Examining non-Indigenous teacher perceptions of Indigenous students in Taiwan through a Strategic Relational Approach

Couch, D., Nesterova, Y. and Nguyen, H. (2023) Examining non-Indigenous teacher perceptions of Indigenous students in Taiwan through a Strategic Relational Approach. Asia Pacific Education Review, (doi: 10.1007/s12564-023-09830-8) (Early Online Publication)

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Abstract

This article examines non-Indigenous teachers’ expectations of, perceptions of, knowledge about, and attitudes towards Indigenous students in Taiwan using a Strategic Relational Approach. Drawing on survey data that combined Likert-scale responses with reflexive, open-ended questions, we found that whilst teacher survey responses indicated a normatively positive view of Indigenous students, this was troubled by their open-ended answer responses which included many negative perceptions of Indigenous students’ behaviours, family backgrounds, and capacity for educational achievement. We argue that this indicates an underlying tension held by non-Indigenous teachers of Indigenous students, constructed through contradictory perceptions of self (open to and encouraging of Indigenous learners) and of Indigenous students (as less capable than non-Indigenous students, and uninterested in educational success). Using the Strategic Relational Approach’s notion of a context conduct dialectic, we offer an explanation of this tension by positioning teachers centrally within Taiwan’s cultural political economy, before considering implications for teacher education.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions. Partial funding for this study was Granted by Universitas21.
Status:Early Online Publication
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Nesterova, Dr Yulia
Authors: Couch, D., Nesterova, Y., and Nguyen, H.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education
Journal Name:Asia Pacific Education Review
Publisher:Springer
ISSN:1598-1037
ISSN (Online):1876-407X
Published Online:28 February 2023
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2023 The Authors
First Published:First published in Asia Pacific Education Review 2023
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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