Abstract: Submission #62

Abstract South African social work education was initially designed to cater exclusively to the white population, grounded in Western and American theories while neglecting indigenous contexts. Despite post-1994 transformation efforts introducing decolonisation into academic debates, curricula remain predominantly Western-oriented. Academics face challenges in providing practical, contextual examples to help students relate theories to their lived experiences. The preparedness of early career academics significantly impacts their teaching and learning approaches. This study investigated how decolonisation is introduced and embedded in social work education during the onboarding process for new academics at a selected South African university. Framed within Legitimation Code Theory, with a focus on its specialisation dimension, the research employed a qualitative case study design. Participants were early career social work academics. Using non-probability snowball sampling, data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face and virtual interviews and analysed using discourse analysis. The study found that there is no formal orientation program to introduce newly appointed academics to decolonial discourse. Instead, they were provided with teaching materials from previous lecturers and were given an opportunity to make modifications during annual curriculum planning meetings. The findings reveal significant challenges in contextualising the social work curriculum to local realities. Barriers include the reliance on Western textbooks and the limited availability of South African literature. The study recommends implementing a structured orientation program specifically designed for early career social work academics. This program should incorporate content on the decolonisation of social work education, ensuring that new academics are equipped to engage with and integrate decolonial perspectives into their teaching and research.