I am a mixed-race primary school aged child : perceptions of educators

Abstract

The present study was concerned with understanding educators' perspectives of primary school aged mixed-race children. Through research of this kind, a better insight into the needs of these children is gained. A qualitative design was employed and data was obtained by means of semi-structured interviews conducted with the educators. The sample consisted of three female schoolteachers, two male football coaches, and a female catechism teacher. These were the educators of three mixed-race children - one female and two males - aged between 7 and 9 years. The findings suggest that generally educators perceive the children as being well adjusted. Conversely, the educators believe that since Maltese society is still racist, these children do encounter some problems. Moreover, it was found that the lack of recognition of a mixed race might lead to racial identity confusion in the children. Consequently, the debate of ignoring versus recognising diversity was brought out.