Prejudicial views toward people on the basis of gender or cultural, racial, ethnic heritage have been associated with serious consequences for schools. Indeed, according to the California State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights (1991), at both the public school and college/university levels, these views can and do lead to conflict, tension, and violence at school.
In many cases, the California State Advisory Committee (1991)e notes, this tension, conflict and violence could be prevented if the school were to initiate a sound multicultural/diversity curricula. However, it is noted that in order for such curricula to be properly implemented it is imperative that administrators and teachers understand that their students do have problematic views. This assertion leads to the following questions: What are students' opinions, attitudes and perceptions of diversity issues? What are teachers' views of students' perceptions of diversity and are teachers' views accurate? This chapter of the proposal examined the existing research investigating for answers to one or more of these questions.
The reviewed research is examined in two broad categories: (1) studies assessing and/or discussing students' attitudes and perceptions toward diversity issues; and (2) studies evaluating the accuracy of teachers' views of their students' perceptions. The review ends with a series of conclusions about student and teacher views formulated, on the basis of the reviewed research.
Further, a number of conclusions are generated regarding the overall adequacy of the existing literature regarding students and teachers attitudes and diversity issues.
A number of studies have discussed or researched student views toward diversity issues. For example, O'Neil (1998) states that adolescents self-segregate because their racially different friends are not having (or sharing) same experiences; this mostly because white s...