Racial and social discrimination in the EFL class: the case of the roma minority

Abstract

This paper aims to study Andalusian students' and teachers' perceptions of social and racial discrimination in the EFL class with special reference to the Roma (gypsy) minority. After a brief introduction on racial discrimination in the world, figures are presented to illustrate the situation in Spain, especially with regard to the Roma ethnic minority in Andalusian schools. The main premises of critical race theory and some studies which have contributed to clarifying the extent of racial discrimination in present day society are also revised. Our study explores how students and teachers at Primary, Secondary and Tertiary academic levels perceive the treatment given by teachers to students of different social classes and to the Roma minority in particular. A sample of 459 students and 14 schools has been used. Of this group 59 students were attending two schools with a high Roma population in the city of Granada. The results indicate that students and teachers do not perceive a high degree of discrimination, but some of them do, as is often reported in sociological studies.