Ethincity Flashcards
Reasons some ethnic minority groups under-achieve
Home factors
Language differences
In the 1960s ethnic minority students struggled with English because they were born abroad
Home factors
Family life - Tony Sewell
Black sociologist Tony Sewell that the lack of responsible male role models at home may lead to low aspiration amongst black boys
A cause for Material factors issues
The Uk unemployment rate for black and Asian workers is nearly twice as high as for whites
Innate ability
Hans Eysenck in 1971 found that American blacks had lower intelligence than whites, explaining worse school performance. This was soon challenged as the black students he tested came from disadvantaged backgrounds compared with the whites, and the questions set reflected aspects of white culture.
School factors
Ethnocentric curriculum
School courses and teaching materials that reflect the dominant culture and ignore or marginalise cultures of other ethic groups
Overt racism
Some students may avoid school because of fears of racism, or parents may choose a less successful school because it is in a familiar neighbourhood
Institutional racism
Rules and practices that have the effect of discriminating against particular ethnic groups.
David Gillborn
Black Caribbean boys were punished far more than whites or Asians for the same offence and received detentions for behaviour viewed as a challenge to authority, even where no rules were broken
Tony Sewell
Teachers at two comprehensive blaming the influences of black boys’ subculture and homes for poor staff-student relationships rather than considering themselves in anyway responsible.
