ethical external factors affecting achievement

Question 1

intellectual and linguistic skills

Answer 1

• cultural deprivation theorists argue that many children from low income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching activities, leaves them poorly equipped for school
• Bereiter and Engelmann argue the language spoken by low income black American families is inadequate for educational success
• Gillborn and Mirza don’t support this theory

Question 2

attitudes and values

Answer 2

• lack of motivation seen as a major cause of the failure of many black children
• most children socialised into mainstream culture which instils ambition, competitiveness, and willingness to make necessary sacrifices to achieve long term goals
• argued that black children are socialised into subculture that instils a fatalistic attitude which doesn’t value education and leaves them unequipped for success

Question 3

criticisms of cultural deprivation theory

Answer 3

• ignores positive effects of ethnicity on achievement. black Caribbean families have positive role models in strong independent women, may explain why black girls are more successful than boys (Driver)
• pupils don’t underachieve because of their culture but due to racist attitudes towards them (Lawrence)