Ethnic Differences in Achievement - Internal Factors (Labelling, Pupil Subculture). Flashcards
What are the internal factors causing ethnic differences?
1) . Labelling.
2) . Pupil subcultures.
3) . Ethnocentricity and institutional racism.
What is the main sociological approach to internal factors?
Interactionists =
- focus on face-to-face interactions between teachers and pupils.
How do labels imposed by teachers result in ethnic differences?
Racist labels –> disadvantaging ethnic minorities –> self-fulfilling prophecy = under-achievement.
What did Gillborn and Mirza (2000) find about black pupils’ achievement?
- Primary school = highest achievers on entry.
- GCSE = 21 points below average.
Suggests the school is to blame, not background.
What did Gillborn and Youdell (2000) find about teachers racially labelling black pupils?
- Based on racial expectations, they believed black pupils had more discipline problems.
- Saw their behaviour as threatening.
- More likely to be punished for the same behaviour.
- Pupils felt they were being picked on.
What do Gillborn and Youdell conclude about teachers labelling black pupils?
Conflict is a result of racist stereotypes of the teacher, not the pupils background.
how can labelling black pupils lead to under-achievement?
1) . Higher levels of exclusion of black boys (Bourne).
2) . Black pupils being placed in lower sets/streams.
What did Wright (1992) find about teachers labelling Asian primary students?
Stereotyped them and treated them differently =
- assumed poor English –> used simplistic language.
- mispronounced children’s names.
- saw them as a problem they could ignore.
How does teacher’s actions to Asian pupils lower self-esteem and result in under-achievement?
They would feel worthless, marginalising them.
- this will prevent them from achieving, making them inevitably feel worse.
Why are pupil subcultures formed?
As a result of labelling.
What responses do black boys take to labelling, according to Sewell (1998)?
1). Conformists =
keen to succeed and accepted the school goals.
2). Innovators =
pro-education, anti-school –> value school, but not teacher approval.
3). Retreatists =
disconnected from school and black subcultures.
4). Rebels =
became the ‘black macho lad’ and despised white boys, and black conformist boys.
- shows that not all black pupils live up to teachers expectations.
How does Sewell say black people joining subcultures has led to under-achievement?
Even though only a minority of black boys fitted the ‘macho’ stereotype =
- teachers viewed them all like this.
- discrimination led to under-achievement.
According to Sewell, what is more important in causing underachievement of black boys?
External factors –> peer pressure, street culture and the lack of a nurturing father.
According to Archer, what are the 3 ways teachers define pupils’ identities?
1) . Ideal pupil identity =
- white m/c, masculinised identity.
- achieve through natural ability.
2) . Pathologised pupil identity =
- Asian, feminised identity.
- slogger –> achieve through hard work.
3) . Demonised pupil identity =
- black/white w/c.
- peer led, culturally deprived, under-achiever.
What pupil identity are ethnic minorities likely to be seen as, according to Archer?
Pathologised or demonised =
- this leads to their under-achievement as teachers label them.
