Facilitating change in higher education: a reflective journey towards decolonization and creating belonging

This paper offers a personal and reflective account of a social work lecturer critically considering the learning experiences of racialized minority students in higher education (HE) in a UK university. It considers how pedagogy should be examined critically and suggests that knowledge from other cultures should be embedded in the learning. Several themes are explored, including sense of belonging, decolonization of the curriculum, the use of empathy in education, and allyship.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Social Work Education
Published
2026-10-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2026.2744286
Primary Topic
Decolonial Thought and Epistemologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Facilitating change in higher education: a reflective journey towards decolonization and creating belonging

Che McGarvey-Gill
Social Work Education
Decolonial Thought and Epistemologies
article

Facilitating change in higher education: a reflective journey towards decolonization and creating belonging

Che McGarvey-Gill
article en

Abstract

This paper offers a personal and reflective account of a social work lecturer critically considering the learning experiences of racialized minority students in higher education (HE) in a UK university. It considers how pedagogy should be examined critically and suggests that knowledge from other cultures should be embedded in the learning. Several themes are explored, including sense of belonging, decolonization of the curriculum, the use of empathy in education, and allyship.

Social Work Education
University of Lancashire (GB)
Quality education
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Decolonial Thought and Epistemologies
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Facilitating change in higher education: a reflective journey towards decolonization and creating belonging — Che McGarvey-Gill · Social Work Education (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS