Ethnic Differences In Achievement Flashcards
Explaining ethnic differences
- on average white and Asian tend to do better than black pupils however there are variations among Asians
- white pupils achievement is close to national average however white w/c perform at lower level than any other ethnic group
What are the 3 external factors affecting ethnic differences in achievement?
- Cultural deprivation
- Material deprivation
- Racism in wider society
What are the 3 CULTURAL DEPRIVATION factors?
- Intellectual and linguistic skills
- Attitudes and values
- Family structure and parental support
What did bereiter and engelmann 1966 say about language?
Claimed the language spoken by low income black Americans families is inadequate for educational success as it’s ungrammatical
Criticism to berieter and engelmanns claim
- baker-bell 2020 sees their view as anti black linguistic racism which labels black speech codes as inferior and white speech codes superior
- argues they are equally valid but white mainstream English dominates in the education system (linguistic violence)
How else does language affect ethnic differences in achievement?
- concern that children who dont speak English as their first language at home may be held back educationally
- however, statistics show that children who’s first language ISNT English perform slightly better than those who only speak English
Attitudes and values
- most children socialised into mainstream culture which instils aspiration and long term goals
- some minority ethnic group children socialised into a subculture that instils a fatalistic attitude that doesn’t value education
Platt and parsons study (attitudes and values)
- found that minority ethnic group pupils had higher career aspirations than their white counterparts and more likely to aspire highly paid jobs
- found gap was large between minority group girls and white girls
Family structure and MOYNIHAN 1965
- bad socialisation is a result of a dysfunctional family structure
MOYNIHAN
- many black families headed by a lone mother so children are deprived of adequate care due to financial struggles and absence of male breadwinner
-boys lack adequate role model of male achievement
- cycle where inadequately socialised children from unstable families fail and become inadequate parents themselves
Drivers criticism to Moynihan
Driver 1977 criticises cultural deprivation theorists for ignoring the positive effects of black family structures
- girls provided with positive role model of strong independent woman
- black girls more successful than black boys
Sewell: father gangs and culture
- not the absence of fathers as role models for underachievement but instead a lack of fathers nurturing/tough love
- street gangs of other fatherless boys offer perverse loyalty and love causing them to turn to them
- many black boys subject to anti educational peer pressure (speaking standard English and doing well at school viewed with suspicion by peers and seen as ‘selling out’ to white establishment)
Sewell conclusion
- Asian counterparts do better than black due to attitudes and cultural differences in socialisation
- black children need to have greater expectations placed on them to raise their aspirations
Criticism of Sewell
Gillborn 2008
- argued it wasn’t peer pressure/absent fathers but actually institutional racism within the education system that produces failure of large numbers of black boys
What does Sewell say about Asian families?
- Indian and Chinese pupils benefit from supportive families that have ‘Asian work ethic’ and a high value on education
Luptons study on 4 w/c schools
- poorer levels of behaviour and discipline in white w/c schools
- teachers blamed this on lower levels of parental support and negative attitude white w/c parents had towards education
Criticisms of the cultural deprivation theory
- keddie: victim blaming, fail due to being culturally different and because schools are ethnocentric (biased in favour of white culture)
- not low aspirations but teachers stereotypes and low expectations (labelling, sfp)
- education system is institutionally racist
- driver: study showed how lack girls actually benefit educationally from positive female role models
- raz 2013: use cd to deflect attention from real causes of underachievement. Blaming victims allows gov to avoid responsibility so there aren’t any financial/political costs
What did palmer say about material deprivation?
- almost half of all children from minority ethnic bgs live in low income households against a quarter of white children
- members of minority ethnic groups are twice as likely to be unemployed
- minority ethnic groups 3 times more likely to be homeless
Why are minority ethnic groups at greater risk of material deprivation?
- live in economically depressed areas with high unemployment/low wage rates
- lack of language skills/foreign qualifications not being recognised by uk employers
- racial discrimination in labour and housing market
Modood 2004
While children from low income families generally did less well, the effects of low income were much less for other ethnic groups than for white pupils
Mason 2000 (racism in wider society)
Argues that discrimination is a continuing and persistent feature of the experience of britains citizens of minority ethnic origin
Rex 1986
- racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and this worsens poverty
- minorities more likely to be forced into substandard accommodation than white people of the same class
Wood et al 2010
- 3 closely matched job applications but altered between names associated with different ethnic groups
- found the white application more likely to be considered/offered interview
- explains why members of minority ethnic groups are more likely to face unemployment and low pay and this has a negative effect on their children’s education
What are the internal factors affecting ethnic differences in achievement?
Labelling
Pupil identities
Pupil responses & subcultures
Institutional racism
Who did a study on the impact of labelling on black pupils?
Gillborn and youdell 2000
What did Gillborn and youdell find?
- teachers quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour
- teachers had racialised expectations about black pupils (more discipline problems, saw behaviour as threatening/challenge to authority)
- black pupils felt teachers underestimated their ability and picked on them
What did Gillborn and youdell conclude?
- conflict between white teachers and black pupils stems from the racial stereotypes teachers hold rather than the pupils actual behaviour. This leads to:
- Higher level of exclusion for black boys
- Black pupils placed in lower streams
Who studied the effects of labelling on Asian pupils?
Wright 1992
What did wright find?
- teachers assumed Asian pupils would have a poor grasp of English (left out of class discussions, teachers used simplistic/childish language when speaking to them)
- Asian pupils not seen as a threat but were often ignored (marginalised - pushed to edges/prevented from participating fully)
Who investigated pupil identities and what did they argue?
Archer 2008
Teachers dominant discourse defines ethnic minority pupils identities as lacking the favoured identity of the ideal pupil
What are the 3 different types of pupil identities?
- Ideal pupil identity
- Pathologised pupil identity
- Demonised pupil identity
Ideal pupil identity
- white middle class masculinised identity
- achieves through natural ability
Pathologised pupil identity
- Asian deserving poor feminised identity
- conformist & culture bound over achiever
- succeeds through hard work rather than natural ability
Demonised pupil identity
- black/white w/c hyper sexualised identity
- unintelligent, culturally deprived under achiever
Who studied pupil responses to labelling?
Fuller 1984
Fullers study
- studied a group of high achieving black girls
- didn’t accept negative labels/stereotypes but decided to prove it wrong by working hard
- didn’t seek the approval of teachers and only conformed in terms of doing their school work
What does fullers study show?
- Pupils can still succeed even if they refuse to conform
- Negative labelling doesn’t always lead to failure or the sfp
Mirza 1992 study
- also studied ambitious black girls who faced teacher racism (discouraged them from aspiring to professional careers)
3 types of teacher racism:
1. Colour blind (believe all pupils equal but allow racism to go unchallenged)
2. Liberal chauvinists (black pupils culturally deprived = low expectations)
3. Overt racists (blacks inferior and discriminate against them)
- tried to avoid teachers negative attitudes (selective about asking staff for help, not taking part in lessons, not choosing certain options to avoid racist teachers)
- this restricted their opportunities
Who studied boys responses?
Sewell
What are the 4 responses Sewell identified?
Rebels
Conformists
Retreatists
Innovators
Rebels
- Small by visible/influential minority of black pupils
- often excluded from school (rejected goals/rules of school) and conformed to the stereotype of the black macho lad
- believed in their own superiority
Conformists
- largest group
- keen to succeed, accepted schools goals, had friends from different ethnic groups
- not part of a subculture
Retreatists
- minority of isolated pupils who were disconnected from school and black subcultures
Innovators
- second largest group
- pro education but anti school
- valued success but didn’t seek approval of teachers
Evaluation of Sewell
- teachers tend to see all black boys as fitting the stereotype of the black macho lad and this contributes to their underachievement
- while teachers stereotyping of black boys disadvantages them, Sewell argues that external factors (peer groups, street culture, lack of nurturing father) are more important in underachievement
Evaluation of labelling & pupil responses
- shoudn’t blame the teachers but should assess the whole education system
- deterministic view - assuming that once labelled pupils fall victim to the sfp and fail
What is the difference between individual & institutional racism?
Individual racism - prejudiced views of individual teachers and others
Institutional racism - discrimination that is built into the way institutions operate. May be unconscious but deeply ingrained.
