ethnic differences in achievement Flashcards
What are the 3 internal (within school) factors in ethnic differences in achievement?
Institutional racism
Labelling
Student responses
What are the 3 external (outside school) factors in ethnic differences in achievement?
Material depravation
Cultural depravation
Racism
What do official statistics show about ethnic differences in education?
Who performs the best, worst, and average? Include statistics
Achievement is correlated to ones ethnic identity
Based on Attainment 8 score (average across all GCSE results)
Best- Asian ppl 55.8
Average= 50.8 (white)
Worst- Afro-Caribbean 48.3
What is institutional racism?
The hidden, unconscious and unintended discrimination embedded in policies, curriculum, and staffing
What are the 3 factors institutional racism displays itself in?
Marketisation
Ethnocentric curriculum
Staffing
What is marketisation?
How is institutional racism displayed in marketisation? (2)
Education being ran as a business
-UCAS: white students with similar A-level results are more successful than ethnic minorities at gaining places at university
-Gilborn: white students are 2x as likely to be selected for ‘gifted and talented’ programmes than black students
What percent of students in the UK ae from BAME backgrounds, compared to teachers?
How does this display institutional racism? (2)
Students- 17%
Teachers- 7%
BAME students do not have role models
Teaching is considered being from a middle class background, little BAME in middle class
What is an ethnocentric curriculum?
How is this shown in the UK, E.g?
An education system reflecting the culture of one group, usually the dominant culture in society
In the UK, the education system reflect white/western culture e.g. english=shakespeare, history= world wars, PE= football, rugby
How does the ethnocentric curriculum display inequality?
Privileges certain groups over others, as they present a distorted view of history and culture
What is labelling?
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy? E.g?
Defining a person or group in a certain way, giving them labels
People act in response to their labels>labels become true
E.g. students labelled as underachievers will eventually live up to their label
Archer defined 3 types of pupil identity decided by their teachers, what are they?
Ideal pupil identity
Pathologized pupil identity
Demonised pupil identity
What is the ideal pupil identity
Stereotypes? (3)
Typically Asian
Middle class
Succeeds through natural ability and hard work
What is the pathologised pupil identity
Stereotypes? (2)
Typically White
Succeeds through hard work, rather than success
What is the demonised pupil identity
Stereotypes? (3)
Typically Afro-Caribbean
Working class
Underachiever
Archers stereotypical pupil identities leads to negative labelling.
How does negative labelling link to ethnicity and education? (2)
-White pupils live up to their ideal pupil identity (self-fulfilling prophecy)=achievement
-Black pupils live up to their demonised identity (self-fulfilling prophecy)=underachievement
What is setting and streaming?
What does Foster suggest about this?
A system of dividing students into groups of the same ability in particular subjects
Teacher stereotypes of black students>put in lower sets>self fulfilling prophecy>underachievement
What are 3 examples of discipline in schools?
What 2 things did sociologists find about discipline amongst black people?
How might this make black students feel?
Detentions, exclusions, isolations
Blacks students are more likely to be excluded and disciplined for poor behaviour
Unfair>absence>anti-school subculture
What are the 3 types of student responses?
-Anti-school subcultures
-Failed coping strategies
-Rejection of labels
What is setting/streaming and discipline linked to?
Labelling
What is an anti-school subculture?
Sewell found an anti-school subculture within the school called ‘the rebels’, give 3 characteristics of this
Students who do not agree with the values, norms, rules, and ethos of the school
-Rejected the values of the school
-Opposed the school by joining a peer group
-‘Black Machismo’=strong, aggressive, masculine pride
What did Mizra find with failed coping strategies?
What did they find with black girls?
How does this put them at a disadvantage?
Some pupils are not able to cope with the racist labels teachers attach to them
Black girls would avoid these teachers by being selective of who they ask for help
Not getting support from teachers>poor grades>underachievement
What did Fuller study?
How does this show rejection of labels?
What makes this unique?
A group of black girls in London who rejected the labels of their teachers, who put them in lower sets
They pushed themselves and exceeded their teachers expectations
Labelling doesn’t always lead to negative outcomes
Some educational achievements of ethnic minority groups are well above the national average, e.g?
Why might this be?
Asians
Cultural differences
Girls in nearly all ethnic groups perform better than boys, what does this suggest?
Which sociological perspective is this?
Gender is more influential
Feminism
What are the 3 external factors in ethnic differences?
Material depravation
*Racism
Cultural depravation
What is material depravation?
Why are ethnic minorities subject to material depravation?
What did Palmer find?
The inability to afford basic resources
Typically from poorer economic backgrounds
Nearly 1/2 of ethnic minority children live in low-income families, compared to 1/4 of white children
What is racism?
How might this impact ethnic minorities? (2)
When a person is treated worse because of their race or ethnicity
-Normalises racism by non BAME peers and teachers (bullying>time-off>low attendance=bad grades)
-Less likely to feel represented in careers, leading to lower aspirations
What s cultural depravation?
Why are ethnic groups subject to cultural depravation? (3)
Where minority ethnic groups have inferior norms, values, and experiences
-From lower socioeconomic backgrounds
-Feel less welcome e.g. to museums
Compare the culture of Asian and Afro-Caribbean families
-Asian- parents value education, strict parents who discipline their children, married parents
-Afro-Caribbean- parents don’t value education, parents do not discipline their children, broken and unstable homes
What did Lupton find?
Asian children with Muslim backgrounds are well-behaved at school and work because their parents expect children to be respectful
What ethnic difference can be found in family structure?
Afro-Caribbean students are more likely to have a ‘broken family’ structure e.g. lone-parent
What did Sewell find about family structure?
What is the impact of this?
57% of Black Carribean families with dependent children were headed by a single parent, compared to 25% of white families
Black boys lack role models and discipline>more vulnerable to peer pressure>gang culture
What is an alternative explanation to ethnic differences in culture?
What does Labov argue about this?
What does Labov see the issue with?
Black culture is not inferior, just different
Teachers make little attempt to understand the language of young black individuals e.g. BEV (black english vernacular)
The educational system favours white culture
What are 3 arguments against the view that ethnicity is the biggest factor influencing educational underachievement?
- Some ethnic minorities do better than white students
- Gender is more important
- Social class is more important
Give 3 examples of material depravation and how it affects education
Wifi -cannot study at home
Stationary -cannot participate/detention
Meals -poor diet>hungry/tired
Give 3 examples of cultural depravation and how it affects education
-Parental interest, can extend their learning time e.g. dining table
-Parental attitudes, impacts students greatly and shapes childs support for education
-Language codes, e.g. elaborated code=wider vocabulary
How did Wood find racism in wider society?
What did he find?
What does this explain?
What impact does this have?
Sent over 1000 applications, using 3 applications (1 white, 2 ethnic)
1/16 ethnic minority applications were offered an interview, whereas 1/9 white
Why members of ethnic minorities are more likely to face unemployment
Negative affect on their education
