ethnicity and differential achievement in education Flashcards
Higher levels of achievement.
- chinese pupils are the highest achievers at GCSE. Indian pupils also perform above the national average.
- students who are from mixed ethnicity backgrounds tend to perform above the national average.
- female black and male asian groups have some of the highest rates of students entering higher education.
Lower levels of achievement.
- fewer black pupils get 5 A*-C passes at GCSE than any other major ethnic group.
- Roma, white and Bangladeshi students are the least likely to continue into higher education.
What did Gillborn (1990) find about labelling theory and achievement linked with ethnicity?
- He found that teachers sometimes negatively label black students. African-Caribbean students were seen as a challenge to school authority - and were more likely to be excluded from school. Gillborn calls this the ‘myth of the black challenge’.
- Teachers had high expectations of Asian students, which could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy of success.
How is the school curriculum linked to ethnicity and differential achievement?
- The school curriculum can be seen as ethnocentric (it might fit the mainstream, white, middle-class culture better than other ethnicities).
- Languages in the National Curriculum are mainly European.
- Assemblies, school holidays and even history lessons may not fit with the culture and history of particular groups.
What did Wright (1992) find about institutional racism and achievement in education?
He found that even though members of staff saod they were committed to equal opportunities, Asian girls got less attention from teachers and felt their cultural traditions were disapproved of.
African-Caribbean boys were more likely to be punished and sent out of class.
What did Mirza (1992) find in her study?
She found that black girls had positive self-esteem and high aspirations. the girls experienced discrimination but had strategies to minimise the effects of racism. It wasn’t low self-esteem that affected their achievement - it was being unwilling to ask for help, or unwilling to choose certain subjects.
How does language affect achievement?
Language can be a barrier for children from immigrant families when they first arrive in the UK.
- Driver and Ballard (1981) found that Asian children whose first language was not English were as good at English as their classmates by the age of 16.
- Labelling theorists would say that language might not be a barrier, but dialects or having an accent might influence teacher expectations and lead to negative labelling.
How does family life affect achievement?
- Driver and Ballard (1981) say that close-knit extended families and high parental expectations increase levels of achievement in Asian communities.
- Archer and Francis (2006) found that Chinese parents saw education as hugely important and this seemed to create a desire for achievement in Chinese families.
- Some sociologists say that relatively high levels if divorce and single-parenthood in African-Caribbean households could result in material deprivation. On the other hand, the independence of African-Carribbean women can mean that girls get positive role models.
How does ethnicity combine with material deprivation to affect achievement?
- Pakistani, Bangladeshi and African-Caribbean groups are more likely to be in lower class positions such as routine occupations and elementary occupations. This may result in poor housing, periods of unemployment, poverty and material deprivation. (38.5% of Bangladeshi students are entitled to free school meals0
