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Theme 1: Social and environmental justice in and through education

This theme explores the interconnectedness of teacher education and the crucial challenges affecting communities and the environment. Publications explore the proximities and paradoxes between education, environmental concerns, and socioeconomic disparities in African contexts and beyond. These papers seek to advance social and ecological justice in diverse contexts through the education of teachers themselves and that of their learners.


  • Kamudu, B., Rollnick, M., & Nyamupangedengu, E. (2024). Investigating what students learnt about biodiversity following a visit to a nature reserve using Personal Meaning Maps. Journal of Biological Education58(3), 570-587.
  • Priyam, M., Mehta, M. G., & Vaid, D. (2024). Urban transformations, youth aspirations, and education in India. South Asian History and Culture, 1-11.
  • Shawa, L.B. (2024). Ubuntu ethic: Conceiving and supporting resilient higher education systems in African universities. In. M. Drinkwater & Y.Waghid (Eds). Values-Informed Leadership and Ethical Change in Higher Education. Bloomsbury Publishing -Forthcoming (Publication date 19 September 2024)
  •  Shawa, L.B. (2024). Fostering democratic citizenship education through doctoral work in African Philosophy of Higher Education. In, Y.Waghid (Ed). Philosophical adventures in African higher education: Cultivating doctors encounters within democratic citizenship education. Routledge - Forthcoming (Publication date 28 October 2024)
  • Tchombe, T. (2024). Sustainability and inclusion from African perspectives. Journal of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences. Vol, 20. No(3). DOI: 10.4314/jcas.v20i3.8
  • Ugiriwabo, P., Tuyishime, D., Nizeyimana, G., & Ntahobavukira, B. (2023). The Impact of Financial Management Practices on Academic Performance in Day Schools of Kicukiro District in Rwanda. The Cradle of Knowledge: African Journal of Educational and Social Science Research, 11(3), 119-128.
  • Ntabajyana, S., Nizeyimana, G., & Nzabaprwa, W. (2022). Analysis of Values in Rwanda Lower Primary Grade Children's Storybooks. International Journal of Progressive Education, 18(6).
  • Ntabajyana, S., Nizeyimana, G. & Nzabaprwa, W. (2022). Lower-primary school teachers’ perceptions about learners’ disruptive behaviours in Rwanda. Rwandan Journal of Education. (Accepted for publication)
  • Avalos, M.A., Flores, M., &  Araneda, S. (2022). Battling to keep education going: Chilean and Portuguese teacher experiences in COVID-19 times. Teachers and Teaching Theory and Practice, 28(2), 131-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2021.2012758
  • Nkambule, T. (2022). Exploring working conditions in selected rural schools: teachers’ experiences. South African Journal of Education, 42(1), 1-9. https://journals.co.za/doi/full/10.15700/saje.v42n1a 
  • Venkat, H., & Sapire, I. (2022). Early grade mathematics in South Africa between 2000 and 2010: What did we know in 2010, and how did this set the stage for the 2010–2020 decade? In H. Venkat & N. Roberts (Eds.), Early grade mathematics in South Africa (pp.1-14). Oxford University Press.  https://resourcehub.oxford.co.za/higher-education/resources-higher-education/early-grade-interventions/
  • Ntabajyana, S., Nizeyimana, G., & Nzabaprwa, W. (2021). Teachers’ experiences of implementing value education in Rwandan schools. Rwandan Journal of Education, 5(2), 228-238.
  • Abdulrahman, H. K., Adebisi, F., Nwako, Z., & Walton, E. (2021). Revisiting (inclusive) education in the postcolony. Journal of the British Academy, 9(1), 47–75. https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/009s1.047
  • Nizeyimana, G., Nzabaprwa, W., Mukingambeho, D., & Nkipye, I. (2020). Hindrances to quality of basic education in Rwanda. Rwandan Journal of Education, 5(1).
  • Masinire, A. (2020). Epistemological access of rural students in an urban university: Implications for Inclusive Teacher Education. In A.P. Ndofirepi, & M. Musengi (Eds.),  Inclusion as Social Justice: Theory and practice in African higher education (pp. 40-56). Brill. Sense. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004434486_005
  • Rusznyak, L. (2020). Supporting the academic success of students through making knowledge-building visible. In C. Winburg, S. McKenna, & K. Wilmot (Eds.), Building knowledge in higher education: Enhancing teaching and learning with Legitimation Code Theory. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.43
  • Walton, E. (2020). Compounded exclusion: Education for disabled refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Frontiers in Education (5). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc
  • Walton, E., McIntyre, J., Awidi, S., De Wet-Bilpngs, N., Dixon, K., Madziva, R., Monk, D., Nyoni, C.,Thondhlana, J., & Wedekind, V. (2020). Compounded exclusion: Education for disabled refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa. Frontiers in Education (Vol.5, p. 47). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00047
  • Andrews, D., Walton, E., & Osman, R. (2019). Constraints to the implementation of inclusive teaching: A cultural historical activity theory approach. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1620880
  • Tchombe, T.M.S. (2019). Changing trends in the provision of psychosocial and health resources for quality childhood development in Cameroon. In I. Eloff (Ed.), Handbook of Quality of Life in African Societies (pp. 221-237). Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-0 
  • Tchombe, T.M.S. (2019). Governance in psycho-pedagogic practices for equity and inclusive education. Southern African Review of Education with Education with Production, 25(1), 125-140. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-18781dd780
  • Christie, P., & Monyokolo, M. (Eds.) (2018). Learning about sustainable change in education in South Africa: The Jika iMfundo campaign 2013-2017. Saide. https://saide.org.za/books/sustainable-change/book
  • Osman, R., & Hornsby, D.J. (2018).Possibilities toward a socially just pedagogy: New tasks and challenges. Journal of Social and Human Behaviour (pp. ). https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1441083
  • Shaketange, L. (2018). Challenges and opportunities for implementing recognition of prior learning at the University of Namibia. Creative Education, 9(13), 2070-2087. https://www.researchgate.net/pubpcation/3284997
  • Batra, P. (2017). Quality of education and the poor: Constraints on learning. In M.A. Peters, B. Cowie, &I. Menter (Eds.), A companion to research in teacher education (pp. 417-433). Springer, Singapore. https://www.academia.edu/69881769/Quapty_of_Edu 
  • Nyamupangedengu, E. (2017). Investigating factors that impact the success of students in a higher education classroom: A case study. Journal of Education, (68), 113-130. https://journals.ukzn.ac.za/index.php/joe/article/view/3
  • Osman, R, (2017).  Inclusive higher education in South Africa not just a policy project but also an ethical project. https://world-education-blog.org/2017/05/16/inclusive-higher-education-in-south-africa-not-just-a-popcy-project-but-also-an-ethical-project/ 
  • Osman, R., & Hornsby, D.J. (2017). Transforming higher education: Towards a socially just pedagogy. In R. Osman & D.J. Hornsby (Eds.), Transforming Higher Education in a Global Context: Towards a Socially Just Pedagogy (pp.1-14). Critical University Studies Series. Palgrave MacMillan. https://www.tandfonpne.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10911
  • Rusznyak, L., Dison, L., Moosa, M., & Poo, M. (2017). Supporting the academic success of first-year students in South Africa: A study of students’ epistemological access acquired through a lecture and text. South African Journal of Higher Education, 31(1) 231-251. https://doi.org/10.20853/31-1-1026 
  • Avalos, B., & Valenzuela, J. P. (2016). Education for all and attrition/retention of new teachers: A trajectory study in Chile. International Journal of Educational Development, 49, 279-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2016.03.012
  • Ndlovu, S., & Walton, E. (2016). Preparation of students with disabilities to graduate into professions in the South African context of higher learning: Obstacles and opportunities. African Journal of Disabilities, 5(1), 1-8. https://doaj.org/article/1427b5a3d2a745c0af84f0b3d
  • Osman, R., & Hornsby, D.J. (2016). Communities and scholarship in supporting early career academics at the University of the Witwatersrand. Studies In Higher Education, 41(10).  https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1221659
  • Ramrathan, L., Le Grange, L., & Shawa, L. B. (2016). Ethics in educational research. In L. Ramrathan, L. le Grange & P. Higgs (Eds.), Education Studies for Initial Teacher Development (pp. 432-443). Juta. https://www.wits.ac.za/education/research-centre
  • Walton, E. (2016). The language of inclusive education. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315759272/language-inclusive-education-epzabeth-walton
  • Andrews, D., & Osman, R. (2015).  Redress for academic success: Possible ‘lessons’ for university support programmes from a high school pteracy and learning intervention. South African Journal of Higher Education, 29(1), 354-372. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC172782
  • Osman, R., & Booth, S. (2015). The scholarship of teaching and learning for educational transformation: Objects of learning in focus.  In S. Booth & L. Woollacott (Eds.), The scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education: On its constitution and transformative potential (pp. 155-167).  Sun Press. https://pnk.springer.com/book/10.1007/1-4020-5742-3
  • Walton, E., Bowman, B., & Osman, R. (2015).  Promoting access to higher education in an unequal society. South African Journal of Higher Education, 29(1), 262-269. https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC172787
  • Hornsby, D., Osman, R., & De Matos-Ala, J. (2013).  Large classes, student learning and quality education.  In D. Hornsby, R. Osman & J. De Matos-Ala (Eds.),  Large class pedagogy: Interdisciplinary perspectives for quality higher education (pp.161-172). Sun Press: Higher Education Series. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruksana-Osman/
  • Hornsby, D., Osman, R., & De Matos-Ala, J. (2013). Quality teaching despite the odds.  In D. Hornsby, R. Osman & J. De Matos-Ala (Eds.),  Large class pedagogy: Interdisciplinary perspectives for quality higher education (pp. 7-20). Sun Press: Higher Education Series. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1689385
  • Osman, R., & Petersen, N. (Eds.) (2013). Service learning in South African higher education: Studies in selected disciplines. Oxford University Presshttps://www.researchgate.net/pubpcation/291353
  • Petersen, N., & Osman, R. (2013). An Introduction to service learning in South Africa.  In R. Osman & N. Petersen (Eds.), Service learning in South African higher education:  Studies in selected disciplines (pp. 2-30).  Oxford University Presshttps://www.researchgate.net/pubpcation/291353
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