ETHNIC DIFFERENCES

Question 1

ETHNIC DIFFERENCES in UNDERACHIEVEMENT
(EXTERNAL FACTORS)

1. CULTURAL DEPRIVATION

Answer 1

CULTURAL DEPRIVATION THEORY claims minority ethnic children underachieve due to inadequate socialisation from their parents of threes main aspects:language, attitudes+values and family structure+support.

1. LANGUAGE- lack of linguistic skills are a major cause of underachievement for some ETHNIC MINORITIES. BEREITER+ENGELMANN claimed that language spoken by LOW-INCOME BLACK AMERICAN FAMILIES is INADEQUATE for EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS as it is UNGRAMMATICAL and DISJOINTED. HOWEVER, BAKER-BELL views this as ‘ANTI-BLCK LINGUISTIC RACISM’ that labels BLACK SPEECH codes as INFERIOR and WHITE’S SUPERIOR. She sees BOTH as EQUALLY VALID but that WHITE MAINSTREAM ENGLISH DOMINATES THE EDUCATION SYSTEM: ‘LINGUISTIC VIOLENCE’
2. ATTITUDES + VALUES - Cultural deprivation theorists argue, some ethnic minority pupils are socialised into a subculture that instils a FATALISTIC ATTITUDE which doesn’t value education and unequips them for success. HOWEVER, studies have shown that ETHNIC MINORITY pupils tend to have HIGH ASPIRATIONS. PLATT and PARSONS found that 7-14 year old ETHNIC MINORITY GIRLS and BOYS had HIGHER CAREER ASPIRATIONS THAN THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS, proving that MINORITY ETHNIC FAMILIES are NOT socialising their CHILDREN into LOW ASPIRATIONS as CULURAL DEPRIVATION THEORISTS SUGGEST.
3. FAMILY STRUCTURE + PARENTAL SUPPORT:
   MOYNIHAN argues that because MANY BLACK FAMILIES are HEADED by LONE MOTHERS, their children are DEPRIVED from ADEQUATE CARE because she has to STRUGGLE FINANCIALLY due to the ABSENCE OF A MALE BREADWINNER. SUCH ABSENCE also means that BOYS lack an ADEQUATE ROLE MODEL OF MALE ACHIEVEMENT. MOYNIHAN sees this as a CYCLE where INADEQUATELY SOCIALISED children from UNSTABLE FAMILIES FAIL at school and become INADEQUATE PARENTS TOO. HOWEVER, DRIVER criticises MOYNIHAN for IGNORING the POSITIVE EFFECTS of BLACK FAMILY STRUCTURES ON ACHIEVEMENT, he OTHERWISE sees that BLACK CARIBBEAN FAMILIES PROVIDE GIRLS WITH POSITIVE ROLE MODELS OF STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMEN, arguably this is why BLACK GIRLS ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL IN EDUCATION THAN BLACK BOYS

Question 2

ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN UNDERACHIEVEMENT
(EXTERNAL FACTORS):

2. MATERIAL DEPRIVATION

Answer 2

A LACK of PHYSICAL NECESSITIES that are ESSENTIAL in TODAY’S society.
Material deprivation sees EDUCATIONAL FAILURE as a result of LOW INCOME+ SUBSTANDARD HOUSING.MINORITY ETHNICs are MORE LIKELY to face this. According to PALMER, almost HALF of ALL children from ETHNIC MINORITY backgrounds live in LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS in comparison to 25% of white children. ADDITIONALLY, ethnic minorities are MORE LIKELY to be ENGAGED in SHIFT WORK.This limits parent’s ability to be active in their child’s education thus making the child feel unsupported and consequently underachieve.

Question 3

ETHNIC DIFFERNCES IN UNDERACHIEVEMENT
(EXTERNAL FACTORS):

3. RACISM IN WIDER SOCIETY

Answer 3

Some sociologists argue POVERTY is the PRODUCT of RACISM. MASON suggests ‘DISCRIMINATION is a PERSISTENT FEATURE of the EXPERIENCE of BRITISH ETHNIC MINORITIES’. REX shows how RACIAL DISCRIMINATION leads to SOCIAL EXCLUSION which WORSENS the POVERTY of ETHNIC MINORITIES. In HOUSING, DISCRIMINATION means that MINORITIES are MORE LIKELY to be FORCED into SUBSTANDARD ACCOMMODATION than their WHITE COUNTERPARTS. In TURN their CHILDREN are NEGATIVELY EFFECTED EDUCATIONALLY as POOR HOUSING produces HEALTH ISSUES that REDUCES their ATTENDANCE and EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT.

Question 4

ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN UNDERACHIEVEMENT:

(INTERNAL FACTORS)
1. LABELLING

Answer 4

Teachers often see BLACK + ASIAN PUPILS as far from the IDEAL PUPIL. For eg, BLACK pupils are seen as DISRUPTIVE and ASIAN pupils as PASSIVE. NEGATIVE LABELS lead TEACHERS to TREAT pupils from ETHNIC MINORITY BACKRGOUNDS DIFFERENTLY. GILLBORN and YOUDELL found that TEACHERS were QUICKER to DISCIPLINE BLACK PUPILS than OTHERS for the SAME BEHAVIOUR as a result of ‘RACIALISED EXPECTATIONS’. Teachers expected BLACK pupils to present MORE DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS and so when they acted upon that MISPERCEPTION, the pupils would RESPOND NEGATIVELY. In turn, BLACK PUPILS FELT THAT TECAHERS UNDERESTIMATE THEIR ABILITY+PICKED ON THEM. GILLBORN and YOUDELL conclude that much of the CONFLICT BETWEEN WHITE TEACHERS and BLACK PUPIL COME FROM THE RACIAL STEREOTYPES TEACHERS HOLD, RATHER THAN THE PUPIL’S ACTUAL BEHAVIOUR. This could explain the HIGH EXCLUSION RATES OF BLACK BOYS.BOURNE found schools saw BLACK BOYS AS THREATS, LABELLED THEM NEGATIVELY, LEADING TO EVENTUAL EXCLUSIONS ( dramatically affects ACHIEVEMENT; ONE in FIVE EXCLUDED PUPILS ACHIEVE 5 GCSEs)

Question 4

ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN UNDERACHIEVEMENT:
(INTERNAL FACTORS)

2. PUPIL IDENTITIES

Answer 4

Teachers define PUPILS as having STEREOTYPICAL ETHNIC IDENTITIES. ARCHER sees that TEACHER’S DOMINANT DISCOURSE DEFINES MINORITY ETHNIC PUPIL’S IDENTITIES AS LACKING THE FAVOURED IDENTITY: ‘IDEAL PUPIL’. Such DISCOURSE constructs three pupil identities: ‘ideal’(white, m/c heterosexual), ‘pathologised’ (asian ‘deserving poor’, asexual) and ‘demonised’ (black/white, w/c, hyper-sexualised)

Question 5

ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN UNDERACHIEVEMENT:
(INTERNAL FACTORS)

3. PUPIL RESPONSES+SUBCULTURES

Answer 5

Pupils can respond to TEACHER RACISM + NEGATIVE LABELLING in different ways. Some may respond by becoming disruptive. Alternatively, others may refuse to accept the label and decide to prove it wrong. This is what took place in FULLER’S study of a group of BLACK GIRLS who instead of accepting negative labels of themselves ,channelled their anger about being LABELLED into their pursuit of EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS, WITHOUT SEEKING APPROVAL of TEACHERS, who they saw as RACIST. This study highlights how pupils may still succeed even when they refuse to conform and how negative labelling does not always lead to failure.

Question 6

3 EXPLANATIONS FOR BOYS UNDERACHIEVEMENT

1. BOYS and LITERACY
2. SHORTAGE OF MALE TEACHERS

3.FEMINISATION OF EDUCATION

Answer 6

1. According to DCSF, BOYS UNDERACHIEVE due to POORER LITERACY and LANGUAGE SKILLS. This could be due to PARENTS spending LESS TIME READING to their sons. Additionally, BOYS’ LEISURE PURSUITS like FOOTBALL, do LITTLE TO HELP DEVELOP THEIR LANGUAGE and COMMUNICATION SKILLS. Whereas GIRLS tend to have a ‘BEDROOM CULTURE’ that focused on STAYING IN and TALKING WITH FRIENDS.
2. LACK of MALE ROLE MODELS at home and at school may cause BOYS’ UNDERACHIEVEMENT. 13% of PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE MALE. YOUGOV found that 39% of 8-11 year old had NO LESSONS with a male teacher.
3. SEWELL argues that BOYS FALL BEHIND because EDUCATION has become FEMINISED, schools DO NOT NURTURE ‘MASCULINE’ traits like COMPETITIVENESS. Instead, they CELEBRATE qualities ASSOCIATED WITH GIRLS like ATTENTIVENESS. HE sees COURSEWORK as a MAJOR COURSE of GENDER DIFFERENCES in ACHIEVEMENT.