Ethnicity and Educational Achievement

Question 1

What is race?

Answer 1

The distinctive characteristics that a group of people share, for example, their skin colour and other physical characteristics.

Question 2

What is ethnicity?

Answer 2

A person’s culture, background, language and traditions.

Question 3

What are some of the patterns and trends in ethnicity and educational achievement (6 examples)?

Answer 3

• In the UK white and Asian students achieve better than black students.
• In the UK, Chinese and Indian students do better than Pakistani and Bangladeshi students.
• Among all groups (other than Gypsy and Traveller children) girls do better than boys.
• Middle class students have higher levels of achievement than working class students.
• Many working class white pupils have lower educational achievement than pupils from other ethnic groups.
• According to a DfES (2010) study, only 23% of white boys on free school meals 5 GCSEs at A*-C grade.

Question 4

What is cultural deprivation?

Answer 4

A lack of the intellectual and language skills due to inadequate cultures at home.

Question 5

What are external factors that could impact on the educational achievement of different ethnic groups?

Answer 5

• Cultural deprivation
• Attitudes and values - students from a mainstream culture are socialised into values which instil ambition and long term gratification, and black children are socialised into immediate gratification and educational failure.
  Family structure and parental support - the reason why the socialisation of black pupils fails is due to the types of family they are raised in.
• Material deprivation
• Racism in wider society - ethnic minorities are forced into poor quality housing, and material deprivation for ethnic minorities is worse than it is for white students. Discrimination can indirectly affect a students educational achievement.