Community centred learning: A pathway to community engagement

We report on the experiences of participants on a course which represented a pathway to community engagement. The 76 participants (20 males, 46 females), from two low-income South African communities, were part of a multi-lingual group representing English, Africans, isiZulu and Sesotho. Data were obtained from several participant group conversations. Data, analysed by thematic content analysis, showed that the engagement process during the course may have been influenced by perceived social relevance and beneficence of the course content, affirmation of situated knowledge and life experiences, the opportunities for maximum participation, and the language adopted for communication. The participants' tendency to dichotomise theory and practice seemed to have influenced receptivity to reflective components of the course. This analysis points calls for systematic studies on the value of community centred learning as engagement.