Ethnic Differences in Achievement (Internal)

Question 1

What are the seven internal factors?

Answer 1

1. E - ethnocentric curriculum
2. A - assessment
3. O - access to opportunities
4. L - labelling
5. P - pupil identities
6. S - pupil responses and subcultures
7. S - selection and segregation

Question 2

1. ethnocentric curriculum

How can the curriculum in Britain be considered ethnocentric?

Answer 2

• prioritises white culture and English language

Question 3

1. ethnocentric curriculum

How could the curriculum make black people feel inferior?

Answer 3

• content ignores black people/ experiences
• lives studied and acclaimed are white
• black music, art, history etc are absent

Question 4

1. ethnocentric curriculum

How could black people feeling inferior impact on education?

Answer 4

• image of black people as inferior (ie. in history - whites bringing ‘civilisation’)
• undermines black children’s self-esteem and contributes to underachievement

Question 5

1. ethnocentric curriculum

How do the attitudes to race continue outside the classroom?

Answer 5

• reinforced by pupils outside

- can have consequences and contribute to black children developing a negative self-concept

Question 6

1. ethnocentric curriculum

How could the effects of the ethnocentric curriculum be challenged?

Answer 6

• effects are unclear, Indian and Chinese pupils’ results are higher than national average

Question 7

2. assessment

Give an example of how Gilborn argues the assessment game is ‘rigged’ to validate the dominant culture’s superiority

Answer 7

• primary schools used to use ‘baseline assessments’ (tested when started school)
• 2003: ‘foundational stage profile’ - overnight, black pupils appeared to be doing worse than white

Question 8

2. assessment

How did the change from baseline assessments to foundational stage profiles affect achievement differences?

Answer 8

• 1. FSP = based entirely on teacher judgement, baseline assessments were written tests
• 2. FSP = completed at end rather than start
• increased likelihood of teacher stereotyping

Question 9

2. assessment

How does a study into GCSEs prove what Gilborn has argued?

Answer 9

• gap between different ethnic groups = found most greatly in teacher marked tasks

Question 10

3. access to opportunities

What did Gilborn observe about the ‘gifted and talented’ programme?

Answer 10

• white pupils are 5 times more likely than black Africans to be identified

Question 11

3. access to opportunities

What did Strand find?

Answer 11

• white-black achievement gap in maths at age 14 as black pupils = systematically under-represented in higher tier tests, result of lower expectations, self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 12

4. labelling

What stereotypes have been identified by sociologists for different ethnic groups? What effects does Gilborn identify?

Answer 12

• black pupils as disruptive, ‘unruly’ ‘difficult’
• asians as passive
• black pupils = lower streams, more likely to be excluded, more detentions
• black pupils feel teachers underestimate their ability
• encourages a self-fulfilling prophecy, responding in accordance to their labels

Question 13

4. labelling

How might culture or dress be a source of conflict?

Answer 13

• misinterpreted dress/ manner of speech as a challenge to authority - reflected their ‘racialised expectations’

Question 14

4. labelling

What does Gilborn conclude?

Answer 14

• a lot of conflict between black pupils and teachers stems from racial stereotypes rather than actual behaviour

Question 15

4. labelling

What study did Wright carry out?

Answer 15

• 4 multicultural primary schools

- observations, interviews, analysis of results

Question 16

4. labelling
   Wright found that the majority of teachers were committed to ideals of opportunity - how did they still discriminate in class?

Answer 16

• black boys received disproportionate amounts of negative attention and disapproval - reflected label of ‘disruptive and low achieving’
• asian girls seemed invisible, received less attention
• when attempts made to embrace different cultural experiences, mistakes often made

Question 17

4. labelling

Who did Mirza focus on - what were her findings?

Answer 17

• black females
• attended comprehensive schools
• found girls classified teachers into number of groups: overly racist (language/ behaviour)
  liberal in attitude (well-intentioned but patronising)
  anti-racists (over-zealous in campaign)
• girls prepared to work hard for academic success

Question 18

4. labelling

What did Mirza conclude?

Answer 18

• not the effects of labelling but the result of well-meaning but misguided behaviour of teachers

Question 19

5. pupil identities

How does Archer define the dominant discourse of teachers towards ethnic minority pupils?

Answer 19

• defined as lacking the favoured identity of ‘ideal pupil’
• either ‘pathologised pupil identity’ - plodding, passive, ‘over-achiever’ (Asian girls)

or ‘demonised pupil identity’ - challenging, under-achiever (black boys)

Question 20

6. pupil responses and subcultures - why some BME groups do achieve
   Who did Fuller focus her work on and what were her findings?

Answer 20

• Indian girls
• subculture emerged allowing them to reject applied labels
• frustrations became directed towards determination and pride
• they were pro-education, not pro-school
• negative labelling doesn’t always lead to self-fulfilling prophecy of failure

Question 21

7. selection and segregation

What does Gilborn identify as a key factor as to why ethnic minorities are at a disadvantage? Why?

Answer 21

• marketisation
• greater scope to select pupils
• some BME at a disadvantage - selection = scope for negative stereotypes

Question 22

7. selection and segregation

The Commission for Racial Equality found ethnic bias in British education - what did they find?

Answer 22

• primary school reports that stereotype pupils
• racist bias in interviews for places
• lack of application/ info forms in minority languages
• parents uninformed of waiting list/ deadline procedures