The Future of Education

The integration of cultural practices into education is gaining traction around the world. It has been discovered that infusing culturally valued concepts such as communalism, primary, encourages pupils to accomplish at greater levels in numerous areas like as language arts, mathematics, and social science (Hurley et al., 2009). Chun and Dickson (2011), on the other hand, showed that Latinx students were more engaged and felt more efficacious when their teachers acknowledged the legitimacy of their cultural heritage and value of Spanish during instruction. In the South African context, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for Technology subject provides opportunities for learners to appreciate the interaction between people’s values and attitudes, technology, society, and the environment. Thus, the purpose of this article is to explore the role of cultural practices in the learning of graphic design for learners in the Senior Phase Technology classroom. Through the lens of social cognitive theory, this article investigates the role of cultural practices in graphic design’s teaching and learning. Seven Grade 9 learners were chosen on purpose from the Mgwenya circuit in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews and classroom observation. This study employed a qualitative case study, with data analysed using thematic analysis. The research results showed that learners understood the subject content, i.e., the subject Technology and graphic design. Nonetheless, the results revealed that learners were not aware of the activities undertaken to learn graphic design. In addition, the study further revealed that learners showed partial creativity, as their learning lacked supportive environments, suitable opportunities, and enthusiastic motivation for culturally inclusion. Ultimately the aim of this article is to emphasise the importance of culturally practices in the teaching and learning of graphic design in Technology Education curriculum.

Keywords: Creativity, cultural practices, cultural value, graphic designs, Technology subject, social cognitive theory. 

References

[1] Chun, H., & Dickson, G. (2011). A psychoecological model of performance among Hispanic adolescents. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 40, 1581–1594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9640-z

[2] Hurley, E. A., Allen, B. A., & Boykin, A. W. (2009). Culture and the interaction of student ethnicity with reward structure in group learning. Cognition and Instruction, 27, 121–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370000902797346