A Study of Teachers' Perceptions of Youth Problems

Abstract

This study examines cross-cultural differences in European-American teachers' explanations for the causes of school problems among . Responses to open-ended questions were analyzed using an attribution theory framework. For European-American children, teachers tended to use situational explanation of problems (57.1 per cent); in comparison, for African-American and Hispanic-American children, teachers tended to use personal explanation of youth problems (64.8 per cent). There was a wide variety of explanations within these broad categories. The most frequently occurring teacher explanations for European-American youth problems were statements such as 'child has problems at home ' (52.5 per cent). For African-American and Hispanic-American youth problems, the most frequently occurring teacher explanations were statements such as 'child has become disrespectful, hostile and aggressive and is not taking responsibility' (76.7 per cent) and 'child is unmanageable' (66.7 per cent). The results indicate that teachers tend to blame European-American youth problems on other persons and the environment (situational factors), whereas teachers tend to blame African-American andHispanic-American youth problems on the individual (dispositional factors). The ndings suggest that an increased understanding of the cultural diversity in teachers' perceptions of youth problems is important to discussions about student discipline and their possible applications. Implications for future research directions are discussed.

Ethnic incongruence and the student–teacher relationship: The perspective of ethnic majority teachers

“…Likewise, there are indications that teachers sometimes provide biased ratings of minority (versus majority) students' behaviors (see Hosterman, DuPaul, & Jitendra, 2008) and also that they make less favorable (i.e. more internal) attributions for the problems experienced by those children (Jackson, 2002). Studies on individual differences in teacher bias have been relatively scarce.…”

Selling students short: Racial differences in teachers’ evaluations of high, average, and low performing students

“…Despite evidence to the contrary (Downey, 2008; Downey, Ainsworth, and Qian, 2009; Harris, 2006, 2011; Tyson, 2011), deficit thinking is reinforced by the widely held belief that Black and Latino students hold oppositional attitudes towards education (Harris, 2011; Fordham and Ogbu, 1986). For example, Jackson (2002) finds that White teachers tend to attribute Black and Latino students’ problem behaviors to personal and dispositional factors, while blaming White students’ problem behaviors on external and situational factors.…”

Family and Teacher Characteristics as Predictors of Parent Involvement in Education During Early Childhood Among Afro-Caribbean and Latino Immigrant Families

“…This cultural gap may be exacerbated by the real and perceived prejudice immigrants experience based on their immigrant, socioeconomic, racial, or ethnic group status. There is evidence that non-Black teachers perceive Black students negatively (Jackson, 2002; Murray, 1996; Oates, 2003), that Black children are less likely to experience supportive relationships with their teachers (Saft & Pianta, 2001), and that teachers report better relationships with White and Latino families than with Black families (Hughes, Gleason, & Zhang, 2005). To the extent that an anti-Black bias extends to and is perceived by parents, the racial dissonance between teachers and Black families may be an important determinant of parent involvement (Huss-Keeler, 1997; Jackson, 2002; Murray, 1996) and indeed, there is empirical evidence for the relation between parent perceptions of racism and their limited school-based involvement (McKay, Atkins, Hawkins, Brown, & Lynn, 2003).…”