Author(s)

Avhurengwi Samson Mabade, Neziwe Lucia Mapangwana

Walter Sisulu University, Eastern Cape Province, Nelson Mandel Drive, Mthatha, South Africa.

The focus of this article is on the enhancement or amplification of specific knowledge to meet and respond to challenges in all myriad spheres of leadership in a democratic culture more especially principal of schools. Prior to democratic culture, general knowledge seemed to be predominant in all spheres of life. Moving from general knowledge to specific knowledge is a development that improves competence that can presumably strengthen and sustain a responsibly coherent profession and leadership in a democratic culture. The majority of people appeared to be on the level of general knowledge and they should not remain on this level of general knowledge. In a democratic culture, everyone has the right to know hence knowledge is the creation of human mind. Specific knowledge development is not a simplistic issue. This needs critical thinkers that quickly identify assumptions and challenge them. Due to general knowledge, people would try to reinvent a wheel in a time wasting fashion. General knowledge develops and promotes naïve argument in any environment more especially in a work environment hence specific knowledge develops and promotes intellectual argument which enhances improvement of attitude, behaviour and mindset that ultimately improve performance. Although the literature about knowledge development is abundant, there appear a few literatures about the shifting from general knowledge to specific knowledge. The researchers adopted a case study approach for the description and explanation of the problem. The researchers identified ten principals of schools from the same circuit area and conducted interviews to find out how they respond to certain problems. The purpose was to find out if they use general knowledge or specific knowledge to respond to their challenges. Their responses were presented as an inductive research.

General Knowledge, Specific Knowledge and Democratic Culture

Mabade, A. and Mapangwana, N. (2022) Moving from General Knowledge to Specific Knowledge in a Democratic Culture: A Case Study Approach. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 10, 298-313. doi: 10.4236/jss.2022.102022.