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Submission information
Submission Number: 62
Submission ID: 823
Submission UUID: 94efd691-4a27-4a64-abda-d7c814f24217
Submission URI: /2025/abstracts
Created: Thu, 04/24/2025 - 09:02
Completed: Thu, 04/24/2025 - 10:18
Changed: Wed, 05/07/2025 - 13:28
Remote IP address: 41.13.15.65
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Current page: Complete
Webform: Abstract
| Title | Dr. |
|---|---|
| Lastname | Khosa |
| Firstname | Jeffries |
| jyvaro@gmail.com | |
| Mobile | 0822621819 |
| Institution | University of johannesburg |
| Biosketch | Dr. Khosa Jeffries Zwelithini is a postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Social Work and Community Development at the University of Johannesburg. He holds a PhD in Social Work from the University of Pretoria and brings over a decade of experience as a practicing social worker. He has contributed to the field through numerous publications and has presented his research at both national and international conferences. His academic interests focus on child protection, the decolonisation of social work education, and substance use disorders. |
| Is there a Second Presenter? | Yes |
| Title | Prof. |
| Lastname | Masehela |
| Firstname | Mary |
| mary.masehela@uct.ac.za | |
| Mobile | 0732286678 |
| Institution | University of Cape Town |
| Biosketch | Prof Mary Masehela is an associate professor at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in the Centre for Higher Education Development. She is the institutional coordinator of the New Generation of Academics Programme at UCT. Her latest research interests include, but not limited to mentoring of early career academics in higher education, support and development opportunities for administrative staff in higher education. She has been in academia for nearly three decades as a lecturer and academic developer. |
| Is there a Third Presenter? | No |
| Title of Presentatation | Orientating early career academics in decolonial discourses: a case study of social work education of a selected university |
| Theme Selection | THEME 4: Social Work Education, Transdisciplinarity and Curriculum Development |
| Subtheme FOUR Selection | SUB 4.2 Strategies on building responsive social work curricula. |
| Select your Presentation Type | Oral Presentation |
| 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. |
| Title | Dr |
| Firstname | Thabisa |
| Lastname | Matsea |
| Does the Abstract fit the selected Theme? | Yes |
| What Area does this Abstract Focus on? | Empirical Research |
| Status | Accepted |
| Title | |
| Firstname | |
| Lastname | |
| Does the Abstract fit the selected Theme? | |
| What Area does this Abstract Focus on? | |
| Status | Pending Review |