Ethnicity and Differential Achievement in Education

Question 1

What ethnic groups are higher levels of achievement?

Answer 1

• Chinese pupuls are the highest achievers at GCSE
• Indian pupils also perform above the national average for GCSE
• Mixed ethnicity backgrounds tend to perform above the national average at GCSE
• Female black and Male Asian groups have some of the highest rates of students entering higher education

Question 2

What ethnic groups are of lower levels of achievement?

Answer 2

• Fewer black pupils get 5 A?*-C passes at GCSE than any other major ethnic group
• Roma, white and Bangladeshi students are least likely to continue into higher education

Question 3

How does the labelling theory explain difference in ethnic educational achievement?

HINT : GILLBORN (1990) + Negative labels (SFP)

Answer 3

• Labelling theory says that some teachers have different expectations of different ethnic minority groups
• Gillborn (1990) found that teaches sometimes negatively label black students
• African-Caribbean students were seen as a challenge to school authority (more likely to be excluded) Gillborn (1990) says this is called ‘the myth of the black challenge’
• Teachers have high expectations of Asian students which could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy of success. In contrast negative labelling can result in self-fulfilling prophecy of failure

Question 4

How does the school curriculum explain the difference in ethnic education achievement?

Answer 4

• School curriculum could be seen as ethnocentric.
• 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

Question 5

How does Institutional Racism explain the difference in ethnic educational achievement?

HINT : WRIGHT (1992) + cultural traditions

Answer 5

• Some sociologists see British education as Institutional racist
• Wright (1992) found that the even though members of staff said they were committed to equal opportunities, Asian girls got less attention from teachers felt their cultural traditions were disapproved of.
• African-Caribbean boys were more likely to be punished and sent out of class

Question 6

What does Coard (1971) say?

Answer 6

Coard (1971) found that black students are made to feel inferior in British schools

Question 7

What did Mirza (1992) find?

HINT : Black girls + unwilling

Answer 7

• Found that black girls had positive self-esteem and high aspirations
• The girls experienced discrimination but had strategies to miniise 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

Question 8

How does Cultural Deprivation outside of school effect ethnic difference in education?

Answer 8

• Language can be a barrier for children from immigrant families when they first arrive
• Swann Report found that language did not affect progress for later generations
• Driver and Ballard (1981) say that the close-knit extended families and high parental expectations increase levels of achievement in Asian communities
• Driver and Ballard (1981) found that Asian children whose first language was not English were as good as their classmates by the age of 16
• Labelling theorist would say the language was not the barrier but the dialects or having an accent may influence the teachers expectations and lead to negative labelling
• 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

Question 9

How does Material deprivation combine with ethnicity to affect achievement?

Answer 9

• Swann Report found that socio-econmic status was a factor in the lower levels of achievement of African Caribbean pupils
• 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
• Chinese, African Asian and Indian groups are more likely to be in higher class position and less likely to experience material deprivation