ethnic differences in achievement - labelling, identity and responses Flashcards
How are Black pupils labelled in school?
Gillborn & Youdell
- teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour
- teachers expected the black pupils to present more discipline problems and misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening or as a challenge to authority
- Black pupils are therefore also more likely to be streamed into lower sets because this negative label, which in turn may lead to a self-fulfilling
prophecy of underachievement.
How are Asian pupils labelled in school?
Wright
- Asian pupils were often spoken to in a childish & simplistic language because teachers
would assume they had no real grasp on the English language and left them out of class discussions.
- They were seen then not as a threat (like black pupils may be) but as a problem the teacher could ignore.
Describe the pupil identities found by who?
Archer
The ideal pupil identity: a white, middle-class masculinised identity, with a normal sexuality. This pupil is seen as achieving in the ‘right’ way through natural ability and initiative
The pathologised pupil identity: an Asian, ‘deserving poor’, feminised identity either asexual or with an oppressed sexuality. This pupils is seen as a plodding, conformist and culture-bound ‘over-achiever’, a slogger who succeeds
through hard work rather than natural ability
The demonised pupil identity: A black or white, working-class, hyper-sexualised identity. This pupil is seen as unintelligent, peer-led, culturally deprived under-achiever
How do some pupils reject their labels?
Fuller
found that a group of black girls in a London comprehensive school had challenged their negative stereotype in pursuit of educational success. However they didn’t do this to seek approval of teachers, nor did they show a concern about the routine of the school. They simply worked hard and achieved well in impartial external exams.
What types of teacher racism were identified by who?
Mirza
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 culturally deprived and who have low expectations of them
The overt racists: teachers who believe blacks are inferior and actively discriminate against them
How were teachers racist according to Mirza?
Found that racist teachers discouraged black pupils from being ambitious through the kind of advice they gave them about careers and option choices
A-C economy
What did Gillborn and Youdell argue about why black students underachieve?
Argue that the policy of publishing league tablescreates an A-to-C economy and leads to large numbers of black and working class pupils being placed in lower streams or entered for lower-tier exams, so it’s not due to racism
