Experiences and perceptions of diversity among teachers and learners in racially-integrated schools

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of diversity among teachers and learners within a racially-integrated school environment. The political changes which took place in South Africa provided a unique climate of transformation in which the social phenomenon of diversity was explored. The importance of researching diversity has become especially relevant within the school environment as schools are considered to be a microcosm of society at large. The real value of diversity is found in racially-integrated school environments, where experiences and perceptions are considered to be true reflections of a future societal culture. A social psychological perspective served as the theoretical framework for this qualitative research study. Schools, teachers and learners were purposefully sampled from selected racially-integrated high schools in the Motheo district. A total of seventy-two participants who were selected from four Model-C schools participated in the study. Twelve focus group discussions were conducted, of which, two were teacher groups and ten were learner groups. A total of 12 teachers took part in the two focus group discussions of which all 12 participants were female. A total of 10 learner focus group discussions amounted to a total of 60 learners of which 56 were female and four were male. The transcribed data was analysed, using a hybrid approach of thematic analysis. From the initial analysis of teacher and learner focus group discussions, four main themes were identified, namely: Understanding and perceptions of diversity; Challenging experiences related to diversity; Factors which influence reactions to diversity; and The school environment as platform for integration. The combined findings were then discussed under the following headings: Perceptions and understanding of diversity; The challenges related to managing diversity and integration; Approaches to diversity and integration; and The role of school as microsystem of society. The results of this study were confirmed in relation to relevant theoretical perspectives and previous research studies and literature in the field.