Sources of positive stereotypes: perspectives of junior secondary students in Botswana

Abstract

This paper focused on the positive stereotypes junior secondary school students have of nationalities outside Africa. In addition, the paper examined the sources of the positive stereotypes as perceived by the students while implications were drawn for teacher education. A sample of 105 students matched some positive stereotypes to some nationalities, using the Princeton Trilogy. According to the findings, ten nationalities appeared mostly when the positive attributes such as scientifically-minded, intelligent, industrious, efficient, sportsmanlike, democratic, straightforward, alert, pleasure-loving and patriotic were matched by the students with various nationalities from their perceptions. The sources of information of these positive stereotypes were attributed by the students to the Internet, stories, television programmes, textbooks, friends, newspapers, radio, teachers’ interaction, and other minor sources in that order. Some implications were drawn from the findings for teaching and teacher education which included the effective teaching of decision making processes, diversity through multicultural education, and the globalization of the teacher education programmes across the world.