Problem Solving: A Process of Reaching Common Understanding and Consensus

Abstract

This article reports on a study of the local knowledge of a group of young African development activists in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa. Impetus for the study was the researcher's observation of a lack of transferability of knowledge, obtained by a group of young rural Africans from a training course in development strategies, to their everyday life. It was hypothesised that participants' notion of problem solving was different from that presented in the course. This motivated the researcher to conduct an investigation into the conceptual, procedural and epistemic knowledge of a group of young Africans from rural areas, involved in development activities. It was argued that insight into the participants' local knowledge could contribute to the development of appropriate methodologies for training in rural African settings.

Data for the study consisted of transcripts of interviews and group discussion with the research participants. An interpretive grounded theory approach was used to ascertain the participants' conceptual and procedural knowledge of the concept problem solving. A further interpretation of this data led to the elucidation of the participants' epistemic principles underlying their concept of problem solving. Congruent with a ‘situated cognition’ approach, these were contextualised within the participants' socio-cultural background.

The study revealed that the participants' perceptions of the concepts problem and problem solving were firmly embedded within the African philosophy of Ubuntu, with the notions of social harmony, holism, pursuit of practical purpose and primacy of collective reality providing the epistemics for their actions and cognitions. However, the research data showed some evidence of emerging assumptions about problem solving which deviated from the traditional African philosophy towards a more Western philosophy.

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