Browsing by Author "Pesambili, Joseph Christopher"

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    An exploration into the encounter between Indigenous and Western education at Noonkodin School in Eluwai, Monduli, Tanzania
    (Taylor & Francis, 2020-02-25) Pesambili, Joseph Christopher
    This study investigated the tensions present in an intercultural education model designed to offer an indigenous knowledge course alongside the national curriculum at Noonkodin School in Eluwai, Monduli, Tanzania. The study employed an ethnographic research design involving mainly in-depth classroom observations, interviews with the head and deputy head of school, informal conversations, and focus groups with 11 teachers and 20 Maasai students. The findings showed that the provision of intercultural education at Noonkodin is beleaguered not only by a hegemonic relationship between Indigenous and Western knowledge, but also a strong cultural mismatch, contradiction, and ambivalence in their strictest sense. For the programme to succeed, the findings suggest the need to overcome both the hegemonic backdrop of Western education structures that shape what happens in the school, alongside the structural limitations of Noonkodin’s location within a modern Tanzanian state replete with capitalist values that run counter to its stated goals.
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    Exploring the responses to and perspectives on formal education among the Maasai pastoralists in Monduli, Tanzania
    (Elsevier, 24-08-20) Pesambili, Joseph Christopher
    Although extensive research has been conducted on education practice among the Maasai pastoralists, there has been no detailed exploration of their responses to and perspectives on formal education. Employing an interpretivist qualitative approach, this study explored various responses to and perspectives on the current practice of formal education among the Maasai in Monduli, Tanzania. The study drew primarily on interviews with two Maasai chiefs and 18 elders, as well as focus groups with 30 parents, 20 students, and 20 out-of-school morans and girls. The results revealed mixed responses to and contested views on formal education among the Maasai, ranging from positive and negative responses to the complementary response (coexistence of two knowledges). The findings suggest the need for a dialogue among various sections of the Maasai population to reach a consensus on an alternative educational option, which can work best for all segments of people in the community.
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    Glocalised research design: exploring the encounter between Indigenous and Western methodologies among the Maasai Pastoralists in Monduli, Tanzania
    (SAGE, 2021-08-10) Pesambili, Joseph Christopher
    Drawing upon my experience of researching the encounter between Indigenous and Western knowledge among the Maasai in Monduli, Tanzania, I reflect on theoretical and practical aspects of a glocalised research design as an alternative methodological approach to Indigenous research. I explore how the design is embodied in the Maasai’s concept of enkigúɛ́ná (meeting) both as an ontological and epistemological framework for engaging diverse worldviews and knowledge systems in meaningful ways. The experience from the fieldwork shows that not only does the glocalised design offer possibilities for decolonising research and knowledge production but also it provides a dialogical space for co-constructing knowledge between the researcher, research assistants, and participants. The glocalised design offers new insights into the importance of research at the encounter where two knowledge systems constantly in tension, meet, interrogate, and negotiate with each other through a productive dialogue to enhance mutual understanding and create new knowledge.
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    Maasai students’ encounter with formal education: Their experiences with and perceptions of schooling processes in Monduli, Tanzania
    (Elsevier, 2021-03-28) Pesambili, Joseph Christopher; Novelli, Mario
    Employing an ethnographic research design, this study examined the Maasai students’ experiences with and their perceptions of formal schooling processes in Monduli, Tanzania. The study drew on classroom observations, interviews with four (4) heads of schools, and focus groups with 31 teachers and 70 students. The results demonstrated the predominance of teacher-centred and rote-learning approaches, as well as poor interactions between students and teachers in the classrooms. Equally, the results revealed not only tough and challenging school experiences for the Maasai students due to the lack of support from parents, long walking distances, and the absence of midday meals but also strong cultural tensions caused by difficulties in reconciling the requirements of the traditional life with those of the formal schooling. Alongside fundamental reforms in educational policies and practices, the findings suggest the need for school-based professional development programmes, which can sensitise teachers working in Maasailand to culturally responsive curricula and learner-centred pedagogies for the Maasai students in the classroom contexts.