Ethnic Differences In Achievement - Internal Factors Flashcards
Gillbourn and Mirza(2000)
Black children were the highest achievers on entry to primary school, yet by the time it came to GCSE, they had the worst results of any ethnic group -21 points below average
Steve Strand’s (2010) -
found that black Caribbean boys not entitled to free school meals, made significantly less progress than their white peers
Labelling and teacher racism
Studies show that teachers often see black and Asian pupils as being far from the ‘ideal pupil’
Black pupils are often seen as disruptive and Asians as passive
Labels may lead to teachers treating ethnic minorities differently
Black pupils and discipline
Gillbourn and youdell(2000)- teachers quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour
Much of the conflict between white teachers and black pupils stem from stereotype
Osler(2001)- higher rates of exclusion for black boys/pupils.
Black pupils and streaming
Gillbourn and youdell- in the A to C economy, teachers focus on those students who they believe are most likely to achieve agrafe C+ at GCSE.
Negative stereotypes about blacks= placed in lower streams (Peter Foster)
Asian pupils
Cecile Wrights (1992)- Asian pupils can be victims of teacher labelling too
Teachers held ethnocentric views
Left them out of discussions because they felt they had a poor grasp of English
Pupil identities
Louise Archer(2008)- describes the dominant discourse constructs theee different pupil identities
Ideal pupil identity
The pathologists identity
Demonised pupil identity
Chinese pupils
Chinese students were seen as having achieved success in the ‘wrong way’
Archer and Francis (2007)- teachers have a negative positive stereotype of them
Wrongly stereotypes them as middle class
Criticisms of cultural deprivation theory Geoffrey Driver (1977)
Ignores the positive effects of ethnicity in achievement
Shows that the black Caribbean family, far from being dysfunctional, provides girls with positive role models of strong independent women
Criticisms of cultural deprivation theory Errol Lawrence (1982)
Challenges Pryces view that black pupils fail because their culture is weak and they lack self esteem
Argues that black pupils under- achieve not because of low self-esteem but because of racism
Cultural deprivation theory Keddie
See cultural deprivation as a victim- blaming explanation
Argues that ethnic minority children are culturally different, not culturally deprived
They under-achieve because schools are ethnocentric
What two main alternatives do critics of cultural deprivation of ethnic minority propose
- multicultural education: a policy that recognises and values minority cultures and includes them in the curriculum
- anti-racist education: a policy that challenges the prejudice and discrimination that exists in schools and wider society
Mary fullers (1984) study on pupils responses to racism
- Group of black girls in year 11 of a London comprehensive school
- the girls were untypical because they were high achievers in a school where most black girls were placed in low streams
- the girls channelled their anger about being labelled into the pursuit of education success, they did not seek the approval of teachers, nor did they limit their choice of friends to other academic achievers
- they confirmed only as far as the schoolwork itself was concerned. They had a positive attitude to success but relied on their own efforts and the impartiality of external exams
How does Mary fuller view they black girls’ behaviour
It was a way of dealing with the contradictory demands of succeeding at school while remaining friends with black girls in lower streams avoiding ridicule of black boys whom many were anti-school
- they were able to maintain a positive self- image by relying on their own efforts rather than accepting the teachers’ negative stereotype of them
What two important points does the Mary Fuller study highlight
- pupils may succeed even when they refuse to conform
- negative labelling does not always lead to failure(no self-fulfilling prophecy)
Martin Max an Ghaill’s (1992) study in rejecting negative labels
Study of black and Asian ‘A’ level students at a sixth form college
- students who believed teachers had labelled them negatively did not accept the label
- how they responded depended on factors such as their ethnic group and gender and the nature of their former schools
- some girls felt that their experience of attending an all- girls school gave them a greater academic commitment that helped them to overcome negative labels at college
As with fillers study, this research shows that a label does not inevitably produce a self - fulfilling project
Heidi Safia Mirza(1992) study on failed strategies for avoiding racism
Mirza studied ambitious black girls who faced teacher racism
Mirza found that racist teachers discouraged black pupils from being ambitious through the kind of advice they gave them about career options and option choices eg, teachers discouraged them from aspiring to professional careers
What are the three main types of teacher racism Mirza identifies
- the colour- blind: teachers who believe all pupils are equal but in practice allow racism to go unchallenged
- the liberal chauvinists: teachers who believe black pupils are actually culturally deprived and who have low expectations of them
- the overt racists: teachers who believe blacks are inferior and actively discriminate against them
How did black girls avoid racism (Heidi Safia Mirza)
- much of the girls’ time at school was spent trying to avoid the effects of teachers’ negative attitudes
- selective about which staff to ask for help; getting on with their own work in lessons without taking part and not choosing options so as to avoid teachers with racist attitudes
- however, although the girls had high self- esteem, these strategies out them at a disadvantage by restricting their opportunities. Unlike the girls in the fuller study, their strategies were unsuccessful
What are the 4 responses Sewell identifies in relation to their responses to racist schooling
- the rebels
- the conformists
- the retreatists
- the innovators
What is meant when Sewell says ‘the rebels’
- The rebels were the most visible and influential group, but were only a small minority of black pupils
- they were often excluded from school
- they rejected both the goals and the rules of the school and expressed their opposition through peer group membership, conforming to the stereotype of anti-school ‘black macho lad’
- the rebels believed in their own superiority based on the idea that black masculinity equates with sexual experience and virility
- they were contemptuous of white boys, who they saw as effeminate
What is means by Sewell ‘the conformists’
- they were the largest group
- these boys were keen to succeed, accepted the schools goals and had friends from different ethnic groups
- they were not part of a subculture and were anxious to avoid being stereotyped either by teachers or their peers
What is means by Sewell’s ‘the retreatists’
- tiny minority of isolated individuals who were disconnected from both school and black subcultures
- despised by ‘the rebels’
What is meant by Sewell ‘the innovators’
- they were the second largest group
- like fuller’s girls, they were both pro- education but anti- school
- they valued success but did not seek the approval of teachers and conformed only as far as schoolwork itself was concerned
- this distanced then from ‘the conformists’ and allowed them to maintain credibility with ‘the rebels’ while remaining positive about academic achievement
