Academics In Higher Education Institutions Research Articles

Managing careers of academics in higher education institutions: A moderated mediation model

AbstractThis research examines the role of input and process‐based approaches in enhancing faculty members' commitment to their research careers in the context of higher education. Specifically, we investigate the mediating effect of research self‐efficacy on the relationship between professional research network and commitment to research career, as well as the moderating effect of career aspiration. Our findings reveal a direct positive link between professional research network and commitment to research career. Moreover, research self‐efficacy is found to mediate the relationship between professional research network and commitment to research career. We also find that career aspiration did not moderate the relationship between research self‐efficacy and commitment to research career. Our study contributes to the literature by providing a more comprehensive understanding of how professional research networks may enhance research self‐efficacy, leading to greater commitment to research careers among faculty members in higher education institutions. Additionally, our research sheds light on the important role of career aspiration as a key factor in shaping the relationship between research self‐efficacy and commitment to research career.

Expatriate academics’ adjustment experience at a higher education institution in South Africa

Orientation: Expatriate academics in higher education institutions (HEIs) face several socio-cultural and integration challenges that significantly influence their adjustment. Insufficient support and a non-conducive environment hamper their well-being.Research purpose: This study aims to describe the adjustment experiences of expatriate academics at a HEI in South Africa. Recommendations are made towards creating an enabling environment in which expatriate academics can better facilitate adjustment.Motivation for the study: This study aimed to compete globally, HEIs appoint international academics with scarce skills to enhance their teaching, learning, and research. Expatriate academics are driven by push and pull factors when accepting international opportunities. Entering an unfamiliar environment, implies disruption on a psychosocial, socio-economic and job adjustment level, and if not well-supported results in maladjustment affecting expatriate well-being and job performance.Research design, approach and method: An interpretive, qualitative approach was adopted. Five purposively selected expatriate academics partook in semi-structured interviews and the data were analysed through content analysis.Main findings: A lack of employer support and cultural diversity factors impede participants’ ability to adjust at work and in the community. Having grit and being resourceful in overcoming challenges resulted in better adjustment.Practical/managerial implications: Facilitating collaborative relationships between expatriates and host country nationals, and using supportive services and resources will enable better adjustment.Contribution/value-add: Expatriate academics share their lived experiences of what hindered their adjustment and several recommendations are made to HEIs and foreign academics towards creating an enabling environment promoting adjustment.

The spiritual and social role of the mother in the Ukrainian family

The relevance of the topic lies in the study of the spiritual and social role of the mother in the Ukrainian family due to the crisis of the family in modern society. This crisis is manifested in the increase of divorces, fatherlessness, a free attitude toward sex before marriage, abortions, homosexual behavior, and a lack of trust and love between family members. Currently, during the war waged by Russia against Ukraine, Ukrainians are subjected to terrible sexual assaults, destruction, and abuse by the enemy. Because of this occupational war, the crisis in the family worsens even more. The study was conducted in 2021, before Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The sample included families living in Kyiv. It was advisable to experiment with 30 families who believe in God and 30 atheist families. The following methodical tools were used in the research: T. Alordey’s questionnaire, the method of ‘Normative resistance’ according to E. Eidemiller, and the projective method of ‘Draw-a-Family-Picture’. The aim of the research was to show a special vital resource of Christian mothers, which affects the creation of an atmosphere of love and respect in their families, in contrast to the vital resource of mothers in families that do not believe in God. This vital resource affects the performance of the role of the mother. As a result of the questionnaire, husbands’ understanding of the mother’s role in the family was studied. Christian and non-Christian men showed that most of them were grateful to their mothers. From the answers in the questionnaires, it is clear that the life principles that husbands learned from their mothers, they practice in their own families. This forms the authority of the wife in the family and affects the role of the mother. Normative resistance in mothers from non-believing families was not ascertained. These mothers considered terrible, negative situations to be normal. Mothers who confess Christ ascertain normative resistance. They make great efforts so that children grow up in an atmosphere of joy and mutual understanding. Analyzing the drawings of children from non-Christian families, one can see psychological and spiritual problems in families. The pictures reflect children’s experiences of conflicts in the family. An atmosphere of love and strong family relationships can be observed in the drawings of Christian children. Children have mothers who pray for them. The effectiveness of the ‘I am a mother’ training aimed at biological and social mothers is shown. The social mothers are preschool educators, schoolteachers, and academics in higher education institutions. Ukrainian mothers, teaching their children to love God and the motherland, positively influence society and form the spiritual, professional, and business cultures of the young generation. Christian families have a special, vital resource. This resource enables mothers to fully fulfill their spiritual and social roles in the family. During the war in Ukraine, such mothers laid the foundations of new values that affect the whole world.

Comment on “Extent of Publishing in Predatory Journals by Academics in Higher Education Institutions in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of a University”

Comment on “Extent of Publishing in Predatory Journals by Academics in Higher Education Institutions in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of a University”

Understanding and assessing sustainable behavior among the academics in higher education institutions of Bangladesh

PurposeConsidering that knowledge, skills and behavior can influence sustainability efforts, this study aims to assess which personality traits influence one’s sense of feeling connected to nature and presumably make more sustainable choices. The study also explores the situational factors that might pose barriers, despite an individual's preference for a sustainable lifestyle.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 54 faculty members from six Higher Education Institutions in Bangladesh were interviewed based on a semi-structured questionnaire on the barriers to a sustainable lifestyle in Dhaka city, while their personality traits were assessed using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the Big Five Factors and the Connectedness to Nature Scale through a survey.FindingsThe results state that Empathic Concern and Fantasy, as dimensions of empathy, have strong positive correlations with feeling connected to nature. The physical, social and psychological challenges also cause fewer people to lead a sustainable lifestyle, despite feeling highly connected to nature.Research limitations/implicationsSustainability efforts need to be context-specific due to localized challenges the people face. While educators play a key role in mainstreaming sustainability, generalizing the findings of the study to the wider population is limited. Further investigation to explore demographic and socioeconomic factors will provide key insights to the determinants of sustainable behavior.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight that educational institutions can play a key role in the development of empathy and sustainability education, while addressing the need for good governance and policies in mainstreaming sustainability for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030.Originality/valueFew studies have been conducted to understand sustainable behavior in Bangladesh and identify effective methods to promote sustainability. This study provides insights to sustainable behavior in the context of a least-developed country. Additionally, it will support educational institutions to work toward sustainable development by enabling empathic skills development in curricula, leading to more concrete sustainability efforts.

Exploring the relationship between gender and competencies development in higher education institutions: Perspectives from a university in Zimbabwe

This research explores challenges faced by female academics in higher education institutions (HEIs) as they strive to cultivate the competencies necessary for a sustainable future. To delve into these challenges, a qualitative case study was conducted at a Zimbabwean university. All 64 academics employed at the university participated in the study, employing focus group discussions, face-to-face interviews, and online questionnaires, adapting to COVID-19 restrictions. The findings uncovered a lack of gender integration in university programmes and initiatives, leading to unequal engagement and limited access to resources and opportunities. A substantial portion of female academics lacked essential competencies in research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and grant proposal writing. These imbalances stemmed from male academics holding influential roles and controlling significant resources. Consequently, the research concludes that the institution's prevailing culture, systems, and procedures impede the development of vital skills among female academics, restricting their ability to contribute fully to a better future.

Breaking the silence: three Pakistani women academics’ accounts of being bullied

Women in Pakistan’s higher education face barriers that silence their voices from reporting experiences of being bullied by colleagues and superiors. This situation contradicts universities’ role as houses of learning and agents of progressively improving culture and society. This group autoethnography presents three accounts by women academics challenging this taboo against speaking out. Without the silence being repeatedly broken, this toxic social phenomenon continues. Studies of women’s personal stories of being ostracised and bullied complement the emerging quantitative literature about bullying against women academics in higher education institutions. The present narratives about being the targets of bullying individuals are framed within national and international literature. Chronicling such bullying episodes increases recognition of personal, family, and career trauma for women academics. More qualitative accounts will further document the conduct by which women are ostracised, disrespected, and burdened with unfair extra work. Naming such behaviors overcomes the current silence, which leaves this conduct unacknowledged.

Extent of publishing in predatory journals by academics in higher education institutions in Zimbabwe: A case study of a university

ABSTRACT The publish or perish concept requires academics to ensure that they take part in research and publish the research results in academic journals. The emergency of predatory publishers has led to negativity in the scholarly publishing process. Some researchers are unaware that some publishers are unethical. A study was conducted to determine the extent of predatory publishing in Zimbabwe among academics. A survey was carried out using a multi-method approach at a public university in Zimbabwe. Articles published between 2012 and 2022 were retrieved using the Harzing publish or perish software. In total, 977 articles were retrieved, and after data cleaning using Open Refine, 357 records were analyzed using the journal evaluation rubric and scoring sheet to note the extent of predatory publishing among the various schools. The articles were then classified into 3 sections i.e., predatory, not predatory, and borderline. The findings revealed that predatory publishing is prevalent in the social sciences. The authors recommend the importance of training to create awareness about the dangers of predatory publishing and how to avoid them to improve the scholarly output of the institution, which is key to university ranking.

The Mediating Effect of Perceived Institutional Support on Inclusive Leadership and Academic Loyalty in Higher Education

Globally, people have a rising desire to obtain certificates, degrees, and diplomas in higher institutions, described as “diploma disease”. Additionally, the need for sustainable education becomes imperative as globalization increases. To meet these demands, there is a need for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to have adequate support for both students and academics. However, these HEIs are faced with the challenge of meeting set goals and values. For leaders in HEIs, inclusion is a critical challenge. This paper investigates perceived institutional support’s (PIS) role in mediating the co-relationship between academic loyalty and inclusive leadership within HEIs. The study presents a literature review to give some background. This paper’s conceptual framework is built on PIS from social exchange theories. Based on the design, a quantitative survey was adopted for the study. A random sample of 402 academics in HEIs was deployed for the study. A questionnaire instrument was designed to elicit information from the respondents. A structural equation model (SEM) was then adopted for the data analysis. The SEM approach was utilized to investigate the connection between academic loyalty and inclusive leadership at HEIs, with the mediating factor of PIS. The findings reveal a positive relationship exists between academic loyalty and inclusive leadership. While PIS positively connects both, there is also an inference that institutional support exists. This study provides insights that could assist stakeholders in formulating policies on employee needs and what could be done to improve and attain sustainable education in HEIs. It highlights applicable impacts towards increased productivity in HEIs, reflecting achieved targets regarding key performance indicators (KPI) and improved institutional performance.

Talent development practices and processes in learning organisations: evidence from South African higher education institutions

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to identify talent development practices and processes that enhance professional and career growth of employees in South African higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study was carried out to investigate the subject matter. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from 265 academics in three South African HEIs. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 27.0, was used to analyse the data. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and factor analysis were used to test the reliability and validity of the measuring instrument. Pearson’s correlations and regression analysis were used to interpret the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Findings The results of the Pearson correlation test established a strong positive influence of training development, coaching and mentoring and career development on talent development. On the other hand, linear regression results indicated that training and development, coaching and mentoring and career development made a strong contribution to the model. Research limitations/implications The scope of the study only applied to South African HEIs, making the generalisation of the findings to be limited because of the differences in an organisational context. Hence, future research should focus on different industries. Practical implications The study contributes to understanding how talent development can be leveraged to assist academics in HEIs to improve their professional and career goals. The findings suggest that HEIs must invest in talent development to help academics acquire the skills, knowledge and competencies required to perform their tasks. Originality/value This paper sheds more light on talent development practices and processes that enhance academic skills, knowledge and competencies in HEIs. Moreover, the study expands on the findings of prior studies concerning talent development in learning organisations.

Experiences of female higher education academics in Zimbabwe: A decolonial feminist perspective

abstract The low representation of women in leadership positions continues to characterise higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa. Most senior positions, from Programme Coordinators, to Departmental Chairpersons, Deans of Faculties, Directorships and Vice-Chancellorships, remain occupied by men. Arguments for more representation of women in academic leadership positions have largely been shaped by neoliberal feminist thoughts which emphasise gender parity or numerical representation. While critical, the limitation of this approach is that it lacks engagement with the lived experiences of women academics in HEIs, which still carry colonial legacies, and patriarchal structures and processes. In the context of scholarly discussions on the need to decolonise HEIs, coupled with a rising critique of hegemonic western feminist influence, there are pertinent questions on how women academics respond to, and resist the gendered policies, structures and processes in universities, using alternative feminisms. This study offers a feminist interrogation of the experiences of black women occupying decision-making positions in two of Zimbabwe’s HEIs, presenting the results of qualitative empirical research. It explores the extent to which decolonial feminism and associated ethics of care have influenced women empowerment, shaping and improving experiences of female academics in leadership positions within HEIs in Zimbabwe.

Assessing Academics’ COVID-19-Induced Emergency Remote Teaching Experiences Using Transformative Learning Theory

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several educational institutions were thrust into a forced culture change as learning, teaching, and assessment moved from traditional face-to-face (F2F) instruction to remote delivery with a profound effect on pedagogy. This paper uses transformative learning theory to explore various aspects of academics’ transition from face-to-face to remote teaching. Findings from an online cross-sectional survey of academics in higher education institutions ( n = 95) indicate that academics were confronted with a disorienting dilemma that challenged previously unquestioned teaching experiences, beliefs, and values upon transition to remote teaching. This was followed by reflection, adoption, and implementation of different modes of instructional delivery. The results indicate statistically significant differences in critical reflection, openness, and teaching differently based on race. As higher education institutions transition to a “new” phase of instructional delivery, re-thinking professional development and support for the transformed academic in a new operating environment that remains prone to disruptive events becomes imperative.

The Role of Local Language Mastery for Foreign Talent Management at Higher Education Institutions: Case Study in Czechia

Purpose: This article explores the role and impact of Czech language mastery in the integration and retention of foreign academics in HEIs in the Czech Republic (Czechia). Czech higher education institutions (HEIs) aspire to attract the best talents to the workplace. The well-being of foreign experts in local workplaces is often researched without expounding the impact of local language mastery. HEIs in Czechia, like other universities in the European Union (EU), have strategic needs for foreign talents in tertiary education, however, various barriers persist in attracting and retaining foreign academics in Czechia.
 Design/Method/Approach: Based upon the theories of Global Talent Management, Internationalization, and Social Ecology, this study conducted quantitative research and collected primary data from 211 foreign academics living and working in HEIs in Czechia. The study evaluated the dimensions of the well-being of foreign academics with their Czech language mastery. For higher validity, the analyses were supplemented with qualitative research (research triangulation) - a qualitative analysis of open answers to supplementary questions, in which respondents got an opportunity to express their feelings and opinions, was performed.
 Findings: The result shows that although a multicultural environment exists in HEIs in Czechia, which allows for communication in English, the need to understand the local language i.e. the Czech language, for work orientation, administrative procedures and integration of a foreign employee into the local community in the medium and long-term are still pertinent. The Czech language is one of the biggest obstacles while integrating into the local community, and it takes foreigners at least five years to learn it for everyday interaction.
 Theoretical Implications: This study contributes to the extension of Global Talent Management theory by extending the dimension of local language mastery as an important driver for employee integration and retention into a local workplace and community for sustainable employment.
 Practical Implications: The study found that foreign academics can improve Czech language proficiency and feel better integrated with local communities after five years in Czechia. HEIs could play a proactive role in integrating and retaining foreign talents by assisting with local language mastery.
 Originality/Value: This study highlights the importance of local language mastery in regional HEIs of the EU, whose retention of foreign talents is directly affected by the expatriates’ ability to master the local language.
 Research Limitations/Future Research: The research lacked sufficient information on the total number of foreign academics currently residing in Czechia. However, 211 foreign academics participated in this study. Future studies could expand the study by surveying foreign experts in other EU countries as well as including other dimensions besides local language mastery.
 Paper Type: Empirical
 JEL Classification: F22, I23, J24, J49

Motivation of academics in the Global South: a case from Cambodia higher education

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to examine the motivation of the academics in a developing country, Cambodia, which is an under-researched country in order to look into the satisfaction level of the academics in various aspects of academic profession. This study helps inform policy makers and other stakeholders in higher education in Cambodia about the current status quo of academic profession in Cambodia, which acts to impede the quality of higher education in this country.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a survey design to examine the motivation of academics in a periphery country, Cambodia. The result from an online survey via Microsoft Form of 278 academics currently working at three public universities and four private universities across the country revealed that academics in higher education institutions in Cambodia were satisfied with their job (Mean = 4.1, SD = 0.74) and the organizational culture and value (Mean = 3.9, SD = 0.77), but dissatisfied with their salary (Mean = 3.1, SD = 0.90). The mean score of other variables also skewed toward happiness, yet this mean score remained low (between 3.2 and 3.8). Furthermore, the result from t-test and one-way ANOVA showed no significant difference in job satisfaction between public and private academics and among academics from different employment statuses. Job satisfaction of academics in this study did not come from salary or work environment, but may have come from the flexibility and status quo of academic career in Cambodia, in which the majority of academics have additional job while many others (38% of the participants) treat teaching as their secondary job and at the same time maintain the title as academic or even professor, which is relatively well-respected in Cambodia society, despite poor salary. The complexity of academic career in this context may present major setbacks to the quality of higher education in this periphery country.FindingsThis study revealed that although academics in higher education in Cambodia were satisfied with their job and organizational culture and value, they were not satisfied with their work environment and salary. The result from this study indicated that the reason why salary did not determine the satisfaction level of academics was that most of the academics in Cambodia higher education have additional job or business in addition to teaching. Moreover, they have other full-time jobs outside higher education and they can still teach part-time to earn extra income.Research limitations/implicationsSince this study generated only 278 responses from academics, these data remain small compared to the whole population. Thus, this may affect the generalization of the finding to the larger population.Practical implicationsThis study helps fill the existing gaps in literature on higher education in Cambodia and the findings from this study can be used to make informed decision regarding quality of higher education in Cambodia.Social implicationsHigher education is a social institution that helps maintain professionalization of all professions and improve students competitiveness. Improving quality of higher education means that academics themselves need to be professional and ethical toward teaching. This research pointed out the unethical practices of academic procession, which in turn, de-professionalize academics and downgrade the quality of higher education in Cambodia.Originality/valueThis study provides a fresh insights into the motivation of academics in Cambodia higher education. This study also provides the framework for academic motivation in a developing country.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as a Teaching and Learning Tool: A Study of Students’ Readiness and Satisfaction

Students and academics in higher education institutions (HEIs) were perilously hit by the unparalleled changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a span of less than a month, teaching and learning activities were shifted online to warrant continuity. This study intends to probe the online learning readiness and satisfaction among university students within the scope of students’ prior ICT knowledge and the university's ICT infrastructure. This study employs a quantitative approach with a questionnaire as the research instrument. A sample size of 1,692 Sunway University students in the Ministry of Education (MOE) General Studies subjects were chosen. The data were analysed descriptively, and the results revealed that students are generally ready for online learning, and they are satisfied with the ICT amenities provided. As a result, both students and Sunway University are well-prepared, with the major implication that student preparation and satisfaction, as well as infrastructures, are critical to scaffold the accelerated transition in the use of online learning.

Collegiality as a Fundamental Professional Value in an Academic Setting: A Case Study in a Teacher Education Institution in a Small Island Developing State

Collegiality is believed to entail “always acting in good faith, [...], in concert with one’shonest judgment as to the best interests of one’s institution” (Siegel, 2004, p. 411). Thisunderstanding of collegiality is deemed to be output-oriented and missing out on importantunderlying concepts and values related to the construct. While research shows thatcollegiality as a concept and a practice is well anchored in corporate jargon and settingswhere collaborative efforts among employees are capitalised upon for the optimisation ofoutput, there seems to be a dearth of literature on the importance of collegiality in relationto personal well-being in the professional set-up. Moreover, in academic settings, collegialityas a concept has been extensively researched in relation to teacher collegiality, but there isvery little mention of how collegiality influences well-being in work life among academics inhigher education institutions. This paper seeks to explore the understanding that academicsin a teacher education institution have of the concept of collegiality and its impact on theirprofessional stance and job-related personal well-being. It addresses the question of whethercollegiality should be incorporated as a fundamental professional value within a teachereducation institution as this is deemed to have implications for human capital development.The study shows that though the corporate logic of the use of collegiality for enhanced performance is the most prevalent practice even in an academic set up, academics have alsoappropriated the concept to include a strong element of social and emotional intelligence.

Academic employees' green behaviour as praxis for bolstering environmental sustainable development: A linear moderated mediation evaluation

AbstractThere have been calls for organisational employees across developed and emerging economies to be more responsible towards the environment because of the heightened level of devastation in the ecosystem due to human actions. This study examines the influence of environmental concern on employee green behaviour (EGB) through the mediation of attitude, perceived behavioural control (PBC), and environmental knowledge. SmartPLS 3 software was used to analyse the relationships from 425 valid responses. The findings of our study show that environmental concern, attitude, and PBC positively predict the EGB of academics. Attitude and PBC act as complimentary mediators of the relationship between environmental concern and EGB. Equally, a linear moderated mediation analysis shows that environmental concern amplifies the link between PBC and EGB. Furthermore, an importance‐performance map analysis (IPMA) provides evidence that suggests that though employees' attitude is a less important predictor of EGB when compared with environmental concern, their respective degree of performance is equal to each other. Furthermore, this study offers substantive insights into the multiple roles of environmental concern in influencing employee green behaviour among academics in higher education institutions (HEIs). Policy implications and future research directions for environmental sustainability are discussed.

An exploratory assessment of the educational practices during COVID-19

PurposeThis study aims to address the state of teaching-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing the pedagogies used, evidence collected, best practices used and technologies used for instruction by the academics in higher education institutions (HEIs). This study also analyses the impact of online academic motivation (OAM) and online academic amotivation of the teachers on the online student engagement (OSE) during the emergency remote teaching (ERT) period.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a mixed methodology by incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods for analysis. Data used in this study have been drawn from a pool of educationists teaching in various HEIs in different parts of India (n = 900). Sentiment analysis, project map and mind map have been used to analyze the teachers’ experiences in the new teaching environment. Further, this study uses exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis to measure and validate the study’s scales.FindingsThe combination of empirical and qualitative analysis captured the ERT model followed by the teachers. The overall experience of teachers regarding the online mode of teaching-learning is moderately positive. This study reports a direct positive and significant impact of teachers’ motivation on perceived student engagement in the online mode.Originality/valueThis research proposes and validates scales to measure perceived OSE and the teachers’ OAM. This study also establishes an impact assessment of the teachers’ motivation levels on the students’ engagement from an educator’s perspective.

Classroom teaching or academic publishing? An investigation of Philippine doctoral academics’ beliefs

Classroom teaching, academic publishing, and community service may be considered the primary responsibilities among academics in higher education institutions (HEIs). While there have been a number of studies that explored the teaching–research nexus in different contexts, little is known about the perceived roles of HEI academics with regard to teaching and research. This article explores Philippine HEI doctoral academics’ (academics with doctoral degrees) views of their roles in teaching and research. Data were obtained from interviews with 53 doctoral academics who had 11–25 years of teaching experience. Findings revealed that doctoral academics viewed themselves as classroom teachers, which undermined the teaching–research nexus due to their inadequate training and exposure to research and publication when they were pursuing their doctoral degrees. This article argues that academic orientation plays a key role toward academics’ perceptions of teaching and research in HEIs. Such findings suggest the need to revisit both national and institutional policies on teaching and research pedagogy among Philippine HEIs.

Becoming African psychologists: Decolonisation within a postgraduate psychology module at the University of Johannesburg

There is a compelling need for curriculum design and processes of teaching in South African higher education institutions to heed calls for decolonisation and relevance. Within university Psychology teaching spaces, both the what and the how of knowledge production require transformation and epistemic emancipation. This study explored the perceptions of students regarding the decolonisation processes within a postgraduate Psychology module at the University of Johannesburg. Through the thematic analyses of blogs written by students, results indicated the students benefitted from decolonisation initiatives through three interdependent processes. These processes were (1) Learning Real World Skills from Peers, (2) Bringing it Home: Making Psychology Relevant, and (3) Becoming African Psychologists. Academics in higher education institutions have an ontoepistemological responsibility to encourage students to be critical of the hegemony of Western imperialist forms of knowledge. Therefore, decolonisation initiatives should include students becoming agentic actors who chart the course of their learning processes. Critical thinking skills may facilitate the formation of identities that increase students’ agency and creativity within traditionally rigid and hierarchical academic structures.