160 research outputs found
Interrogating the importance and awareness of NSS improvement initiatives: A case study of final year undergraduate students
Get PDFThis paper reports the results of a case study investigating the importance and awareness of national student survey (NSS) improvement initiatives in one department at a university in the South of England. The paper is motivated by the observation that despite many initiatives that the Department put in place since 2011 in response to poor NSS results, the overall students' satisfaction remained below the national average for the period 2011-2015. This situation raises two questions. First, are the initiatives put in place really important for students’ satisfaction when it comes to responding to the NSS questionnaire? Second, are the students even aware of these initiatives? To answer these questions, 57 initiatives that the Department put in place from 2011 to 2015 were documented using the minutes of various education committees. Through a questionnaire survey, the final year students in the Department were asked to rate on a 5-point Likert scale the importance and their awareness of the initiatives. Descriptive, correlation analysis and t-tests are used to determine the importance and awareness of the initiatives. The data analysis was followed by two focus groups with selected students to gain further insights into the findings. The main results of the study are that many of the 57 initiatives are considered important but the students are not aware of the majority of the initiatives. These results have important implications for UK university departments trying to improve their NSS results
Deconstructing Community-Based Research for Sustainable Development:The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Holders
No full textContributions from every segment of the global community, including Indigenous peoples are essential to achieving the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals. Yet, research projects in Indigenous communities have largely been developed within a dominant Western research paradigm that values the researchers as knowledge holders and the community members as passive subjects. Whilst community-based research (CBR) is a contested space, we argued from a conceptual premise of reviewed literature that it needs to be reclaimed by and for Indigenous people to achieve the sustainable development of their communities. This is necessary to avoid epistemic hegemony or what Paulo Freire termed ‘cultural invasion’ and seek intentional and creative ways to engage target beneficiaries of sustainable development drives. The ultimate goal is to ensure that research does not continue to marginalise some Indigenous people, by assigning them a central role as co-creators, from the inception to the implementation of research activities and outcomes. The chapter concludes by attempting recommendations for CBR in Indigenous settings, with sustainable development as the resultant outcome
Decolonisation of Research Methodologies for Sustainable Development in Indigenous Settings
No full textWithin dominant Western research frameworks, researchers hold the power to disseminate information that can be used for or against the interests of the researched. Historically, this is evidenced by the repeated study of indigenous peoples, territories, and natural resources with little regard to the impact such research has on indigenous peoples’ present and future lives. As such, a growing body of research has emphasised the need for research paradigms that reflect indigenous views and beliefs. This includes employing inherently indigenous methodologies that capture indigenous knowledge and indigenous ways of knowing to topics in which indigenous perspectives have been historically absent. Sustainable development is one such area in which indigenous perspectives have been side-lined. Through the lens of postcolonial theory and epistemic injustice, we conducted a systematic review of the extant literature that investigated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in indigenous settings, presenting a case for the decolonisation of research methodologies in this context. The prevalent methodologies used in the extant literature are outlined and discussed in relation to establishing a precedence of conducting future research collaboratively with indigenous peoples
Pedagogical Considerations for Climate Change Education in Africa
No full textAfrica is very vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions. This vulnerability is exacerbated by its limited capacity to predict climate change, mitigate and adapt to its impacts. Education is important for capacity building and mobilising requisite actions against climate change. This paper draws on relevant literature to discuss applicable educational pedagogical perspectives that can foster effective climate change education (CCE) and help the citizenry develop sustainability mindsets in Africa. It highlights the need for decolonised and decentred climate change pedagogies that address existing inequalities and promote context-driven capacity development and indigeneity. It contends that effective pedagogy for climate change education that will support Africa’s resilience to climate change should underscore the significance of Indigenous approaches in dealing with localised environmental issues
State Capabilities and Youth Climate Change Education
No full textStudies on youth education and engagement with climate change issues reveal that while formal education plays a significant role in driving youth engagement, adequate attention has not been given to an effective climate change curriculum and pedagogy that could bring about lasting change. In response, youths have made explicit demands of states and non-state actors at national and international levels to provide them with an effective climate change education that has the potential to lead to appropriate behavioural change or action. This chapter draws on secondary sources to discuss factors affecting the capability of African countries to respond to the demands of youths on climate change. Based on the observable nature of the extractive, regulative and distributive capabilities of many African states, the chapter argues that the continent needs to explore and build efficient and capable institutions to promote context-relevant climate change education by strengthening democracy and good governance. The resulting effect can be seen in an enhanced capacity and empowerment of civil society to act responsibly towards the environment, as effective strategies are implemented to engage young people
Why Education Matters for a Climate-Resilient Africa
No full textGiven the quest for a climate-resilient Africa, education emerges as a cornerstone in equipping individuals with climate literacy and a deeper understanding of climate change. However, current educational models on the continent, which are products of colonial legacies and subjugate Indigenous knowledge and local realities are inadequate for contributing effective solutions to the continent’s climate-related crises. There is therefore a need for a transformative pedagogical shift for climate change education, underpinned by an appropriate framework. We draw on the New Green Learning Agenda Framework to underscore the urgent need for a transformational model of education that fosters climate justice in Africa. Central to this are the crucial roles of place-based, decolonised, experiential, and holistic pedagogies. It is only through the implementation of these approaches for climate justice through education that a climate-resilient future can be guaranteed for the continent
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Conceptual premises for climate change adaptation education in African universities
Get PDFAfrica is especially vulnerable to the deleterious effects of climate change. Unless there is a significant shift in current trends, many African countries are likely to continue facing extreme weather events that will threaten their food security, water resources, human health, and biodiversity. Consequently, there is a pressing need to ensure that climate change mitigation strategies (strategies to reduce carbon emissions) and climate change adaptation strategies (strategies to circumvent the deleterious effects of climate change) are rolled out across all courses at African universities. Universities serve as both knowledge hubs and vehicles for societal change. However, African universities have traditionally adopted a Eurocentric approach to education that delegitimises Indigenous knowledge and reinforces colonial narratives. To overcome these historical shortcomings, African universities must engage with local populations and leverage Indigenous knowledge systems to co-create place-based climate solutions that provide transformative change for all. In this chapter, we call for African universities to reposition their orientation by reconsidering their conceptualisation of climate change education
Towards an Integrated Approach to Climate Change Education in Tanzania:The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems
No full textThere have been many efforts globally toward fighting climate change; including international agreements, conferences, research, policies, forums, etc. In addition to these efforts, climate change education has recently emerged as an essential capacity-building tool to curb the climate crisis. However, development practitioners from the Global South have cited limitations with climate change education due to the dominance of Eurocentric epistemologies over indigenous knowledge (IK) approaches. This study therefore advocates for the integration of indigenous knowledge into climate change education in Tanzania for achieving a sustainable environment. Seventy documents, including peer-reviewed papers, reports from corporate institutions, policy briefs, proceedings and other grey literature were reviewed. We establish that IK systems are not integrated into CCE in Tanzania. However, we find opportunities for integration due to the evidence of the existing CCE efforts and potential complementary indigenous practices. By identifying, documenting, and validating indigenous knowledge and merging this knowledge with scientific insights, the fostering of an integrated approach to combat the enduring effects of climate change can be evidenced
Public Health Education in Africa:The Case of Epistemic (in) Justice and Indigenous Health Systems
No full textThis chapter interrogates epistemic injustice in public health education; with a focus on indigenous systems in Africa; and calls for the prompt address of the persistent injustices associated with knowledge development, validation, and application. The forms of epistemic injustices including interpretive marginalisation and credibility deficit are discussed and arguments raised on how common practices in public health and public health education (such as research partnerships, authorship practices, and choice of research structure) are infused with imbalances. This viewpoint aims to interpret, avert, and nullify biased knowledge observances in public health that are imposed on indigenous individuals in their capacity as apprehenders, producers, and users of knowledge. It further provides probable means of accepting, developing, and sustaining useful knowledge systems with an ultimate intention of fostering good health and wellbeing for all as captured in the Sustainable Development Goal [SDG]- 3
Climate Change Education in African Higher Education Institutions:Insights into Current Practices and Future Directions
No full textClimate change education (CCE) is a vital tool for addressing Africa’s vulnerability to climate change and advancing sustainable development. Its impact is even more significant when integrated into higher educational systems. Notably, Higher Education serves as a catalyst for innovation and nation-building and, hence, an essential medium for driving sustainability efforts across present and future generations. However, evidence suggests that the adoption of CCE in African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) remains low. Few HEIs have specialized courses on the subject, while others have an integrated approach within related subjects like geography and environmental sciences. This underscores the necessity to identify the factors behind the slow uptake of CCE across the continent. Given this premise, our study seeks to explore the nature of the barriers as well as existing and future opportunities for scaling up climate change education in African HEIs. Among other factors, we identified resource limitations, institutional barriers, and socio-political challenges as the primary constraints to CCE uptake in Africa. On the other hand, the increasing climate commitment and the development of regional climate institutions equally provide a unique opportunity for capacity building, knowledge exchange and the spread of CCE across African HEI. Moreover, the rapid development of affordable digital communication and computing has the potential to increase networking and collaborative efforts between climate change learners and scientists across the region. These prospects signal a need for regional governments to multiply their efforts toward providing an environment for the development and uptake of suitable CCE programs
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