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Educating for Democracy in Haiti; a Teachers' and Students' Perspective

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Educating for Democracy in Haiti; a Teachers' and Students' Perspective Master’s Thesis 2018 30 ECTS LANDSAM Educating for democracy in Haiti; A teachers’ and students’ perspective Mariebelle Leclerc-Hallé International Development Studies i Educating for democracy in Haiti; A teachers’ and students’ perspective Mariebelle Leclerc-Hallé May 15, 2018 i The Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, is the international gateway for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Established in 1986, Noragric’s contribution to international development lies in the interface between research, education (Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes) and assignments. The Noragric Master’s theses are the final theses submitted by students in order to fulfil the requirements under the Noragric Master’s programmes ‘International Environmental Studies’, ‘International Development Studies’ and ‘International Relations’. The findings in this thesis do not necessarily reflect the views of Noragric. Extracts from this publication may only be reproduced after prior consultation with the author and on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation contact Noragric. © Mariebelle Leclerc-Hallé, May 2018 [email protected] Noragric Department of International Environment and Development Studies The Faculty of Landscape and Society P.O. Box 5003 N-1432 Ås Norway Tel.: +47 67 23 00 00 Internet: https://www.nmbu.no/fakultet/landsam/institutt/noragric ii Declaration I, Mariebelle Leclerc-Hallé, declare that this thesis is a result of my research investigations and findings. Sources of information other than my own have been acknowledged and a reference list has been appended. This work has not been previously submitted to any other university for award of any type of academic degree. Signature...................................... Date.............................................. iii Abstract Haiti has a long history of political instability contributing to its precarious economic situation. Thus, education for democracy is particularly relevant for enabling students to participate in a political system that would enhance the well-being of Haiti’s citizens. The Haitian Ministry of Education released an Operational Plan in 2010, giving importance to educating democratic citizens. However, implementing this education reform has been challenging for public schools with limited resources. Teachers and students are the ones who enact democratic citizenship in Haitian schools. Therefore, their perceptions can shed light on opportunities and obstacles for developing an education system that can enhance democratic citizenship in Haiti. Qualitative data was collected through interviews and observations to expose teachers’ and students’ perceptions of democracy, education, and the potential relationship between them. Informants’ conception of what democracy should be conflicted how they saw it was applied in Haiti, exposing a disconnection between Western knowledge valued in formal education and students’ reality. Therefore, I argue that knowledge taught in school should be closer to students’ everyday experiences. Moreover, students expressed a strong will to improve their country’s situation but they lacked opportunities to enact their political engagement. Thus, creating a space for learners to share their opinions, and adapting knowledge taught in school to learners’ reality could be opportunities to re-appropriate democracy in students’ situated context. iv v Table of Contents Declaration ................................................................................................................................................... iii Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgment ....................................................................................................................................viii 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objective and Research questions ...................................................................................................... 3 2. Thematic background ............................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 General presentation of Haiti ....................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Historical background ................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Pre-columbian and colonial time ............................................................................................ 6 2.2.2 Revolution and building the nation ........................................................................................ 7 2.2.3 The Duvaliers’ dictatorship ................................................................................................... 10 2.2.4 Democratic transition ........................................................................................................... 12 2.3 History of education in Haiti ............................................................................................................. 13 2.4 Education in Haiti today .................................................................................................................... 14 2.5 Education reform and Operational Plan ........................................................................................... 15 3. Conceptual framework ........................................................................................................................ 17 3.1 Defining democracy .......................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Links between education and development in a modernist or post-modernist framework ........... 18 3.3 Educating for democracy; theoretical perspectives ......................................................................... 19 3.3.1 Biesta; educating through democracy .................................................................................. 20 3.3.2 Paulo Freire and critical pedagogy ........................................................................................ 21 3.3.3 Sociocultural theory .............................................................................................................. 22 3.3.4 Linking sociocultural theory and critical pedagogy ............................................................... 23 4. Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Research design ................................................................................................................................ 25 4.1.1 Data collection ...................................................................................................................... 26 4.1.2 Sampling ................................................................................................................................ 28 4.2 Study area and education in Haiti ..................................................................................................... 30 4.3 Presentation of participants ............................................................................................................. 31 4.4 Data analysis method ........................................................................................................................ 35 4.5 Ethical considerations, trustworthiness and limitations................................................................... 36 vi 5. Results and analysis ............................................................................................................................ 39 5.1 Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of democracy and its application in Haiti .............................. 39 5.1.1 Interviewees’ general conception of democracy .................................................................. 39 5.1.2 Interviewees’ perception of democracy in Haiti ................................................................... 41 5.1.3 Comparing dictatorship and democracy ............................................................................... 46 5.2 Perceived relationship between education and democracy ............................................................ 50 5.2.1 Education as necessary for the emergence of democracy ................................................... 50 5.2.2 Teachers’ perception of their role as educators ................................................................... 50 5.2.3 Transmission of moral values ............................................................................................... 51 5.3. Teachers’ and students’ experience of education for democracy in schools .................................. 52 5.3.1 Lack of citizenship education ................................................................................................ 52 5.3.2 Democratic experiences ........................................................................................................ 53 5.3.3 Students’ political engagement ............................................................................................ 54 5.3.4 Hierarchic teacher-student
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