Critical practitioner inquiry and the transformation of teacher education in namibia

Abstract

This article analyses the role of action research (‘critical practitioner inquiry’) in furthering the implementation of democratic educational reforms in the southern African country of Namibia. The focus is on action research that is carried out by school and college-based teacher educators as part of a staff development course organised by Umea University (Sweden) and the Namibian Ministry of Education and Culture [MEC]. Three of the authors were participants in this course and one was an external facilitator brought in to support the action researchers. Following a description of the general political, economic and educational situation in Namibia, and of the nature of the democratic reforms in teaching and teacher education, six action research projects completed by the 1995 course participants are briefly described. These studies uncovered gaps between the rhetoric and reality of the reforms, illuminated the complexities under less than ideal conditions, and contribute concrete ideas about how to address some of the problems that arose in implementing the reforms. The role of action research in teacher education reform in developing countries is considered. © 1998, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.