Ethnocentric shapeshifting: seeking traces of culturally responsive teaching and caring amongst early childhood education lecturers

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) remain fraught with student activism because transforming and decolonising curricula to promote culturally responsive education is still lingering. Prolonging a trajectory of culturally apathetic education will not only lead to impoverished and decoupled human knowledge systems but also quell democratic citizenry and social justice. South Africa's educational trajectory can be explored using the methodology for critical instance cases for traces of cultural responsiveness and accountability in its academic cohort and andragogy, which is the focus of this inquiry. Foregrounding former traces of uncharitable andragogy can help HEIs to understand students’ impulse to protest. We interpreted literature and the critical instance case study by integrating the seminal work of Diamond and Moore (1995) and Gay's (2018) views on culturally responsive teaching and care (CRTC). Interpreting this moment in an HEIs education trajectory in early childhood education indicated traces of superficial understanding of culture, cultural relevance, and cultural responsiveness. We perceived ethnocentrism in the academic cohort, as the lecturer-participants’ own geography, socio-economic status, and historical heritage succoured how diverse groups were educated. We learned that critical instance case studies could serve as a rear-view mirror for HEIs to identify signs of ethnocentrism that counteract cultural relativism. South Africa's complex historical trajectory constructed many critical instance case studies for appraising, offering HEIs a head start to transform and decolonise initial teacher education (ITE) programmes and adopt CRTC educational philosophy. Scouring lecturers’ perceptions, frames of reference, and assumptions about CRTC practices awakens one's conscious state of mind, creating opportunities for capacity building and mobilising academic and teacher citizenry.