Examining non-Indigenous teacher perceptions of Indigenous students in Taiwan through a Strategic Relational Approach

Abstract

This article examines non-Indigenous teachers’ expectations of, perceptions of, knowledge about, and attitudes towards Indigenous students in Taiwan using a Strategic Relational Approach. Drawing on survey data that combined Likert-scale responses with reflexive, open-ended questions, we found that whilst teacher survey responses indicated a normatively positive view of Indigenous students, this was troubled by their open-ended answer responses which included many negative perceptions of Indigenous students’ behaviours, family backgrounds, and capacity for educational achievement. We argue that this indicates an underlying tension held by non-Indigenous teachers of Indigenous students, constructed through contradictory perceptions of self (open to and encouraging of Indigenous learners) and of Indigenous students (as less capable than non-Indigenous students, and uninterested in educational success). Using the Strategic Relational Approach’s notion of a context conduct dialectic, we offer an explanation of this tension by positioning teachers centrally within Taiwan’s cultural political economy, before considering implications for teacher education.