‘Being at the university is a retreat!’: a Black female student teacher’s views on the role of the university

ABSTRACT

This article sets out to understand what the views of Ruvimbo, a Black female student teacher, are on the role of the university, and how and why these views emerged. The social philosophy of higher education of Ronald Barnett was used as a theoretical framework, and arts-informed methods such as drawings and photovoice, were used for data construction. The student teacher recognised the university–knowledge relationship but foregrounded her appreciation of having a safe and pleasant environment, developing cultural tolerance, and developing herself as a human being. Her view contradicts the predominant concern about the transformation and decolonisation of the curriculum in South Africa as a way of attaining epistemic justice, and claim for a more ecological approach to university education.

KEYWORDS:

• Student teachers
• teacher education
• student voice
• university role
• arts-informed methods

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carlos Alberto Tirado Taipe

Carlos Alberto Tirado Taipe is an educational practitioner, researcher and a lecturer of the Department of Ancient and Modern Languages and Cultures (Faculty of Humanities) of the University of Pretoria. His research interests include student teachers, teacher education, student voice, university role and arts-informed methods. He has published several educational materials for teachers, worked for the Educational Peruvian government and in several educational non-governmental organisations in Peru.

Johan Wassermann

Johan Wassermann is a professor of history education at the University of Pretoria and also the Head of Department of Humanities Education. He is the co-founder of the African Association for History Education (AHE-Afrika). His research interests include youth and history, life histories, history textbooks, teaching controversial issues in post-conflict Africa, and minorities and the minoritised in colonial Natal. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and chapters dealing with both history and history education.