Resumo

LOUBSER, Danette. Lecturers as redemptive change agents supporting students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at higher educational institutions. Koers (Online) [online]. 2025, vol.90, n.1, pp.1-16. ISSN 2304-8557.  https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.90.1.2626.

Teaching diverse students, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), embodies the biblical call to nurture each individual as made in the image of God. This study focused on the lecturer as a redemptive change agent to meet the needs of students with ASD in higher education from a Reformational Christian perspective. Higher education institutions have increasing numbers of students with ASD due to a greater focus on inclusivity, thus necessitating attention to lecturers' roles to support these students. The study adopted a qualitative approach utilising document analysis. Purposive sampling was used to select documents appropriate and relevant to this study. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. Three themes emerged from the findings: lecturers as prophets, priests, and kings. Theme one focused on lecturers and their institutional preparedness as prophets to support students with ASD. Theme two included lecturers' teaching approaches and adaptation in their roles as priests to support students with ASD. Finally, theme three focused on the institutional support system, where lecturers assume the role of kings to support students with ASD. Based on the findings, the following conclusion is made: As redemptive agents of change, lecturers' teaching approaches should be empathetic, flexible, and adaptable in order to support students with ASD successfully. _ecturers' faith should inspire them to emulate Christ's compassion and grace. Putting Christ at the centre of each lecturer's life will positively influence students with ASD and assist in creating a more supportive and inclusive environment. The findings, obtained by means of a thorough document analysis, can help develop Christ-centred guidelines for supporting lecturers on how to become redemptive change agents in higher education.

Palavras-chave : autism spectrum disorder; document analysis; higher education; redemptive change agents; student support.

        · resumo em Africaner     · texto em Inglês     · Inglês ( pdf )