Education: Ethnicity

Question 1

External factors why some ethnic groups underachieve in the education system:
Cultural deprivation

Answer 1

Lack norms and values needed to achieve in education system

Black families - Sewell (2010) claimed that high proportion of single parents accounts for lower achievement of black boys

Asian families - Lupton (2004) argues that adult authority in Asian families is similar to the model that operates in schools

Question 2

External factors why some ethnic groups underachieve in the education system:
Material deprivation

Answer 2

Lack of physical necessities - housing, income 20% of ethnic minority households live in poverty

Swan report (1985) class accounts for at least 50% of the difference in achievement. Danger of over-estimating cultural deprivation and under estimating effect of poverty and material deprivation

Question 3

External factors why some ethnic groups underachieve in the education system:
Racism in wider society

Answer 3

Rex (1986) - racial discrimination leads to exclusion and worsens poverty e.g. Discrimination in housing leads to sub standard homes

Woods - 1000 CVs sent out for jobs - exactly the same but with different names at the top - some sounded ethnic, others British. Only 16 ethnic minorities offered an interview

Question 4

Internal factors why some ethnic groups underachieve in the education system:
Labelling and teacher racism

Answer 4

Asian pupils - Wright (1992) - Asian pupils victim to labelling as teachers held ethnocentric views. This affected how they related to them e.g. Poor grasp of English

Question 5

Internal factors why some ethnic groups underachieve in the education system:
Discipline

Answer 5

Osler (2001) - black pupils more likely to suffer from unrecorded and unofficial exclusions e.g. Sent out of class

Gilborn and Youdell (2000) - teachers have radicalised expectations e.g. Stereotypes of black pupils to misbehave. Students felt teachers underestimated their ability

Question 6

Internal factors why some ethnic groups underachieve in the education system:
The Ethnocentric curriculum

Answer 6

Attitude or policy that gives priority to one particular ethnic group while disregarding others

Coard (2005) - image of black people as inferior in history

Question 7

Internal factors why some ethnic groups underachieve in the education system:
Subcultures

Answer 7

Sewell (1998): variety of boys responses

1. Rebels - often excluded
2. Conformists - keen to achieve by avoiding stereotypes
3. Retreatists - isolated, disconnected from black subcultures
4. Innovators - pro-education, anti school

Question 8

External factors why some ethnic groups underachieve in the education system:

Answer 8

Cultural deprivation

Material deprivation

Racism in wider society