Teachers’ Perceptions of Homophobic Victimisation among Learners within Independent Secondary Schools A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Education (Educational Psychology) in the Humanities Faculty, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Hendrik Petrus Mostert 0207843W Supervisor: Dr. Charmaine Gordon Department of Psychology School of Human and Community Development University of the Witwatersrand DECLARATION I declare that this research report is my own, unaided work. It is being submitted for the degree of Masters in Education (Educational Psychology) in the Department of Psychology, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination at any other university. Signed: ____________________________ Hendrik Petrus Mostert Date: ______________________________ i TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .......................................................................................................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ v LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................... viii DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1: RATIONALE AND OVERVIEW ............................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Rationale and Overview .......................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Structure of Report .................................................................................................................. 5 1.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Homophobic Victimisation ...................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Homophobic Victimisation Among Learners Within Secondary Schools ................................ 8 2.4 Teachers’ Perceptions of Homophobic Victimisation Among Learners Within Secondary Schools ................................................................................................................................... 12 2.5 South Africa’s Constitutional Laws: Equal Rights regardless of Sexual Orientation.............. 16 2.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 18 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 19 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 19 3.2 Research Objective ................................................................................................................ 19 3.3 Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 19 3.3.1 Main Research Question ............................................................................................... 19 3.3.2 Research Sub-questions ................................................................................................ 20 3.4 Research Design .................................................................................................................... 20 3.5 Research Method .................................................................................................................. 22 3.5.1 Sample and Sampling .................................................................................................... 22 ii 3.5.2 Data Collection .............................................................................................................. 23 3.5.3 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................. 24 3.5.4 Measures to Ensure Trustworthiness ........................................................................... 25 3.5.5 Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................... 26 3.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 28 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................ 29 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 29 4.2 Sample Description ................................................................................................................ 29 4.3 Results ................................................................................................................................... 29 4.4 Discussion of Results ............................................................................................................. 32 4.4.1 Theme 1 – Institutional Level: School Context ............................................................. 32 4.4.1.1 Category 1: Thoughts on the Culture of Acceptance ................................................ 32 4.4.1.2 Category 2: Policies ................................................................................................... 36 4.4.2 Theme 2 – Individual Level: Teachers’ Perceptions ............................................................. 42 4.4.2.1 Category 1: Understanding of Homosexuality .......................................................... 43 4.4.2.2 Category 2: Perception of Homosexually-Oriented Learners ................................... 45 4.4.3 Theme 3 – Individual Level: Learner Difficulties .................................................................. 47 4.4.3.1 Category 1: Social Difficulties .................................................................................... 47 4.4.3.2 Category 2: Acts of Verbal, Physical and Emotional Victimisation ........................... 50 4.4.3.3 Category 3: The Learner’s Self .................................................................................. 52 4.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 53 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 56 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 56 5.2 Strengths and Limitations ...................................................................................................... 56 5.2.1 Strengths ....................................................................................................................... 56 5.2.2 Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 56 5.3 Recommendations for Further Studies ................................................................................. 57 5.4 Personal Reflection ................................................................................................................ 58 5.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 59 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 61 Appendix A: Ethical Clearance Certificate ............................................................................................. 68 iii Appendix B: Principal Information Letter ............................................................................................. 69 Appendix C: Participant Information Letter .......................................................................................... 72 Appendix D: Open-Ended Structured Questionnaire ........................................................................... 75 Appendix E: Data Analysis Certificate ................................................................................................... 79 Appendix