Authority as Perceived by the Schoolgoing Senegalese Adolescents

Abstract

With the help of a questionnaire addressed to 882 Senegalese secondary students we have investigated their views of the ideal mother, ideal father, and ideal teacher. We also examined how they perceived their relationships with their teachers and the incidence of family and school environment. Starting from Tap's classification (1966), we have tried to show that love and confidence were the qualities most expected from mothers. On the other hand, characteristics such as authority, pedagogical preoccupations, and justice were expected from fathers. Contrary to Tap's findings (1966) for French subjects, gentleness was a quality given more for fathers than for mothers. Conversely mothers were expected by our subjects to be more dynamic than fathers which contrasts with Tap's results. The students value the moral or affective qualities of the ideal teachers much more than their intellectual qualities. The psychological traits of their actual teachers are described in a rather severe manner; unfavourable answers are more frequent. The prestige of the teacher seems to be still high; they are highly respected in the family circles of 81% of the students. Although the relationships are unequal between parents and teachers intellectually, contacts between them are highly desirable for 75% of the students.