Research article | Open Access
International Journal of Progressive Education 2024, Vol. 21(1) 1-12
Indigenizing Social Work in Kenya: The Role of The Implicit Curriculum in Technical and Vocational Education
pp. 1 - 12 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2024.1163.1
Publish Date: February 11, 2025 | Single/Total View: 20/16 | Single/Total Download: 23/17
Abstract
In social work education, the implicit curriculum is integral in shaping professional values, ethics, behaviors, and practices. When faculty are consciously aware of how classroom interactions explicate, demonstrate, or underscore content covered in class material, they are more likely to use these instances as an invitation for students to analyze and provide a critique of their professional practices. Answering the clarion call to indigenize social work education, and to fulfill the objectives of Kenya's Technical and Vocational Education and Training system, we argue that the social work profession needs to turn its attention to the implicit pillars of the curriculum. By focusing on mid-level colleges, which serve the vital function of addressing workforce gaps in resource constrained settings, we examine the significance of implicit aspects of learning on students’ professional development. We focus on the country’s multicultural identity, trauma histories, and the deeply embedded culture of student activism and argue that by applying a transformative lens in the conceptualization of the implicit curriculum we can prepare future-ready social workers equipped for practice in Kenya’s diverse and rapidly changing practice environment. While the strategies we propose are not exhaustive, they are initial steps in embracing the indigenization of the social work profession.
Keywords: Implicit Curriculum, Social Work Education, Student Learning, sub-Sahara Africa, Professional Development
APA 7th edition
Kagotho, N., Mccarthy, K.S., & Owuor, E. (2024). Indigenizing Social Work in Kenya: The Role of The Implicit Curriculum in Technical and Vocational Education. International Journal of Progressive Education, 21(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2024.1163.1
Harvard
Kagotho, N., Mccarthy, K. and Owuor, E. (2024). Indigenizing Social Work in Kenya: The Role of The Implicit Curriculum in Technical and Vocational Education. International Journal of Progressive Education, 21(1), pp. 1-12.
Chicago 16th edition
Kagotho, Njeri, Karla Shockley Mccarthy and Euphracia Owuor (2024). "Indigenizing Social Work in Kenya: The Role of The Implicit Curriculum in Technical and Vocational Education". International Journal of Progressive Education 21 (1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2024.1163.1
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