Teacher characteristics and stereotypes about younger adolescents

Psychological theories, which label adolescence as a pronounced problematic and critical period influenced by biological maturation, resulted in a stereotype, equally accepted among teachers and lay persons, which views adolescence as a period of‚‘tumult and stress’. Numerous research results confirm the importance of stereotypical convictions for teacher - student relations, social behaviour and educational outcomes. The aim of our research was to determine whether particular features of the teacher (gender, the length of work experience, the teaching subject) have any impact on the teachers‘ stereotypes about younger adolescents. The sample included 193 teachers who teach the seventh-graders in ten elementary schools in Belgrade. The results show that, among the respondents, there are no gender differences regarding stereotypes about adolescence. The teachers with longer work experience with younger adolescents have less pronounced stereotypes about the adolescent period, i.e. experience may be the factor which modifies stereotypes. The teachers of social sciences have more pronounced stereotypes about younger adolescents than the teachers of natural sciences.