An integrative approach to the development of expertise in higher education: an inquiry into the curriculum of a professional master's degree programme

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dc.contributor.advisorBitzer, Elien_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorFourie-Malherbe, Magdaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBester, Marianneen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-04T15:14:17Z
dc.date.accessioned2022-04-29T12:54:08Z
dc.date.available2023-03-18T03:00:11Z
dc.date.issued2022-03
dc.descriptionThesis (DEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: The complexity of everyday life in contemporary society compels people to rely on professionals with expertise. Yet, despite the necessity and expediency of professional expertise in today’s modern world, the notion of expertise remains a complex phenomenon. Although much has been written in education about developing professional expertise in higher education over the past few years, very few studies have attempted to explore the nature, kinds, dimensions, theories and models of professional expertise from the vantage point of different disciplinary perspectives such as sociology, psychology, philosophy and education. Furthermore, only a handful of scholars have attempted to develop models and curriculum frameworks to promote an integrative approach with knowledge building and creation as its primary goal. This study aimed to explore and integrate diverse disciplinary perspectives by problematising the concept of professional expertise in higher education curricula using a coursework master’s degree programme in sustainable agriculture as a domain of practice. Selecting sustainable agriculture as the domain of practice for this study brings food security as one of this century’s critical global issues in a world beset by volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous challenges into sharper focus. Recent studies suggest that the world will require increased crop production in the next three decades to feed the predicted increased population growth to 9.7 billion by 2050. Addressing the need to secure an adequate supply of food, fibre and fuel for the world’s growing population must be done in the face of climate change, growing scarcity of water and land, the presence of infectious diseases, war, migration, and changing consumption patterns of people. Professionals, including people with expertise in sustainable agriculture, are thus needed to address these challenges. In this study, an interpretive case study design was employed using second-generation activity theory as an analytical lens focusing on the activity system of the MSc (Sustainable Agriculture) programme at Stellenbosch University. The existing curriculum, as the mediating artefact, served as the primary unit of analysis. Through the dialogical process of data generating and analysing methods, the interaction among the six core elements of this activity system was examined, using qualitative and quantitative data. Additionally, the specialisation codes and semantics codes of Maton’s Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) were used to examine the domain of practice and curriculum logic in more detail. The data analysis findings revealed several major contradictions in the activity system. The indistinctiveness of the functional, manifestational and dispositional dimensions of professional expertise in this domain of practice influenced participants’ conceptions of sustainable agriculture, resulting in polarised perspectives with resulting curriculum implications. Within the existing curriculum as a contested space, these tensions contributed to curriculum incoherence, poor programme coordination, inadequate communication among university teachers, and unsatisfactory learning experiences for students. Although the findings of this case study are specific to the selected academic programme, the integrative approach to developing professional expertise through a multi-layered and multi-dimensional curriculum framework contributes to the growing body of existing knowledge in the field of curriculum studies in higher education with knowledge building and creation as its primary goal.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kompleksiteit van die daaglikse bestaan in ‘n moderne samelewing noop mense om staat te maak op die kundigheid van professionele persone. Ten spyte daarvan dat professionele kundigheid in ‘n moderne samelewing onontbeerlik is, bly die konsep van kundigheid ‘n komplekse verskynsel. Hoewel daar in die afgelope tyd in die opvoedkunde heelwat geskryf is oor die ontwikkeling van professionele kundigheid in hoër onderwys, het baie min studies gepoog om die aard, tipes en dimensies van professionele kundigheid, asook die teorieë en modelle wat daarmee geassosieer word, te ondersoek vanuit verskillende dissiplinêre perspektiewe soos sosiologie, sielkunde, filosofie en opvoedkunde. Slegs ‘n handjievol wetenskaplikes het gepoog om modelle en kurrikulumraamwerke te ontwikkel wat ‘n geïntegreerde benadering vooropstel met die doel om kennis te bou en te ontwikkel. Die doel van hierdie studie was dus om bogenoemde uiteenlopende dissiplinêre perspektiewe oor kundigheid te verken en te integreer en om deur middel van ‘n kursusgebaseerde meestersgraad-program in volhoubare landbou, as ‘n praktykgerigte domein, die kwessie van professionele kundigheid dieper te ondersoek. Die keuse van volhoubare landbou as die praktykgerigte domein vir hierdie studie plaas die kollig op voedselsekerheid as een van die kritiese kwessies van hierdie eeu in ‘n wêreld belas met ‘VUCA’-uitdagings, soos onder andere onbestendigheid, onsekerheid, ingewikkeldheid en onduidelikheid. Onlangse studies dui op die noodsaaklikheid van ‘n verhoging in gewasproduksie oor die volgende drie dekades ten einde voorsiening te maak vir die verwagte groei van die wêreldbevolking tot 9.7 biljoen teen 2050. Die uitdaging om genoegsame voedsel, vesel en brandstof aan die groeiende wêreldbevolking te verskaf vind verder plaas binne die konteks van klimaatsverandering, ‘n nypende tekort aan water en landbougrond, die voorkoms van aansteeklike siektes, oorlog, migrasie, en veranderende verbruikerspatrone. Derhalwe word professionele kundiges met onder andere kundigheid in volhoubare landbou benodig om hierdie uitdagings aan te spreek. In hierdie studie is ‘n gevallestudie-ontwerp as navorsingsontwerp gebruik, met die tweede ontwikkelingsvlak van aktiwiteitsteorie as die analitiese raamwerk om die Magister in Volhoubare Landbou as akademiese program aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch te ondersoek. Hierdie verklarende gevallestudie het gebruik gemaak van ‘n dialogiese proses vir die generering en ontleding van kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe data om die ses kernaspekte van die aktiwiteitstelsel van nader te bekyk, met spesifieke verwysing na die bestaande kurrikulum. Twee kodes van Maton se Legitimerende Kodeteorie, naamlik spesialisasie en semantiek, is gebruik om die praktykgerigde domein en logiese samehang van die kurrikulum dieper te ondersoek.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoralen_ZA
dc.embargo.terms2023-02-28
dc.format.extentxvii, 389 pages : illustrations
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125104
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshExpertise --Education (Higher)en_ZA
dc.subject.lcshProfessional educationen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshProfessional practiceen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshInclusive educationen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshUniversities and colleges -- Curriculaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshKnowledge, Theory ofen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSustainable agricultureen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshMaster of arts degreeen_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.titleAn integrative approach to the development of expertise in higher education: an inquiry into the curriculum of a professional master's degree programmeen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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