Ethnic differences in achievement - INTERNAL

Question 1

Internal Differences in Achievement

Answer 1

Internal factors such as labelling, pupil identities, pupil subcultures and ethnocentricity and institutional racism

Question 2

What does Labelling of Ethnic minorities lead to?

Answer 2

Treat ethnic minority pupils differently by bring about a self fulfilling prophecy that leads to their underachievement.

Question 3

Black Pupils (Gillborn and Mirza)

Answer 3

Gillborn and Mirza found that in one area black children were the highest achievers on entering primary school, yet by GCSE they had fallen to 21 points below average. This suggests schooling is to blame.

Question 4

Black Pupils - Gillborn and Youdell

Answer 4

• Found teachers had ‘radicalised expectations’ about black pupils and expected more discipline problems and saw their behaviour as threatening.
• Pupils felt their teachers underestimated their ability and picked on them. Conflict between white teachers and black pupils stems from racist stereotypes teachers have.
• Can cause underachievement as it leads to higher levels of exclusions for boys and black pupils being placed in lower sets or streams.

Question 5

Asian Pupils- Wright

Answer 5

Wright found that Asian primary school pupils were stereotyped by their teachers and treated differently.

• Teachers would assume children had a poor grasp of English so used a simple language speaking to them. They mispronounced children’s names and say them as a problem they could ignore.
• As a result Asian pupils were prevented from participating fully affecting self esteem.

Question 6

Connolly (Asian pupils)

Answer 6

• Connolly found primary school teachers saw Asian pupils as passive and conformist.
• Both teachers and pupils saw Asian boys as more vulnerable and less able to protect themselves.

Question 7

Pupil Subcultures

Answer 7

Pupils react in different ways to racist labelling including forming subcultures.

• Sewell found that black boys adopted a range of responses to teachers racist labelling of them as rebellious and anti-school.
• He also argues that factors external to school are more important in producing underachievement than internal factors. Subcultures include: Conformists, innovators, retreatists and rebels.

Question 8

Conformists

Answer 8

Were the largest group. They were keen to succeed accepted the school’s goals and had friends from different ethnic groups.

Question 9

Innovators

Answer 9

Were the second largest group. They were pro-education but ant-school. They valued success but not teachers approval.

Question 10

Retreatists

Answer 10

Were a tiny minority of isolated individuals disconnected from both the school and black subcultures outside it.

Question 11

Rebels

Answer 11

Were a small but visible minority of black pupils. They rejected schools rules and conformed to the stereotype of the ‘black macho lad’. Their aim was to achieve the status of ‘street hood.’

Question 12

Rejecting Negative Labels

Answer 12

Studies show that not all minority ethnic pupils who are negatively labelled accept and conform to the label. Some may remain committed to succeeding. This includes Fullers and Mac an Ghaills study.

Question 13

Year 11 Black Girls - Filler

Answer 13

Studied these girls in a London comprehensive the girls maintained a positive self image by rejecting teachers stereotypes of them.

• They were determined to succeed and didn’t seek teachers approval.

Question 14

Black and Asian Students - Mac An Ghaill

Answer 14

Studied these students at a sixth form and found they did not necessarily accept teachers negative labels.

Question 15

Black Girls Strategies - Mirza

Answer 15

Found their strategies for dealing with teachers racism was not asking for help which restricted opportunities. Even though they didn’t accept labels

Question 16

Institutional Racism

Answer 16

Sociologists say we must focus on institutional racism discrimination against ethnic minorities that is built into the way institutions (e.g. schools) operate

Question 17

What does the Critical Race Theory see institutional racism as?

Answer 17

CRT sees institutional racism as deep-rooted ‘locked in’ feature of the education system. CRT see the education systems as institutionally racist in several ways.

Question 18

What is the ethnocentric curriculum?

Answer 18

Attitude or policy which gives priority to the culture and viewpoint of one ethnic group (dominant culture)

Question 19

Troyna and Williams

Answer 19

Argue that the ethnocentric curriculum gives priority to the white culture and English language.

Question 20

David (1993)

Answer 20

Argues that National Curriculum is a ‘specifically British’ curriculum that teaches the culture of the ‘host community’.

Question 21

Ball (1994)

Answer 21

Sees the history curriculum in schools as recreating a mythical age of empire and past glories ignoring black and Asian people’s history.

Question 22

Coard (1971;2005)

Answer 22

Ethnocentric curriculum may cause underachievement.
- Teachings of colonialism may make black people feel inferior and undermines their self esteem leading to their failure.

Question 23

Selection and Segregation - Gillborn

Answer 23

Argues that marketization gives schools more scope to select pupils negative stereotypes can influence decisions about admissions.

Question 24

89[pCriticism of the ethnocentric curriculum

Answer 24

Whilst it ignores Asian culture, Indian and Chinese pupils achievement is above average.

Question 25

Gilborn (2008) - Assessment

Answer 25

Argues that assessment is rigged to validate the dominant white cultures superiority.

• Replacement of the baseline assessments in primary schools to the foundation stage profile led to black pupils now appearing to do worse than white pupils.

Question 26

What does Gilborn argue that the change ion assessment has shown two institutional racism factors?

Answer 26

1. The FSP is based entirely on teacher’s judgement, whereas baseline assessments often used written tests too.
2. Change in timing: the FSP is completed at the end of the reception year, whereas baseline assessments were done at the start of primary schools.

• Both factors increase risk of teachers stereotyping.

Question 27

Two points for Access to Opportunities

Answer 27

1. Gifted and Talented programme
2. Exam tiers

Question 28

Gilborn (2008) - Access to Opportunities

Answer 28

Whites are twice as likely to be identified as gifted and talented than black pupils.

Question 29

Tikly and Strand - Access to Opportunities

Answer 29

Found blacks were more likely to be entered for lower tier exams because of teachers expectations and as they were in lower sets.

Question 30

The New IQism

Answer 30

Secondary schools are increasingly using old style intelligence (IQs) to allocate pupils to different streams on entry.

• Black pupils are more likely to be placed in lower streams as a result.

Question 31

Criticisms of Gillborn (2 issues)

Answer 31

1. The underachievement of some minority groups such as black boys
2. The ‘overachievement’ of Indian and Chinese pupils.

Question 32

What do critical race theorists such as Gilborn argue that institutional racism is the main cause of?

Answer 32

Under-achievement.

• They argue that internal factors within the education system, such as assessment and setting, systematically produce the failure of large numbers of ethnic minority pupils, especially black boys.

Question 33

Why does Sewell reject the view that institutional racism is the main cause of underachievement of black boys?

Answer 33

Argues that we need to focus on external factors such as boys’ anti-school attitudes, the peer group and the nurturing role of the father.

Question 34

What do critics of the critical race theorists argue?

Answer 34

If these Chinese and Indian pupils do so well, how then can there be institutional racism in education

Question 35

How dos Gilborn (2008) responds to critics and prove that the education system is institutionally racist?

Answer 35

• Argues that the image of Indians and Chinese as hardworking ‘model minorities’ performs an ideological function.

Question 36

How does Gilborn argue that image of Indians and Chinese as hardworking ‘model minorities’ performs an ideological function? 3 points.

Answer 36

1. It makes the system appear fair and meritocratic - that Indians and Chinese succeed because they make the effort and take advantage of the opportunities offered to them.
2. It justifies the failure of other minorities, such as blacks - that they fail because they are unable or unwilling to make the effort, due to their ‘unaspirational’ home culture.
3. It ignores the fact that ‘model minorities’ still suffer racism in schools. E.g., Chinese students report similar levels of harassment to Black Caribbeans.

Question 37

Evans (2006) - Ethnicity, class and gender

Answer 37

• Claims that in examining black children’s achievement, sociologists tend to look at their culture and ethnicity, but rarely at their class.

Question 38

What did Connolly’s (1998) study of kids in a primary school find?

Answer 38

1. Teachers saw black boys as disruptive under-achievers and controlled them by punishing them more and by channelling their energies into sport.
2. Asian boys as passive, conformist, keen and academic; when they misbehaved, they were seen as immature rather than threatening.
   - Both teachers and pupils saw Asian boys as more ‘feminine’, vulnerable and in need of protection from bullying