The good, the bad, and the invisible

The Role of Educators in Reinforcing National-Origin-Based Stereotypes

Bibliographic Data

ID2184623
AuthorsEmilia María Valenzuela-Vergara (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume15
Issue3
Pages161-184
Publication date2023-07-03
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMulticultural Education Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2005-615X • E-ISSN: 2377-0031
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/2005615x.2023.2287692
OpenAlexW4389222728
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited49

A growing body of research has investigated how school staff attitudes and beliefs towards immigrant students play a crucial role in their process of integration. However, the literature has consistently focused on the effects of teachers’ beliefs on immigrant students’ academic achievements, omitting other factors such as the effect on students’ social interactions. Based on cases from Chile, this article examines the attitudes, prejudices, and beliefs that school staff have regarding immigrant students and how these images affect immigrants’ relationships with their Chilean peers. I relied on 75 in-depth interviews with students and school staff and 46 classroom observations from seven high schools in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. Results show that national origin-based stereotypes shape the way that educators see and understand immigrant students’ relationships with their peers. Moreover, these national-based stereotypes directly alter immigrant students’ integration with their Chilean peers by reinforcing Chilean students’ prejudices towards their immigrant peers and by affecting immigrants’ self-identity, confidence, and well-being.KEYWORDS: Immigrantseducationstereotypespeer integrationChileteacher expectancy Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Ethics declarationThis study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in July 2018 (approval number IRB00000266).Notes1. These courses represent different instructional foci at high schools. In Language and Literature, students work on Spanish reading, writing, and oral communication; Orientation aims to develop the personal, intellectual, moral, and social dimensions of students by discussing topics related to interpersonal relationships, personal growth, and well-being, among others; in Gym classes, high school students are expected to do physical activity, to learn about healthy habits, and to develop cooperative behaviours through sports (Ministerio de Educación [MINEDUC], Citation2015).Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID) under the programme FONDECYT Postdoctorado N°3220861.Notes on contributorsEmilia María Valenzuela-VergaraEmilia María Valenzuela-Vergara is a postdoctoral researcher in the Sociology Department at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She has more than 15 years of experience working on minority groups’ education, including street children and adolescents, English Language Learners, and immigrant students

Identity (music · Immigration · Interpersonal communication · Pedagogy · Political science · Reading (process · Immigration and Intercultural Education · Migration, Education, Indigenous Social Dynamics · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · Social Psychology

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