A Postcolonial Critique of Curriculum Change in South African Higher Education

Overview

This research project was initiated in 2022 in response to the 2015–2016 student protests across South Africa. Drawing from postcolonial scholarship, it addresses a neglected area in South African higher education: the transformation of teaching and curriculum.

While there is substantial focus on macro policy in higher education, less is known about the day-to-day realities of teaching and learning — the very spaces we aim to transform. This project centres those grassroots experiences and investigates how lecturers and institutions navigate curriculum change.

Why This Research Matters

University policies promoting curriculum transformation—often triggered by political pressure—don’t fully capture how lecturers understand and implement these changes. Many lecturers, especially those with conservative views, may feel uncomfortable voicing their concerns in an environment that demands decolonisation and Africanisation.

This project seeks to bridge that gap through a grounded, critical inquiry that aims not just to critique, but to understand and explain transformation.

Research Focus

This project explores current understandings and practices of teaching and learning as part of curriculum transformation. Key research questions include:

• What are the aims and purposes of higher education?
• What content and subject matter do lecturers teach?
• How do lecturers teach? (Including hybrid and digital methods)
• How are students expected to learn?
• How are students assessed?
• What curriculum changes have occurred recently—and why?

Methodology

A mixed-method comparative case study across three South African universities:

• University of Johannesburg (UJ)
• University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)

Target Group: Lecturers in the Faculties of Humanities and Education

Data Collection Includes:

• Document analysis (study guides, course outlines, tests, exam papers, etc.)
• Large-scale survey (questionnaires at all three universities)
• 80 in-depth interviews

Project Team

• Project Co-ordinator: Dr Venise Joubert
• Team Members: Prof Shireen Motala, Prof Everard Weber
• Research Assistants: Celene Coleman, Thabo Mathabela

Progress and Achievements (By End of 2022)

• Gained access to all 3 research sites
• Completed Chapter 1 (Introduction)
• Completed Chapter 2 (Literature Overview)
• Conducted 30 interviews
• Secured R250,000 URC funding
• Recruited research assistants through rigorous interviews

Challenges Faced

• Delays in gaining access to research sites
• Long turnaround times for applications
• Difficulty accessing participant contact details
• Navigating overwhelming literature
• Ensuring originality despite similar research being conducted elsewhere

Contribution to Knowledge & Chair’s Goals

This study contributes to both international postcolonial literature and local educational practice in South Africa.

It supports the Chair’s strategic focus on:

• Academic teaching and learning
• Curricular transformation
• Access and success across undergraduate and postgraduate studies
• Language and identity, emphasizing African languages in curriculum change
• Highlighting the disconnect between black students’ realities and academic discourse

Next Steps (2022–2023)

• Apply for access to CPUT (third site) by 31 October 2022
• Continue interviews at UJ and Wits throughout 2023
• Complete Chapter 1 writing
• Begin data analysis (2023)
• Draft a publication manuscript by end of 2023
• Submit drafts for peer review

Student Success Story

Plaki Chikunda, one of the project’s students, successfully completed and graduated with her doctoral degree in 2022.