Traditional legal education has largely been characterised by lecturer-centered, doctrinal approaches that prioritise the transmission of legal knowledge. While this approach remains fundamental, it may not fully and adequately address students’ difficulties in applying legal principles in practice. This paper explores the impact that student voice has on teaching legal theory and the potential that it has to operate as a legitimate source of pedagogical insight capable of informing responsive legal pedagogy. Drawing on scholarship relating to legal pedagogy, student voice and responsive teaching, the paper develops a conceptual framework for positioning student feedback as an important component of curriculum and teaching design. The discussion is illustrated through a case example from an undergraduate Law of Evidence and Litigation Techniques module at a South African private higher education institution. Student feedback, collected through Likert-scale questionnaires and open-ended reflective responses, identified challenges in applying evidentiary principles despite students reporting conceptual understanding. In response, an authentic “murder mystery” crime scene investigation activity was designed to address these learning barriers.The paper demonstrates how student-generated feedback can reveal barriers to learning that may not be apparent through formal assessments alone. It argues that responsive legal pedagogy enables lecturers to preserve doctrinal integrity while designing learning experiences that better support the development of legal reasoning and application in students.

Authors:
Prianka Mungray, Emeris, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Prianka Mungray is an admitted attorney and a law lecturer at Emeris, Durban North, South Africa. She is also currently studying towards a PhD in Medical Law.

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