Teaching critical reflection in Sub-Saharan Africa: business as usual?

Reflective practice enjoys a prominent position in management education in the West. However, its ‘export’ raises questions about both positioning and effective delivery. This paper reports on exploratory research in relation to the teaching of reflective practice as part of a Masters management programme delivered in two sub-Saharan African countries. In relation to prevailing practice in the West, the research evidence is clear. Whilst challenging in terms of its teaching, the cultural context of the West does not preclude access to the essential ideas of reflexivity and an analysis of self. Drawing on data collected as part of the teaching of an MSc in Leadership and Change Management in Malawi and Swaziland, this paper reflects on the nature and extent of this challenge in a very different cultural context. Students from these two countries found the concept interesting but troublesome. Assessment of and questioning about practice revealed some success, but more often a high failure rate in achieving a level of criticality in reflection and a level of depth of self-analysis. The research speculates if a ‘business as usual’ teaching agenda in such cultural contexts in effect sidesteps the question of the appropriateness of an Anglo-American model of reflective practice.

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