DUE DATE:15 MAY 2025
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, RSE4801 assignment 1 2025
Due date: 15 May 2025
The field of educational research stands as an essential cornerstone for development
of effective teaching and learning strategies. As a embark on my journey to become
an educational researcher in South Africa. I will find it imperative to reflect on the
qualities that constitute expectional educational researchers within this unique context.
To substantiate my views, I will draw on key texts, particularly Linda Tuhiwai Smith‘s
Decolonising Methodologies: Research indeginous peoples along with partitent
scholarly articles and frameworks that advocate for justice, curiosity and critique in
educational research.
cultural competence and contextual understanding is an exceptional educational
researcher must have a profound understanding of the cultural, social ,and economic
landscapes that defines the South African context. The nation is marked by a rich
tapestry of cultures and histories. Linda Tuhiwai Smith(1999) asserts that researchers
must acknowledge and respect indigenous knowledge systems and lived realities of
marginalized communities. For example research conducted in South African rural
areas requires sensitivity to local customs, values, and way of knowing ,in constract
of purely methodologies.
Success educational researchers in South Africa are often those who can navigate
these complexities while building trust with participants. They can employ culturally
relevant methodologies that honour the voices of learners and educators, ensuring
that research findings are applicable and meaningful within the community. This
approach aligns with the principles of participatory research , which stresses
collaboration and engagement with participants throughout the research
Commitment to social justice where educational researchers South Africa must adopt
a social justice framework that informs their inquiries. Given the historical inequalities
stemming from apartheid. Researchers are called upon to interrogate the structures
that perpetuate these inequalities. Guiding principles such as epistemic justice-as
articulated by philosopher Miranda Fricker (2007)-encourage researchers to recognise
,and value diverse knowledges, particularly those historically marginalised.
For example, incorporating indigenous knowledge systems into the research process
not only enriches the findings but also contributes to dismantling epistemological
hierarchies that have traditionally privileged western knowledge . This aligns with
Smith’s assertion that researchers should seek to empower disenfranchised voices
(Smith , 1999) . Consequently , an exceptional educational researcher is one who
actively challenges systemic injustices and aims to create equiptable educational
opportunities for all learners.