Social science methods training in Sub-Saharan African public HEIs: Review and mapping.
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Research methodology training is central to strengthening African scholarship, yet its pedagogical and institutional foundations remain poorly documented. This exploratory scoping review maps social science and humanities research methodology training in public higher education institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, drawing on 251 academic and grey literature documents identified through database and country-based searches. Thematic synthesis examines pedagogy, curriculum, collaboration, and institutional conditions. Recurring patterns include procedural teaching, narrow methodological repertoires, delayed practical application, compliance-oriented ethics instruction, fragmented provision, and dependence on individual supervisors. The review interprets these patterns as a systemic cycle of fragility: growing demand, prevailing training arrangements, and institutional resources remain misaligned, while expertise circulates through individuals and externally funded initiatives without consistently accumulating within universities. Eight interconnected conditions for strengthening capacity are identified: methodological pluralism; progressive integration of theory, application, and reasoning; shared resources and digital equity; institutionalised pedagogical and supervisory expertise; stronger connections with regional networks; transparent expectations of research competence; continuous ethical reasoning; and preparation for research beyond the thesis. Given uneven documentation and geographical coverage, these conditions constitute evidence-informed priorities for investigation and coordinated action. Sustainable capacity depends on institutional arrangements that retain, transmit, and adapt existing expertise across institutions and generations of African researchers.
Source: EdArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Author: Kevin Durrheim
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225745274
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