Reimagining Graffiti in Education: A Case Study on the Ethical, Legal and Pedagogical Implications of Student-Generated Graffiti in a Secondary School in Zimbabwe | Chapter 12 |Walls That Teach: Graffiti, Education and the Pedagogy of Resistance

 

Graffiti has traditionally been associated with resistance, protest, and subversive behaviour, which young school-going children commit. Commonly perceived as a form of criminal activity and a symbol of social deviance, it has long been regarded as a disruptive force within urban communities. This study critically analyses the phenomenon of student-generated graffiti within formal educational environments, evaluating its pedagogical implications and assessing evidence-based administrative responses and strategies for educational leadership. It further investigates the ethical and legal implications of incorporating graffiti-based practices as legitimate pedagogical instruments within academic institutions. Employing a qualitative methodology situated within an interpretive epistemological framework, this study intends to utilise a single case study design centred on an urban secondary education institution in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The purposive sampling method was used to select 10 educators in administrative positions and 20 students from the identified urban school. Observations, analysis of policy documents, and semi-structured interviews with secondary school education practitioners and students were used as research tools. Data was analysed through the thematic analysis, narrative descriptions, and tables for illustrations, from which conclusions and recommendations were drawn. The study was premised on two interrelated theoretical frameworks: Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy and Lawrence Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory. These frameworks offer a comprehensive foundation for exploring the educational, social, and ethical dimensions of student-generated graffiti within the school environment. The findings of the study suggested that student-generated graffiti, when effectively managed institutionally, can serve as a valuable pedagogical tool while enhancing administrative practices and contributing to constructive disciplinary frameworks.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Alice Violet Nyamundundu
Gachuba Teacher Training Centre, Rwanda.

 

Hopewell Biningu
Zaza Teacher Training Centre, Rwanda.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-93-47485-01-5/CH12