A crisis of trust? Graduate perspectives on power structures and pedagogy
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We use this opinion piece to examine the crisis of trust that permeates Higher Education Institutions, drawing on our experiences as a team of graduates who have worked in numerous ways to advocate for compassionate pedagogies, the wellbeing of students, and the decolonisation of Higher Education Institutions. This crisis of trust has been explored within contemporary pedagogical literature, but we have also experienced this crisis first-hand within our respective journeys as students and researchers. By drawing upon our personal experiences and those highlighted within the existing literature, we delve into the effects of this crisis of trust not only on students, but also on teachers and institutions at large. It is inside the four walls of a classroom that there is the potential for an exchange of knowledge that not only shapes the learning of students but recognises its reciprocal nature and how it may facilitate further learning for the teacher (and institution). While most Higher Education Institutions are gradually attempting to recognise and move away from the power structures that impede on students’ learning and development of trust, the change is slow, and the process is undoubtedly painful. This piece is therefore a call to action for students, teachers, and institutions. We embed tangible recommendations throughout this piece, aimed at fostering safe spaces conducive to revolutionary, sustainable change. We hope that these changes will facilitate the long-term goal of rekindling the joy of learning within Higher Education Institutions and fortifying trust as a fundamental pillar of compassionate pedagogy.
Authors: Connie Gillies, Monica De Quinto Schneider, Gabrielle Nieuwoudt
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408910996