Title: The Paradox of Expertism: Authoritative Knowledge Structures and the Arrested Development of Autonomous Discipline in Ugandan Secondary Schools
Authors: Ahumuza Audrey, Musiimenta Nancy
Volume: 9
Issue: 10
Pages: 217-225
Publication Date: 2025/10/28
Abstract:
Background: Critical thinking and autonomous learning constitute essential capabilities for intellectual independence and lifelong learning in contemporary knowledge economies, yet secondary education systems in many developing contexts, including Uganda, remain characterized by authoritative, teacher-centered pedagogical approaches emphasizing knowledge transmission and expertism. Understanding how pedagogical practices, institutional structures, and systemic factors interact to constrain or enable critical thinking development is essential for designing contextually appropriate educational reforms that can cultivate intellectual independence while remaining feasible within resource-constrained African educational systems. Main Objective: To examine how authoritative knowledge structures and expertism in Ugandan secondary schools inhibit the development of autonomous discipline and critical thinking, and to identify pedagogical reforms that can promote intellectual independence. Methods: This concurrent mixed-methods study was conducted across 45 purposively selected Ugandan secondary schools stratified by location, type, and performance levels. Participants included 820 students from Senior 3 and 4 classes (sample size determined through power analysis: ? = 0.05, power = 0.80), 180 teachers, and 45 school administrators. Key Results: Teacher-centeredness demonstrated strong negative correlations with critical thinking (r = -0.58, p < 0.001) and autonomous learning (r = -0.52, p < 0.001), while hierarchical regression analysis revealed that teacher-centered pedagogy independently predicted diminished critical thinking (? = -0.26, p < 0.001) after controlling for student characteristics and institutional factors, with the full model explaining 58.9% of outcome variance. Conclusion and Recommendations: Authoritative knowledge structures in Ugandan secondary schools systematically inhibited critical thinking and autonomous learning development through teacher-centered pedagogies that provided minimal opportunities for student agency, independent inquiry, or collaborative problem-solving. However, viable reform pathways existed within current constraints. The study recommended implementing structured professional development programs equipping teachers with practical skills for student-centered pedagogy in large-class contexts and reforming assessment systems to prioritize critical thinking competencies over content recall, creating systemic incentives for pedagogical transformation