational curricula used in the first, second, and third industrial revolutions may not necessarily be useful in this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), as societal and organisational demands have changed. Curricula in African higher education needs therefore to adapt to the changing demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or else students may be unprepared for the demands of future organisations and the society. Therefore, to enhance the responsiveness of the curriculum in Africa, this paper examines the itinerant curriculum as an alternative pathway to other highlighted curricula in the literature. The study posits how the itinerant curriculum can be used to achieve curriculum responsiveness, economically, culturally, disciplinarily, and in learning. The study concludes that the itinerant curriculum is an important tool that can help African higher education achieve curriculum responsiveness in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Operational use of mobile learning : understanding and retention of curriculum content
(2019-09-18) Sunker, Jeremy; Oyetade, Kayode Emmanuel; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
This chapter aims to evaluate and explore students’ perceptions of mobile phones in helping with understanding and retention of curriculum content. This aim is achieved within a theoretical framework on the use of mobile learning with understanding and retention. Student learning is influenced by different environmental factors, which impact the adequacy of their understanding and retention of curriculum content. At tertiary education level, the intensity and quality of work become more physically and mentally demanding. Students may find it more difficult to deal with the workload they are presented with. As a result, this may affect the potential level of understanding that can be accomplished in certain subject areas. This study was conducted on undergraduate students studying Information Technology (IT) at a university in Durban, South Africa in 2016. The self-administered questionnaire-based survey was used while transactional distance theory (TDT) is the core theoretical framework that underpins this study. The outcome of students’ perception was analyzed and it was found that the use of mobile phones in teaching and learning improved their understanding and retention of curriculum contents
Rationalising the teaching intention of international postgraduate student lecturers
(Horizon Research Publishing Co., Ltd., 2021) Matola, Noluthando; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Khoza, Simon Bheki
Higher education students around the globe have continually searched for opportunities to further their education abroad, looking beyond the provisions of their home country in pursuit of quality education. Most of these students are either tutors, teaching assistants, or in lecturing roles within the university environment. Using a qualitative case-study approach, this paper investigates the teaching intention of international postgraduate student lecturers at a university in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This is in a bid to understand why these students choose to become involved in the teaching and learning process as lecturers. Participants were purposefully selected from a sample population of registered international postgraduate students at the university; and these participants were chosen in an order which ensured representation. Semi-structured interviews and observation methods were used, and data generated were analysed using grounded analysis. Findings reveal that international postgraduate students in this university chose lecturing, owing to the financial preconditions of undertaking postgraduate studies, to improve their interpersonal, communication, and cross-cultural skills, and also owing to legal restrictions. This paper therefore concludes that these reasons are valid and recommend several ways of helping these student lecturers function both effectively and efficiently.
The role of information and communication technology in tertiary education in Africa
(IAEME Publication, 2019-12) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays an essential role in all sectors of an economy including education. In the higher education sector, the usefulness of ICT cuts across all disciplines of study from mathematics to social science. ICT transforms the educational system by replacing traditional ways of teaching and learning with modern, computer-based infrastructure. This paper highlights the role of ICT and its ability to increase the quality of education in higher institutions of learning in Africa. The paper further discusses the advantages of having ICT infrastructure such as: e-learning/virtual library, access to quality education through special tools for physically challenged students in tertiary institutions across Africa. The study concludes that government funding of ICT infrastructure is important so as to improve the quality of education in tertiary institutions.
Student engagement as pathway for deterritorialising curriculum internationalisation in higher education
(Horizon Research Publishing Co., Ltd., 2020) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
This paper explores the concept of curriculum internationalisation in higher education. It recognises and articulates the fact that the curriculum internationalisation process needs to be deterritorialised and the best approach to this is ensuring student engagement. In discussing this in detail, the paper theorises student engagement and the different perspectives on and of engagement, discusses curriculum internationalisation and deterritorialisation. The paper then focuses on deterritorialising curriculum internationalisation through student engagement. The paper concludes with four key thoughts on curriculum internationalisation on the platform of student engagement in a deterritorialised context. The paper recommends that curriculum internationalisation should be contextual in nature. Also, deterritorialisation of the institution and the curriculum internationalisation process and the curriculum itself are key to successfully internationalising the curriculum and give students the best educational experience. Thirdly, for the curriculum internationalisation process to be successful, there is a need for a practical framework. And lastly, student engagement is critical in the internationalisation process and for the success of curriculum internationalisation itself
Theorising decolonisation, globalisation and internationalisation in higher education
(2019-03-01) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
The higher education landscape in South Africa is complicated with a rich dose of challenges and opportunities. From apartheid South Africa to democratic South Africa, the higher education system has been dramatically influenced by several isomorphic forces that have led to the current educational call for decolonisation, which scholars in the higher education sector are trying to handle. Amongst these forces are colonialism, globalisation and internationalisation. While the nation has moved passed colonialism, its legacies still hold the higher education sector hostage creating the need for decolonisation. Globalisation has a complicated history dating back centuries. Vincent-Lancrin and Kärkkäinen (2009) argue that globalisation is a comparatively new term used to describe an old process that began with our human ancestors moving out of Africa to spread across the globe. They continue that the term has been used differently by different people owing to its different facets. Marginson and Rhoades confirm this by defining globalisation as meaning ‘becoming global.’ They provide an alternative definition by looking at it as ‘the development of increasingly integrated systems and relations beyond the nation’ (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002, p. 288) . Globalisation, therefore, moves towards making nations become more and more entangled with one another.
Theorising first-generation students’ successes at a historically white South African university
(University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2019-12-30) Hlatshwayo, Mlamuli Nkosingphile; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George
This article attempts to shift the first-generation literature to not only focus on the marginalised experiences of first-generation students, but to also theorise the successes that these students have experienced in negotiating a historically white higher education institution. To do this, data was generated using semistructured interviews and participants were sampled using snowball sampling and this ensured that the social networks and connections that these students have with one another, were accessed. 32 first generation students were recruited, and in-depth interviews were held with each of the participants, averaging one hour per student. The data or findings indicate that the success of first-generation students largely depends on four key forces – the force of diligence, the force of language, the force of personal attributes, as well as the force of personal relationships. Bourdieu’s field theory, capital (social and cultural), and habitus were employment to further make sense of the findings. All these forces play a critical role in ensuring that first-generation students are not only able to negotiate their marginality in a historically white HE, but that they are successful.
Theorising open curriculum charges as pathway to responsiveness in South African higher education
(BRILL, 2020-12-14) Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Khoza, Simon Bheki; Fomunyam, Kehdinga; Simon, Bheki
Curriculum discourse in South African higher education has always involved debates around responsiveness and how best to make the curriculum respond to local needs. This was amongst the reasons for the call to decolonise the curriculum. With encounters in education being a function of the curriculum at play, it follows that the curriculum shapes the educational experience, and how prepared students are for the job market, be it to create employment or to seek such. With the rate of unemployment in South Africa increasing, the nation needs graduates who are job creators, not jobseekers. The open curriculum offers an excellent pathway for educational encounters which are not only responsive, but uniquely career-oriented. This chapter adopts Aoki’s conceptualisation of the curriculum as lived experience, making three fundamental arguments. First, the chapter argues that there is a need for the deconstruction of academic curriculum standardisation. Second, the chapter argues for an itinerant curriculum; and lastly, the chapter argues for curriculum encounters propelled by responsive curriculum matters in the South African higher education. The chapter concludes that career pathways have been hindered by poor curriculum choices. Such has been engendered by curriculum standardisation and hegemonic curriculum practices adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. For a higher-education curriculum to be responsive, students, as co-constructors or creators of knowledge, need to be part of the process, driving the change they want to see in their future.
Transforming the teaching and learning process in South African higher institutions
(Horizon Research Publishing Co., Ltd., 2022) Matola, Noluthando; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Moyo, Sibusiso
Teaching and learning is a complex process, which deals with different individuals with different expectations from diverse backgrounds, with different cultural and social capital involved in this process. The teaching and learning process in most South African institutions of higher learning has been plagued by several challenges over the last decade. In this research, the experiences of international postgraduate student lecturers teaching at a university in KwaZulu-Natal were examined. Utilizing the curricular spider web as its framework, it evaluates the experiences of international students lecturing at a university in KwaZulu-Natal, in order to identify the challenges faced by students in this institution during the teaching and learning process, and create a transformation path that can be adopted by other South African institutions of higher learning. This framework utilizes ten different components, each answering some key questions, and all stemming from the rationale for teaching and learning. Using a qualitative case study approach, this research conducted semi-structured interviews involving six participants who were pursuing different postgraduate degrees at the University. Interviews with each participant were conducted in English, lasted about 60 minutes each, and were digitally recorded and transcribed afterwards. Data were analyzed using an open coded process and findings reveal that transforming the teaching and learning process at these institutions of higher learning will largely involve making major changes to the curriculum content, learning activities, and learning resources.