Dr Syafiq Mat Noor wins a British Academy ‘Knowledge Frontiers: ODA International Interdisciplinary Research 2024’ grant

Dr Syafiq Mat Noor from the Centre of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Policy has been awarded a prestigious grant for the Voices of the Rainforest research project under the ‘Knowledge Frontiers: ODA International Interdisciplinary Research 2024’ funding call.

This interdisciplinary project, rooted in anthropology and education, is in collaboration with two researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Dr Siti Nur Diyana Mahmud from the Faculty of Education and Dr Zanisah Man from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.

“Indigenous communities often find themselves on the frontline of climate change impacts. Existing research emphasises that indigenous communities are empowered in terms of resilience and self-sufficiency when they utilise traditional and local knowledge in climate change adaptation. However, a misalignment exists between this traditional ecological knowledge and the school curricula delivered to indigenous children. Often, the curricula and syllabi, which are heavily influenced by Western models and mandated by centralised government systems like that of Malaysia, render the education provided less relevant to these children,” said Syafiq.

“Voices of the rainforest seeks to amplify the voices of indigenous communities in the Malaysian context regarding climate change, ensuring their perspectives are heard by a variety of stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, educators, and environmentalists. The proposed activities aim to influence policy frameworks, advocating for an education system that is reflective of and responsive to the diverse socio-cultural and environmental context of Malaysia. Beyond the immediate educational realm, this project aspires to instigate a broader societal dialogue about climate change and sustainable practices, contributing to a more informed and proactive citizenry,” he added.

Voices of the Rainforest is a climate change education research project that aims to co-create a traditional, ecological, knowledge-based climate change curriculum framework for primary schools with indigenous communities, children, and school partners in the Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and Johor states of Malaysia.

The project, which will run for a period of 24 months, until March 2026, seeks to utilise participatory action research as a broad umbrella framework and to integrate a variety of research methodologies, including participatory, indigenous, ethnographic, creative and art-based approaches to curriculum development.

This research project is timely and represents a significant milestone in enhancing the research capacity of the Center of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Policy. It harnesses expertise in research and education to tackle climate change, a key global challenge that aligns with the University of Leeds’ strategy, ‘Universal Values, Global Change’.

The research project webpage will be launched in due course. In the meantime, more information is available on the project landing page, Voices of the Rainforest.

The full list of winning projects for the British Academy ‘Knowledge Frontiers: ODA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2024’ is available on the British Academy website.