Postcolonial Research in Geography Education: Methodology and Inquiry in Sri Lanka
Exploring postcolonial perspectives in geography education at British international schools in Sri Lanka. Investigating the impact of Western ethnocentric curriculum and international knowledge sharing on educational discourses and Othering practices. Research aims to analyze the production of geography knowledge, uncovering power dynamics and inequalities in educational practices.
- Postcolonial Research
- Geography Education
- Sri Lanka
- British International Schools
- Educational Discourses
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Seeking a methodology for postcolonial research into geography education. Kay Chapman Plymouth Institute of Education
Teaching an English geography curriculum abroad: who is the Other? The aims of my research are: to use a postcolonial theoretical framework to analyse the educational discourses surrounding the choice and implementation of Western ethnocentric curriculum; to find how international curriculum sharing brings about Othering. 2
Research questions: Why is geography taught in schools? What is the focus of British international schools in Sri Lanka and who advocates it? Why is English IGCSE geography taught in Sri Lanka? What kind of geography knowledge is produced in geography classrooms in British international schools in Sri Lanka? Whose geography is it? What kinds of differences are constructed and how in geography classrooms in British international schools in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka s education one of, if not the most, accessible in the developing world (Little 2011: 502) Inequalities - ethnic group, family income, age, gender and location affect school attendance for 5-14 year olds (Arunatilake 2006) British English (and therefore education in the medium of British English) is a marker of the elite in Sri Lankan society, being valued as social capital by those able to access this kind of education and recognised by those who cannot afford such opportunities. (Bernaisch 2012) British international schools: English-medium, fee paying, offering English qualifications such as the International General Certificate of Education (IGCSE).
Postcolonial theory applied to education A way of thinking about relations with the Other (different groups) in a way that allows dialogue without the historical cultural inequalities of colonialism. a discursive orientation that focuses on the instability of signification and the intimate relationship between the production of knowledge and power that is sceptical of grand narratives of progress and emancipation (Andreotti 2011: 14)
Is Grounded Theory (GT) an appropriate methodology for my research? GT is systematic; flexible; iterative; inductive; comparative; analyses qualitative data to construct theory from the data. Theory is derived from systematic analysis of data. 6
Grounded theory Research question Variety of data collection strategies Initial coding Focused coding and categorisation Theory building Constant comparison Memo writing 7
Is Grounded Theory (GT) an appropriate methodology for my research? PCT Power relations and knowledge construction GT Open to other positions, identities and meanings Interaction and dialogue Acknowledges context of research Position of the educator/researcher Ability to question Unlearning 8
If postcolonialism is about a radical reconstruction of history and knowledge production, demanding attention to a diversity of perspectives and priorities, then we must also consider how we frame our dialogues with other texts, in particular, how we theorize. Rangurham and Madge (2006) 9
Andreotti, V. (2011) Actionable Postcolonial Theory in Education. New York: Palgrave MacMillan Arunatilake, N. (2006) Education participation in Sri Lanka why all are not in school. International Journal of Educational Research. 45: 137-152 Bernaisch, T. (2012) Attitudes towards Englishes in Sri Lanka. World Englishes, 31:3, 279-291 Bhabha, H. (1994) The Location of Culture. Oxon: Routledge Chapman, K. (2016) An English geography curriculum abroad: Using third space as an ideal type to understand similarity and difference. Research in Comparative and International Research. 11:4, 357 368 Charmaz, K. (2014) Constructing Grounded Theory. 2nd edition. London: Sage Jazeel, T. (2014) Subaltern geographies: geographical knowledge and postcolonial strategy. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography. 35: 1, 88 103 Little, A.W. (2011) Education policy reform in Sri Lanka: the double edged sword of political will. Journal of Education Policy, 26:4, 499-512 Rangurham, P. & Madge, C. (2006) Towards a method for postcolonial development geography? Possibilities and challenges. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 27 (2006), 270 - 288 Said, E.W. (1978) Orientalism. London: Penguin Spivak, G. (2010) Can the Subaltern Speak? (revised) In Morris, R. C. (ed) (2010) Can the Subaltern Speak? Reflections on the history of an idea. New York: Columbia University Press Tilakaratna, G. (2014) Social Protection and the MDGs in Sri Lanka: Implications for the Post-2015 Agenda. Occasional Paper 12. Southern Voice on the Post-MDG International Development Goals. Available at www.southernvoice-postmdg.org (accessed 6/2/2015)
K so why do kids in SL in those schools do geography do you think? D Only because of me [LAUGHTER]. No kid had gone off to do a geography degree so this was looked at with horror because in that year group I had, my first year group, my AS group, I had 8 kids and they really enjoyed the subject and the girl who is doing geography at UC now set out on a medical career. Identifying self as the expert with influence Transforming 11
