Curriculum Transformation in South African Tertiary Institutions: Current Research on Narratives of Change

Abstract

Curriculum transformation initiatives, with specific reference to the South African context, is increasingly applied in the reflection of societal changes on teaching and learning, content, and pedagogy. However, currently limited research on the presiding narratives of change and their potential impact on practices, policy, and curricula hampers tertiary education stakeholders' ability to fully evaluate and drive effective curriculum transformation. Accordingly, this study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of existing research on narratives of change in South African tertiary education, with objectives that include identifying said narratives, analysing research trends, and highlighting interventions for stakeholders to consider in curricula transformation efforts. The research methodology comprises of a bibliometric and qualitative review. The former utilises “curriculum transformation”, “South Africa”, and “higher”/”tertiary” as source concepts to identify applicable publications on the SCOPUS database, which are subsequently analysed using the VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) software. The qualitative review includes an analysis of the content of the papers in line with the narratives of change identified in the network and overlay visualisations. Through these analyses, four narratives of change are identified in the bibliometric analysis, including decolonisation, e-learning, inclusive curricula, and diversity. Key interventions for curriculum transformation include integrating African perspectives, promoting inclusive teaching practices, and leveraging Information Communication Technology (ICT) for effective e-learning. Additionally, flexible teaching methods, multilingualism, industry partnerships, and the inclusion of African knowledge systems and gender-sensitive content are essential for fostering a diverse and supportive educational environment. The contribution of this paper is centred on enabling more effective and comprehensive evaluation and analysis of existing curricula by education stakeholders and institutions, and to guide successful curriculum transformation initiatives.