EDUCATION 1.3: ETHNICITY

Question 1

what 2 groups of factors are there for explaining ethnic differences in achievement?

Answer 1

● external & internal

Question 2

what 3 external factors are there in explaining ethnic differences in education?

Answer 2

●CULTURAL deprivation
●MATERIAL deprivation
● racism in wider society

Question 3

what 3 main aspects are there to cultural deprivation?

Answer 3

●skills
● attitudes and values
● family structure & parental support

Question 4

why may children from lower income black families poorly achieve in education?

Answer 4

they lack educationally stimulating experiences, such as visiting museums so are not prepared for school

Question 5

Bereiter and Engelmann’s theory (1968)

Answer 5

●Language used by low income families is inadequate for educational success, as children can’t develop proper language skills due to the fact parents use gestures, disjointed phrases or single words. They, therefore, do not have the vocabulary to describe, explain, enquire or compare

Question 6

how does cultural deprivation affect attitudes and values?

Answer 6

black children are socialised into a subculture, that instills a fatalistic, ‘live for today’ attitude that does not value education and leaves them unequipped for success.

Question 7

how does cultural deprivation affect family structure and support?

Answer 7

Moynihan - Black families are disproportionately headed by lone mothers compared to other ethnic groups the children are deprived of adequate care because they are struggling financially.
The fathers absence means they lacking role model of male achievement.

Question 8

how does SEWELL argue that lone parent black families cause underachievement?

Answer 8

It is not the absence of fathers as role models but it is absence of tough love from a father figure and peer pressure to conform to a ‘tough ghetto superstar’ image leads to poor attitudes towards education

Question 9

how does SEWELL argue that Asian children succeed due to their culture?

Answer 9

Indian and Chinese pupils benefit from supportive families Asian families tend to have a ‘Asian work Ethic’ this means they place high value on education.

Lupton - The adult authority structure is similar to the model that operates in school - respectful behavior towards adults was expected from children. This had a knock on effect at school.

Question 10

what are the main criticisms of cultural deprivation?

Answer 10

●ignores positive effects
●institutional racism
●victim blaming

Question 11

how does DRIVER criticise cultural deprivation?

Answer 11

Driver suggests it ignores the positive effects - black families provide strong role models for girls, thus explaining the higher rates of achievement among black girls. This factor is often overlooked.

Question 12

how does KEDDIE criticise cultural deprivation?

Answer 12

●Keddie sees it as a victim blaming explanation, ethnic minority children are culturally different, not deprived.
●They underachieve because schools are ethnocentric: in favour of white culture and against minorities

Question 13

what does GILLBORN say about institutional racism?

Answer 13

●Gillborn argues that is is not peer pressure but institutional racism within the education system itself that systematically produces failure of large numbers of black boys.

Question 14

why are ethnic minorities at greater risk of material deprivation?

Answer 14

●Many live in economically depressed areas with high unemployment and low wage rates.
●Cultural factors such as the tradition of purdah in Muslim households may prevent women from working.
- Some have poor language skills or foreign qualifications that aren’t recognised by UK employers, and this is more likely to affect refugees

Question 15

what proportion of ethnic minority children are in low income households?

Answer 15

●almost 1/2 of ethnic minorities live in low income households, as against a 1/4 of white children.

Question 16

how much more likely are ethnic minorities to be unemployed/homeless?

Answer 16

●Palmer (2012) - They are twice as likely compared with whites to be unemployed and are around three times as likely to be homeless.
(low pay may mean families can’t afford school resources, and homelessness leads to instability in school attendance)

Question 17

how can material deprivation not override ethnicity?

Answer 17

●Even those Indian and Chinese pupils who are materially deprived still do better than most.
86% of Chinese girls who are on free school meals achieve five or higher grade GCSEs.

Question 18

REX’s (1986) theory: racism in wider society

Answer 18

●Racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and worsens poverty. Minorities are more likely to be forced into substandard (poor-quality) accommodation than white people of the same class

Question 19

what internal factors affect attainment?

Answer 19

●labelling
●teacher racism
●pupil identities
●pupil responses & subcultures
●Institutional racism

Question 20

what did GILLBORN & MIRZA say about black children?

Answer 20

●black children were the highest achievers on entry to primary school (20 % points above the local average) yet by the time it came to GCSE, they had the worst results of any ethnic groups.

This challenges the assumption that black children enter school unprepared. - (internal factors may be playing a major part in producing ethnic differences in underachievement)

Question 21

how does labelling & teacher racism affect attainment?

Answer 21

●teachers often see black and Asian pupils as being far from the ‘ideal pupil’.
●black pupils are often seen as disruptive and Asian as passive.
Negative labels may lead teachers to treat ethnic minority pupils differently - this disadvantages them and may result in their failure.

Question 22

(WOOD ET AL) theory: racism is wider society

Answer 22

Wood et al (2010) - found evidence of direct and deliberate discrimination in employment.
He sent 3 closely matched job applications to almost 1,000 job vacancies, using names from different ethnic groups. He found that only 1 in 16 ‘ethnic minority’ applications were offered an interview, as against 1 in 9 ‘white’ applications.

Question 23

what did FOSTER find about black pupils and streaming?

Answer 23

●teachers stereotypes of black pupils as badly behaved could result in them being placed in lower sets - this can result is the self fulfilling prophecy

Question 24

what did WRIGHTS say about Asian pupils and teacher labelling?

Answer 24

●teachers held ethnocentric views, they assumed that Asian pupils would have a poor grasp of English and left them out of class discussions used simplistic or childish language when speaking to them.
- Asian felt isolated when teachers expressed disapproval of their customs or mispronounces their names. (teachers saw them not as a threat but a problem they could dismiss)

Question 25

ARCHER: what are the 3 types of pupil identities

Answer 25

●ideal pupil identity
●pathologised pupil identity, ●a demonised pupil identity

Question 26

how do GILLBORN & YOUDELL argue labelling and teacher racism affect attainment?

Answer 26

●teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour (racialised expectation) black pupils were expected to have more discipline problems and misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening/challenging to authority, causing them to prove them right= further conflict.
●conflict stems from racial stereotypes teachers hold rather than their behaviour.

Question 27

what is the ideal pupil identity?

Answer 27

●white, middle-class
●achieving through the ‘right way’ = natural ability

Question 28

what is a pathologised pupil identity?

Answer 28

●an Asian, feminised identity - seen as a plodding conformist and culture bound ‘over achiever’ - (succeed through hard work not natural ability).

Question 29

what is a demonised pupil identity?

Answer 29

●a black or white working class, hyper-sexualised identity seen as unintelligent, peer led, culturally deprived underachiever.

Question 30

what was FULLER’S theory how black girls reject negative labels?

Answer 30

●Fuller studied a group of black girls, they were untypical; they were high achievers in a school where most black girls were placed in lower streams - Instead of accepting negative stereotypes of themselves the girls channeled their anger about being labelled into the pursuit of educational success
●didn’t not seek approval of teachers, this shows pupils may still succeed even when they refuse to conform
●negative labels don’t always lead to failure
●reject labels and remained determined to succeed - (there was no SFP)

Question 31

what were the 3 main types of teacher racism identified by MIRZA?

Answer 31

●the colour blind
●the liberal chauvinists
●the overt racists

Question 32

who were the liberal chauvinists?

Answer 32

●teachers who believe black pupils are culturally deprived and who have low expectations of them

Question 33

who were the colour blind?

Answer 33

●teachers who believe all pupils are equal but in practice allow racism to go unchallenged

Question 34

who were the overt racists?

Answer 34

●teachers who believe black people are inferior and actively discriminate against them

Question 35

who identified the responses of boys to teacher racism?

Answer 35

●SEWELL

Question 36

explain MIRZA’s theory on ambitious black girls who faced teacher racism

Answer 36

●Mirza = racists teachers discouraged black pupils from being ambitious through advice they gave them about careers and option choices.
●girls avoided the effects of teachers by being selective about which staff to ask for help, not taking part - to avoid teachers with racist attitudes.
●however, although the girls had high self-esteem these strategies put them at a disadvantage by restricting their opportunity - their strategies were unsuccessful unlike the girls in Fullers study.

Question 37

what are the black boys responses to teacher racism?

Answer 37

●the rebels
●the conformists,
●the retreatists,
●the innovators

Question 38

what are the rebels’ response to teacher racism?

Answer 38

●most influential/most visible group but only a small minority, often excluded from school.
●rejected both the goals and the rules of the school - expressed their opposition through peer group membership
●conforming to the stereotype of anti authority/anti school ‘black macho lad’.

Question 39

what are the conformists’ response to teacher racism?

Answer 39

●largest group, keen to succeed, have accepted school goals
●not part of a subculture and were anxious to avoid being stereotyped by teachers to their peers.

Question 40

what are the retreatists’ response to teacher racism?

Answer 40

●a tiny minority of isolated individuals, disconnected from both school and black subcultures, and despised by rebels.

Question 41

what are the innovators’ response to teacher racism?

Answer 41

●second largest group, like Fullers girls, they were pro-education but anti-school.
●value success; don’t seek approval of teachers, conformed only as far as school work was concerned ●remaining positive about academic achievement

Question 42

what is institutional racism?

Answer 42

●discrimination that is built into the way institutions such as schools & colleges operate
(Troyna + Williams, 1986)

Question 43

(ROITHMAYR) : ‘locked in inequality’

Answer 43

●Roithmayr (2003) The scale of historical discrimination is so large that there no longer needs to be any conscious intent to discriminate (inequality becomes self perpetuating)

Question 44

what is MARKETISATION AND SEGREGATION? (Gillborn)

Answer 44

Gillborn argues that because marketisation gives schools more scope to select pupils, it allows negative stereotypes to influence decisions about school admissions

Question 45

MOORE & DAVENPORT (1990) theory:

Answer 45

●shows how selection procedures lead to ethnic segregation in USA
●minority pupils failing to get into better secondary schools due to discrimination
-E.g. found that primary school reports used to screen out pupils w/ lang. difficulties
●application process difficult for non-English speaking parents to understand
●so selection leads to ethnically stratified education system

Question 46

what is the ethnocentric curriculum?

Answer 46

●David (1993) describes the national curriculum as a specifically British curriculum that largely ignores non European languages, literature and music
Ball (1994) criticises the National curriculum for ignoring ethnic diversity (ignores history of Black and Asian groups)

Question 47

COARD (1971- 1975)

Answer 47

●explains how ethnocentric curriculum produces underachievement - In history the British may be presented as bringing civilisation to the primitive peoples they colonised - this image of black people as inferior undermines black children self esteem + leads to their failure

Question 48

how do assessments lead to institutional racism?

Answer 48

●according to Gillborn, assessments are rigged to validate the white majority. If black pupils succeed, a new form of assessment is introduced. Baseline assessments were replaced with foundation stage profiles in 2003, which are open to teacher racism.

Question 49

how can the ‘new IQism’ lead to institutional racism?

Answer 49

Gillborn and Youdell found that IQ tests were used to allocate pupils into different streams, but they do not measure potential, but more rather what they know currently. Ethnic minority students are more likely to be placed in lower sets, therefore.

Question 50

how can access to opportunities lead to institutional racism?

Answer 50

●ethnic minorities do not get equal access to opportunity. Tikly et al found less Black pupils were entered into the aim higher programme as they were placed in lower GCSE sets and entered for lower tier exams.