Developing an inclusive African theory of academic literacy

Abstract

South Africa has enjoyed post-apartheid democratic freedom for thirty years. However, three decades after apartheid’s legal end, institutions of higher learning still grapple with a significant crisis of student attrition. Approximately 25% of South African students drop out annually without completing their degree or academic year. According to the current article, this high dropout rate is partly attributed to a lack of a coherent theory of academic literacy, which could mitigate the feelings of alienation experienced by African students. This article argues that the dependence of African universities on Global North constructs of academic literacy limits students’ experiences of inclusion and belonging to specialized disciplinary domains. To address the crisis of student attrition, as well as experiences of cultural alienation in universities where African students are enrolled, this article proposes developing an African Theory of Academic Literacy (ATAL). The objective of this theory is to empower academic literacy educators to ground their teaching, learning, and assessment practices in an Afrocentric paradigm, thereby fostering a stronger sense of inclusion among novice scholars within their disciplines.