Durban - Women leaders and black professionals were non-existent in many textbooks in public school classrooms, a study of discrimination and bias in textbooks has found.
The study by the Human Sciences Research Council, for the social cohesion and equity unit of the Basic Education Department, assessed 40 textbooks across grades.
It found that various forms of discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation and against disabled people, were insidiously present in school textbooks – predominantly in the images used.
Although often subliminal and not explicit, research suggested this was by no means a less potent way of transmitting values of superiority and inferiority.
Textbooks – an authoritative source of information – were one of the most potent influences in the way pupils interacted with the world, said the study, quoting earlier research.
Textbooks significantly affected children’s perceptions of self and others.
The most blatant form of racial discrimination was through invisibility, the study says.
While most of the textbooks had between four and seven authors, their names suggested that they were largely white.
In two books, contributions of white men to the field of maths were highlighted, with no mention of the contributions of men from other races.
Study author Cyril Adonis argued this gave the impression “we owe what we know about mathematics exclusively to white men”.
Discrimination also manifested itself through stereotypes.
In the textbooks, he found “pervasive” use of photos depicting black people in inferior jobs.
One was littered with photographs of black farm labourers and factory workers.
In another, to illustrate the effect of an unhealthy lifestyle on foetal development, a photograph was used of a visibly pregnant black woman drinking alcohol.
All these images had the power to reinforce negative stereotypes of black people, Adonis argued.
Turning to gender discrimination, in one book women were depicted in only traditional roles.
In another, there was extensive focus on Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, but women leaders were absent.
Images of disabled people were found in only two of the 40 textbooks.
Sexual diversity was absent. In one book, beneath a drawing of a same-sex couple was the caption: “What do people in your community think of gay people?” – portraying same-sex relationships as deviant, Adonis argued.
He made several policy recommendations, including:
- Introducing incentives to encourage publishers to work with authors, editors and artists to ensure diverse representation.
- Mechanisms responsible for textbook selection should be audited for how effective they were in evaluating learning material to ensure that discrimination was eradicated.
- Teachers should be trained on how to confront and deal with their own stereotypes related to race, gender, sexuality and religion.
Basic Education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said the department would continue to monitor the content used in the curriculum.
Where discrimination was found, content would be revised to ensure that it complied with the spirit of the constitution.
“Curriculum is a dynamic process that involves the participation of all stakeholders, and also takes into account developments in society.
“The content of curriculum is about building the character of individuals and equipping them with analytical skills, and the knowledge needed to survive and contribute anywhere in the world,” Mhlanga said.
The Mercury
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