Indigenous knowledge and infectious diseases: rethinking the teacher education Biology curriculum.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
In most African countries, the ontological and epistemological standard that shapes university curricula is a pre-programmed Euro-Western educational model. This is true regardless of the fact that most African countries gained their independence many decades ago. African countries pride themselves on political independence rather than epistemological and ontological autonomy. The legacy of socio-political histories has resulted in indigenous knowledge of Africa to continue to be despised. This coloniality underpins the intellectual colonialism which is evident in the marginalisation of indigenous knowledge systems and their community sages in formal education currently. This has been normalised and accepted as the default setting because the colonised have learned to live with an alien curriculum. Consequently, this contributed to the dearth of African indigenous scholarship and the erosion of the indigenous knowledge base as globalisation, modernity, urbanisation, and technological advancement come to the fore. This study selectively explored part of the university curriculum by examining content
knowledge and pedagogical approaches in four Biology modules for pre-service teachers, relative to a specific field, namely, infectious diseases, at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. The study also sought to identify knowledge of infectious diseases and the practises of Karanga healers and to suggest how these could be integrated into the Biology curriculum for pre-service teachers. The study was motivated by the lack of contextualisation in science education which is perpetuated by privileging a predominantly Euro-Western university curriculum. In order to peer through the decolonial lens that promotes indigenisation of science modules, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Karanga healers to understand indigenous knowledge of infectious diseases. Exploration of main themes revealed that disease management is seen in terms of causes of infections, diagnosis, prevention and treatment, and traditional health education to promote a disease-free community. The
knowledge shared by the Karanga healers illuminated the holistic perspective of indigenous Africans on health, from both the physical and spiritual perspectives. The study also examined the nature of four health-related modules for Biology pre-service
teachers and found that the Euro-Western worldview dominated over the African-Indigenous worldview. Therefore, the content and pedagogy that shaped and continue to shape these modules are predominantly Euro-Western. A comparison of the two knowledge systems reveals points of dissonance and concurrence. Synthesis of research data revealed gaps, connections, and opportunities through which indigenous knowledge can be integrated into Biology modules. Using an emancipatory approach situated within the critical paradigm, the study developed practical transformational approaches rooted in promoting a poly-epistemic university curriculum. The study proposed an integrative curriculum model informed by the need to give students the opportunity to reflect on their formal learning experiences against their lived experiences. In this way work towards an inclusive curriculum and inclusive pedagogy could be achieved.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.