Interethnic Peer Interactions in Nafyad School and Adama University
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Date
2009-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to see if there was a significant sex and age
difference among students in interethnic peer interactions. More specifically,
it was to identify the patterns of interethnic friendship formation, to find out
the main issues of interethnic discussion, to see the extent of interethnic
friendship intimacy, interethnic peer socialization and interethnic peer
preferences across sex and different age groups.
A total of 306 participants and 12 FGDs were used. FGDs and questionnaires
were both developed and adapted based on the purpose of the research. They
were pilot tested with 20 participants for the questionnaire and 8 participants
for the FGDs.
Findings generally indicated that there was no significant sex difference in
interethnic peer interaction. On the other hand, significant age differences
were found in interethnic peer interaction. This means children are less ethnocentered
than the adolescents and youth in friendship group formation with
other ethnic groups, in main issues of discussion with other ethnic groups, in
interethnic peer socialization, interethnic intimacy, interethnic natural
relations and interethnic peer preferences.
Finally, it was suggested that teachers, students and administrative bodies in
educational organizations need to have proper information about ethnic
diversity among the students at different ages and give special attention to it
and allow students to develop and prepare themselves for successful life in
their specific community and the larger world.
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Keywords
Interethnic Peer Interactions