Ethnic differences in educational achievement (external factors) Flashcards
Outline cultural differences as a cause of ethic differences in achievement.
Cultural deprivation can be seen as a key explanation for ethnic differences in achievement. It includes:
Language and intellectual development
Attitudes and values, including ‘ghetto culture’
Family structure and parental support
Explain language and intellectual development as a part of cultural differences impacting ethnic achievement.
Bernstein’s language codes and Lareau’s observations about how parents communicate and engage with their children can also be applied to working-class minority ethnic students.
Multicultural London English- a sociolect predominantly spoken by young, working class people in the multicultural neighbourhoods of inner-city London and its suburbs, but also influential in other urban centres. African American Vernacular English in the USA- also influential in the UK. These are slang and not used in education and so children using these may be disadvantaged at school.
Explain attitudes and values as a part of cultural differences impacting ethnic achievement.
Some have tried to blame the underachievement of children of certain ethnicities on attitudes and values such as fatalism, immediate gratification or ‘ghetto culture’.
A danger of this approach is that it can be seen to suggest a hierarchy of cultures, and can imply that all members of an ethnic group share exactly the same culture- it can be seen to essentialise culture.
Explain absent fathers as a part of family structure impacting ethnic achievement.
A number of theorists argue that lone parent families cannot properly socialise or discipline their children which has consequences for their educational achievement.
approximately 60% of Black Caribbean children are in lone parent families, about three times as high as the national average.
Explain the impact of colonialism as a part of family structure impacting ethnic achievement.
Pryce studied Afro-Caribbeans in Bristol and considered the underachievement in these children compared to asian pupils.
He suggested that Asian culture was more resilient to racism, with Black Caribbean culture less cohesive and more vulnerable due to the differing impact of colonialism on both groups.
Unsurprisingly, the historical experience of slavery was culturally devastating for blacks, with their language, religion and entire family system lost, which was not the case for Asians.
Pryce sees family structure as contributing to the underachievement of Black Caribbean pupils- but from a much more sympathetic perspective than Murray.
Explain fathers, gangs and culture as a part of family structure impacting ethnic achievement.
Sewell studied young black boys at a summer camp and came to the conclusion that the over-feminisation of black boys due to them mainly being raised by single-mothers is what leads to their underachievement rather than racism being the cause of this. He found that the young boys had a dislike of black male authority and were more likely to open up to female camp workers. He claimed that black boys lacked a male-role model due to the absence of their fathers which led to them having an over-feminised upbringing and so seeking out an alternative for this absent figure which is often found in gangs. This is what Sewell sees as leading to truancy and low educational attainment.
Explain the family and Chinese achievement.
British Chinese pupils are more successful than any other group in the British education system, and there is some evidence that this could be due, at least in part, to support that they receive from their families.
Archer and Francis (2007) found that the parents of Chinese pupils placed an exceptionally high value on education.
The Chinese parents they interviewed, often working in the catering trade, saw education as the route to a better life for their children.
Whilst many parents felt they lacked the cultural capital with which to support their children’s education, they mobilised their economic capital (e.g. hiring tutors) as a means of supporting achievement.
Explain ethnic capital as a factor impacting ethnic differences in achievement.
Modood (2004) points to the anomaly of non-white ethnic minorities in Britain being over-represented in higher education when they have a disproportionately lower socio-economic profile.
Modood proposed that there certain groups have ‘ethnic capital’.
This ‘ethnic capital’ comprises of “an important triad: familial adult–child relationships, transmission of aspirations and attitudes and norms enforcement”, and this “seems to be highly pertinent to speculative suggestions as to where to find the ‘motor’ of Asian academic success.”
Evaluate family structure and support as a factor impacting ethnic differences in achievement.
(+) Plenty of evidence that familial emphasis on and support for education really matters.
(-) There is mixed evidence on whether growing up in a single parent family has an impact on educational achievement: controlling for other factors, there is evidence to suggest that it does not.
(-) Reynolds (2009) finds that, contrary to stereotypes, non-resident black fathers are active participants in their children’s lives.
(-) Arguments blaming culture/ family structure remove the blame from racism, and possibly fail to understand the nuances of racism- can be understood as victim blaming.
Explain the relationship between ethnicity and social class.
The Runnymede Trust reported in 2017 that the poverty rate in the UK is twice as high for black and minority groups than it is for white groups. These groups are likely to be poor due to experiencing higher unemployment rates, higher rates of economic inactivity, receiving lower pay, less prefereble geographic location; they might live in poorer areas or ones affiliated with high crime levels, having a problematic migration status, low educational attainment and racial discrimination. All of these factors interact with one another. For example, low educational attainment might lead to unemployment which, in term, leads to having to live in a poorer area which could lead to racial discrimination due to living up to the ‘black stereotype’.
Explain white working-class underachievement.
Number of potentially relevant factors:
Whereas many minority-ethnic parents see education as the route to success in the UK, this might not be the case for parents with their own negative experiences of the education system.
Minority ethnic groups may have experienced downward mobility through migration.
Geographical element- e.g. White British kids in Hackney do significantly better in their GCSEs than White British kids in Bolton.
What is the independent ethnicity effect?
It is crucial to consider the socio-economic background as well as ethnicity of pupils in order to avoid overestimating the effect of ethnicity and minimising the impact of material deprivation. However, the independent ethnicity effect is differences that persist regardless of class e.g. even materially deprived Chinese and Indian pupils do better than average.
Explain ‘ghetto culture’ as an explanation for the underachievement of Black children
The American academic Thomas Sowell argues that a black ‘ghetto culture’ that rejects traditional values has held back African Americans, and this has also been taken up by some British educationalists.
According to Sowell, dressing neatly, speaking proper English, achieving academic success, and raising children in the context of stable marriages became demeaned as ‘acting White’. ‘Ghetto culture’ can act as an explanation for the underachievement of Black children because of the various features of this subculture and because academic succcess isn’t valued.
Evaluate ‘ghetto culture’ as an explanation for the underachievement of Black children
(-) Many of Sowell’s claims don’t stand up to scrutiny.
(-) Much of what Sowell claims as Black ‘ghetto culture’ can also be found amongst White Americans.
(-) Victim blaming.
