Exploring postcolonial relationships within policy transfer: the case of learner-centred pedagogy in Ghana

Abstract

ABSTRACTFramed by Homi Bhabha’s concepts of hybridity and the third space of enunciation, this study explores postcolonial relationships conceivably enacted through policy borrowing processes of learner-centred pedagogy (LCP) in Ghana. Nine Ghanaian and nine foreign stakeholders were interviewed. Conscious of the power imbalance implicit in traditional aid, the case project attempted to challenge the asymmetrical power relationships by allocating policy leadership and responsibility to Ghanaian stakeholders. However, the third space of enunciation created within the project did not seem to lead to a hybridisation of pedagogical ideas: while it was the Ghanaians themselves who promoted LCP within the project, the conceptual basis of the reform was dependent on knowledge and experiences which they gained in the West. This article concludes that the postcolonial turn through hybridisation of indigenous and Western pedagogies was not observed, although hybridity may happen in the process of actualising LCP at school and classroom levels.摘要本研究以霍米·巴巴的“混杂性”和“第三发声空间”概念为框架，探讨加纳以学习者为中心教学法（learner-centred pedagogy）的政策借鉴过程中可能形成的后殖民关系。九名加纳本国和九名外国利益相关者接受了访谈。意识到传统援助中隐含的权力失衡，该案例项目通过将政策领导权和责任分配给加纳利益相关方，试图挑战不对称的权力关系。然而，该项目中创造的第三发声空间似乎并没有导致教学思想的混杂化：尽管是加纳人自己在该项目中推广以学习者为中心教学法，但改革的概念基础依赖于他们在西方获得的知识和经验。本文的结论是，尽管在学校和课堂层面实践以学习者为中心教学法的过程中可能出现混杂性，但未能观察到通过本土和西方教学法混杂化而实现的后殖民转向。KEYWORDS: Postcolonial theorylearner-centred pedagogyHomi BhabhaGhanateacher education reformpedagogical reform关键词: ：后殖民理论；以学习者为中心教学法；霍米·巴巴；加纳；教师教育改革；教学法改革 AcknowledgementsThis article has derived from collaborative analysis and numerous discussions with Eugene Adu Henaku, Mao Yamaguchi, Catherine Fox, Caroline Pontefract and James Sankale. We thank them for their time and engagement. Many thanks to the participating interviewees, reviewers and Barbara Spronk for their feedback on an earlier version of this article.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Number 22K13651) and Hiroshima University’s Female Researchers Joint Research Grant.Notes on contributorsNozomi SakataNozomi Sakata is Assistant Professor in the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education at Hiroshima University, Japan. In the field of Comparative and International Education, her research interests include educational policy diffusion and implementation with a focus on pedagogical reform in low- and middle-income countries.Chris YatesChris Yates is a Lecturer in International Education at University College London (UCL), Institute of Education (IoE), England. He teaches on the international MA postgraduate programmes offered at the UCL-IoE. He is particularly interested in education planning, system change and reform. He has worked for a number of international development agencies, in over 20 low- and middle-income countries.Hannah EdjahHannah Edjah is Lecturer in the Department of Vocational and Technical Education at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Her research interest lies in issues pertaining to curriculum, teaching, higher education and home economics education. She is currently working to design teaching strategies that may empower learners in areas of no or poor internet connectivity to continue learning during crises.Abraham Kwadwo OkrahAbraham Kwadwo Okrah is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Teacher Education, University of Ghana, Legon. His research interests include critical analysis of curriculum design and implementation and its relevance in relation to contextual realities of the world of work.