Resumo

MASUNUNGURE, Appolonia; LUNGA, Prosper  e  JAMA, Pateka Pamella. Embracing learners' cultural identity in the early years to enhance education for sustainable development. Journal of Education [online]. 2025, n.101, pp.59-77. ISSN 2520-9868.  https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i101a04.

Considering learners' cultural identity in teaching and learning processes in early years is imperative since it boosts their self-esteem and leads to the development of important attributes for their ongoing lifelong learning. We argue that teachers should implement teaching approaches that promote learners' positive identities and inclinations. In the Southern African countries continual migration of people creates an identity crisis for young learners. This study is aimed at ensuring that all learners are included in the promotion of education for sustainable development in their early years through incorporating their cultural identities into the processes of teaching and learning. We used John Ogbu's (1978) cultural-ecological theory as the theoretical framework for the study. Methodologically, the study was conducted following the principles of the participatory transformative paradigm. As a community of practice, we adopted a Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) design for this study because of its inclusive and participatory form to explore how learners' cultural identities can be embraced to promote education for sustainable development in their early years in South Africa. Six Grade-R teachers from schools in Johannesburg were recruited as co-researchers of this study which led to there being nine members in the community of practice. We established that many teachers who teach in the early years are not well-versed in their learners' culture, and they spend more than a reasonable amount of time trying to make learners understand cultures foreign to them. In this study, we explain how teachers in early years can take into account the culture of learners in the processes of teaching and learning. We conclude that understanding learners' culture does not only improve their learning outcomes, but it also enhances education for sustainable development among them.

Palavras-chave : cultural identity; early years; education; sustainable development; identity crises; learning processes; lifelong learning.

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