Differential Educational achievement Ethnicity (External Factors)

Question 1

Material deprivation

Answer 1

FLAHERTY

• Pakistanis & Bangladeshis are 3x more likely than Whites to be in the poorest 1/3 of the population
• Africans, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi are 3x more likely to be unemployed than Whites
• 15% of minority groups live in overcrowded homes 25 for whites

SWANN REPORT:
- Social class differences account for a high proportion of differences in achievement between ethnic groups

Question 2

Family structures

Answer 2

• MODOOD (2004) parental cultural capital is passed onto children from previous occupations and pushes higher achievement. Parents invest in children so they can look after them in old age, and this investment includes a very good education
• ABBOTT: (AC) Development of gang culture due to the absence of positive black male role model at home and in school
• SEWELL: Single parent families have created less parental support for black students

24%: Black households are single
19%: Mixed households
10%: White households

The workload placed on single mothers means that they cannot dedicate time to support the education of their children

• MURRAY: African Caribbean Lone parenthood to blame. Lack of male role models means that mothers struggle to socialise children adequately

Question 3

Family interests/support

Answer 3

• BHATTI: Asian parents were more supportive of children’s education and high levels of interest in their children’s achievements
• CROZIER: found that Pakistani and Bangledeshi parents ‘kept their distance’ from children’s schools because they trusted the professionals to do their jobs–> they lack self confidence
• DRIVER & BALLARD: Argue that Asian families have a much more ‘Pro-school’ attitude than Black families. Also because Asian families are rarely lone parent families they offer a bigger support network for children
• LUPTON: Suggests that the ‘Adult Authoritarian’ Asian family matches that of school

Question 4

Attitudes and Values

Answer 4

DRIVER–> highlights how ethnicity can be an advantage in edcuation eg. African Caribbean girls actually do very well in school

Question 5

Strengths for external explainations

Answer 5

–> Family background helps explain Indian performance in education because this makes up for the greater levels of poverty experienced compared to whites

–> cultural barrier for AC boys are greater than AC girls this can be viewed using statistics, a reason to explain this change is the positive female role models girls are offered but also the change in aspirations

–> Cultural barriers to SE Asian women are greater than for boys

–> parents aspirations seem to be especially important

Question 6

Weaknesses for external explainations

Answer 6

–> Strand argues that it is relative poverty for Bangledeshi and Pakistan that explains their underachievement at GCSE rather than cultural factors

–> Strand argues that even if we take into account material and cultural barriers instutitional racism leads to the lack of opportunity for young black students and holds them back

–> Cultural barriers can’t explain everything is all groups except Bangledshi women are more likely to go to university than whites