Reading Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed phenomenological study of 2018 postgraduate sandwich students of Communication and Media Studies Department

Abstract

Pedagogy of the Oppressed was written decades ago to expose unequal power relationships which result in oppression among humanity. It further introduces critical pedagogy as the antidote to deconstructing oppression. Using the qualitative approach to inquiry, the study employed the phenomenological design to solicit the views and ideas of the 2018 Postgraduate Sandwich Students of the Communication and Media Studies Department and investigated how their behaviours have been transformed after reading the book. The study adopted the criterion sampling technique where three respondents were selected for the collection of data through in-depth semistructured, open-ended telephone interview. Analysis from the collected data indicated that readers found it difficult grasping the subject matter of the book after reading it for the first time. Thus, the participants read the book more than once before they understood its concepts. It was also identified that the behaviours of the participants have been transformed positively after reading the book. The research therefore recommended for the inclusion of the book as a reading material in all the other departments of the university. It was also recommended that policy makers also consider critical pedagogy when designing or modifying curricula.