Teaching Legal Research Methodology to Undergraduate Law Students at a Historically Disadvantaged University

Abstract

The abolition of the Apartheid system has brought about a huge quest and at the same time agitation for skills development in all major critical and scarce skills courses and endeavours in the South African educational system. The teaching and learning of legal research methodology is not an exception given the fact t hat most of the previously disadvantaged universities are stigmatised as 'teaching based universities' as opposed to 'research based universities.' Since 1994, there has been significant restructuring in higher education and this is an integral part of the changes required to overcome the legacy of apartheid division and inequalities. Against this backdrop, historically black law faculties have now introduced extensive research training into their course modules in order to enhance the legal writing skills of the students. This paper describes the teaching and learning of the Legal Research Methodology module by a lecturer to the undergraduate students. It also highlights and analyses the inherent problem of disseminating the peda gogy of research to the students and the interventions tha t were introduced to find solutions to the problem are now eventually producing good results whereby students are writing standard research reports/dissertations. It finally highlights various improvements needed in order to strengthen pedagogy and make the art of skill development in research sustainable