Reimagining Educational Psychologist Training Through Curriculum Decolonisation: An Exploratory Qualitative Study at a Rural Comprehensive University

Abstract

Curriculum decolonisation has gained momentum as a means of transforming post-colonial and post-apartheid education, especially in rural comprehensive universities. Situated within this discourse, this study reimagines educational psychologist training by exploring curriculum decolonisation at a rural comprehensive South African university. An exploratory qualitative design with thematic analysis paradigm was employed to examine the experiences of eight first-year educational psychology trainees. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires and were thematically analysed using the complementary lenses of Africanisation and internationalisation. Africanisation foregrounded African-centred epistemologies, cultural meanings, and historical contexts, while internationalisation situated these perspectives within broader global debates on curriculum reform and professional training. The findings in this study reveal that curriculum decolonisation is understood by participants as a necessary and transformative process for addressing historical inequities and advancing social justice. However, their understandings remain diverse and sometimes contested, reflecting the complexity of translating decolonial principles into practice. Participants emphasised the need for contextually relevant and culturally responsive curricula, supported by stronger institutional commitment. Drawing on participants’ experiences, this study contributes to reimagining educational psychologist training through curriculum decolonisation by identifying pathways for integrating decolonial principles into curriculum design and practice within a rural comprehensive university context.