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Young People’s Perceptions of Africa. Richard Borowski Leeds University Centre for African Studies. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Young People’s Perceptions of Africa
Richard BorowskiLeeds University Centre for African Studies
‘Without intervention infants are liable to accept uncritically the bias and discrimination they see around them. Stereotypes promoted in advertisements and stories of war, famine and disaster in the media further distort perceptions. At the same time, the influence of parents and peer group pressure may also serve to confirm negative views. From here racism and all its attendant evils are only a short step away.’
Dr Stephen Scoffham‘Young Children’s Perceptions of the World’
Teaching Young Children, 1999
African VoicesRecruitment
LUCAS recruits MA and PhD students from Africa. The students come from a wide range of African countries but mainly from English speaking regions of the continent.
They are recruited from across the University and study a broad range of courses such as Development Studies, Education, TESOL, Economics and Finance, Communication Studies, Sociology, Public Health and even Chemical & Civil Engineering.
African VoicesTraining
The African students recruited to the project have a very different experience of schools - ‘chalk and talk’ lessons and classrooms with little technology.
To prepare them to deliver lessons in UK schools they are provided with a course of training about the UK school system, active learning methodology, teaching strategies and classroom management and lesson planning.
African VoicesDelivery
The activity programmes delivered by the African post-graduate students consist of a mixture of activities:•Generic activities about Africa, such as true/false quizzes, diamond rankings and role plays•Focused country profiles and workshops on contemporary themes developed by the students•Cultural activities such as stories, music and dancing and games
African Voices
Research
The impact of the African students on pupil perceptions of Africa and African peoples has been researched using, Africa maps, pupil questionnaires and focus group discussions.
Changes in pupil perceptions of Africa have been identified by comparing the results obtained prior to and following the sessions delivered by the African students. The reasons for these changes were explored during the focus group interviews with pupils.
Graphic Perceptions
49.5%
63.3%
27.5%36.7%
28.4%
Linguistic Perceptions46.4%
44.6%
40.2%37.5%
42.9%
39.9%
73.2%52.9%38.4%
58.0%
Visual Perceptions
44.7% 27.7%
38.3%
66.0%
34.0%
East African Elephants
Traffic in Windhoek, Namibia
Traditional rural housing, Ghana
Sad Children with bowls, East Africa
Camel train, Sahara desert
Nairobi city skyline, Kenya
Shanty town dwellings, Southern Africa
Zulu dancers, South Africa
Oil storage tanks, Nigeria
Table mountain, South Africa
Gold mining, Southern Africa
Tea pickers, East Africa
What do you think African people are like?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1 2 3 4 5
<= Poor to Rich =>
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
Re-view
Perceptions of Africans
What do you think African people are like?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1 2 3 4 5
<= Poor to Rich =>
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
What do you think African people are like?
0%10%
20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%
1 2 3 4 5
<= Lazy to Hard Working =>
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
What do you think African people are like?
0%10%
20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%
1 2 3 4 5
<= Lazy to Hard Working =>
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
Re-view
What do you think African people are like?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
1 2 3 4 5
<= Sad to Happy =>
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
What do you think African people are like?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
1 2 3 4 5
<= Sad to Happy =>
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
Re-view
What do you think African people are like?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
1 2 3 4 5
<= Sick to Healthy =>
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
What do you think African people are like?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
1 2 3 4 5
<= Sick to Healthy =>
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
Re-view
There is little food in Africa
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
Re-view
Perceptions of Africa
There is little food in Africa
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
There are many skyscrapers in Africa
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
There are many skyscrapers in Africa
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
Re-view
Africa is a dangerous place to live
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
Africa is a dangerous place to live
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
Re-view
There are no TVs in Africa
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
There are no TVs in Africa
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
Re-view
People in Africa use mobile phones
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
People in Africa use mobile phones
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Don’tKnow
Agree StronglyAgree
Pe
rce
nta
ge
Pre-view
Re-view
How important?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Very Fairly Little Maybe Not
Buying fairly traded products from African
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
Perceptions of Development
How important?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Very Fairly Little Maybe Not
Buying fairly traded products from African
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
Re-view
How important?
0%10%
20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%
Very Fairly Little Maybe Not
Supporting charities that work in African
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
How important?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Very Fairly Little Maybe Not
Volunteering to help people in African
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
How important?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Very Fairly Little Maybe Not
Volunteering to help people in African
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
Re-view
How important?
0%10%
20%30%
40%50%
60%70%
80%
Very Fairly Little Maybe Not
Supporting charities that work in African
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Pu
pils
Pre-view
Re-view
Initial Perceptions
Focus Group Responses
‘When you see Red Nose Day you see loads of pictures of people starving’‘I thought it was like what you see on the news – straw huts and fighting’‘I used to think that Africa was primitive and deprived because the media focuses on the worst part’‘Everybody focuses on the poor parts of Africa – anybody who has not been there thinks it’s quite poor’
(Year 5/6 pupils)
Changes in Perceptions
Focus Group Responses‘I thought there would be no rich people there but they have diamond mines and big houses.’‘I didn’t know they had cars, I thought they had to walk.’ ‘I learnt that there are wealthy people in Africa as well’‘That there are over 1000 languages in Africa’ ‘I was surprised to find out there are 53 independent countries’‘I didn’t know that there are lots of really tall skyscrapers’‘I didn’t know that there was that much technology in Africa’
(Year 5/6 pupils)
Impact of African StudentsRole ModelsThe students challenged the stereotypical view of an African – highly educated, relatively wealthy and articulatePersonal BondThe students became a ‘real’ person that the pupils could relate to and value what they had to sayActive LearningActive learning approaches encouraged discussion, critical analysis and peer group interactionNew InformationThe students were a source of new information about Africa and presented a different perspective of the continent
Research AnalysisInitial PerceptionsPupils attending schools in more affluent areas were more likely to be positive than pupils from less affluent areasThe presence of BME pupils and curriculum initiative promoting greater global awareness had a positive but minor influenceExternal InfluencesTV programmes, news reports, films about Africa and NGO campaigns all contribute to a perception that Africans are poor, helpless and in need of Western charityAfrican StudentsThe African students had an equally positive impact on all schools regardless of their location
‘Without intervention infants are liable to accept uncritically the bias and discrimination they see around them. Stereotypes promoted in advertisements and stories of war, famine and disaster in the media further distort perceptions. At the same time, the influence of parents and peer group pressure may also serve to confirm negative views. From here racism and all its attendant evils are only a short step away.’
Dr Stephen Scoffham‘Young Children’s Perceptions of the World’
Teaching Young Children, 1999
Young People’s Perceptions of Africa
Richard BorowskiLeeds University Centre for African Studies
