2021 Mary Kingsley Zochonis Lecture Series, by Dr Neo Pule
Thursday 16 September 2021- 18:00 – 19:30 ZA time – 17:00 – 18:30 BST and Nigeria time – 19:00 – 20:00 Kenya time
 “Decolonising research methodologies in psychology: Social dream drawing studies of the student leadership context in South Africa”
 
In this lecture, Dr Neo Pule will explore decolonizing research methods in the African context and within African worldviews. The lecture uses psychology as a field of reference as well as ‘social dream drawing’ in student leadership research. Dr Pule’s lecture sees the ‘participant’ as a co-researcher who is an expert of their lived experiences and co-constructer of research knowledge. Additionally, the lecture taps into African ontology to harvest progressive research principles for decolonizing research.
 
Student leadership, especially in the South African context, has played a transformative role within the academy but also within wider society. With a focus on student leadership, Dr Pule’s research provides a distinctive lens through which to explore decolonizing research methods. The student leadership case study enables an interrogation of best-practice and ethical norms that otherwise may be rigid and inflexible toward the decolonizing project.
The event will take place on Zoom. A Zoom link will be provided on the day of the lecture.
 
Register here to attend the lecture
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/decolonising-research-methodologies-in-psychology-tickets-169365176803]
Biography:
 
Dr Neo Pule is a registered Counselling Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and holds a PhD in Consulting Psychology. Her work experience integrates Student Affairs, Counselling and Development, leadership consulting, academia and social dream drawing (SDD) research. In 2021, she launched “The Agile Student leader of the 21st century” project as a result of the National Research Foundation Black Academic Advancement Program award. Through understanding student leadership experiences by means of social dream drawing, Dr Pule anticipates the South African student leadership competency framework which will enable scholarly based coherent student leadership development efforts in the country. Her belief that student leaders are leaders of the future is central to her drive towards the pursuit for well-grounded scholarly initiatives towards student leadership development. Dr Pule previously received awards from the British Academy in 2018 and currently the British Council Newton Fund Researcher Links Travel Grant. Other previous local and international awards include Award for Most Promising Young Researcher by National Student Development Association in 2015 and the Emerging Scholar Program hosted in Japan in 2016 during the International Psychology Congress.