Ethnicity and Educational Attainment - Internal Factors Flashcards
What are the internal factors affecting educational attainment
Teacher labelling Setting and Streaming Pupil Identities Student Subcultures Schools are institutionally racist
What factors make up schools being institutionally racist
Marketisation and selection
Ethnocentric school curriculum
New IQism
How does Teacher Labelling affect Educational attainment
Research suggests black and asian students are not regarded as ‘ideal students’ Negative labels were often attached to both groups ; black students seen as aggressive and disruptive and asian students as passive
How did Gillborn and Youdell contribute to Teacher Labelling
Found that teachers were quicker to discipline black students for the sae behaviour as others
Teachers had ‘racialised expectations’ - they expected black students to misbehave more
They misinterpreted behaviour to be a challenge or threat
Gave tougher discipline to black students to ‘nip bad behaviour in the bud’
Students responded to unfair treatment becoming hostile so conflict developed
Students felt that teachers ‘picked on them’ and underestimated their ability
Why were Black students are more likely than any other group to be officially excluded and referred to Pupil Reform units
Due to behaviour caused by the teacher labelling. Only 1 in 5 students officially excluded achieved 5A*-C or more
How did Wright contribute to Teacher Labelling
Asian primary school students were labelled by teachers who assumed that they would have poor understanding of language so they spoke simplistically to them and asked them less challenging questions as they assumed they had a restricted code.
Teachers held Ethnocentric opinions to the students different cultures and often struggled to pronounce names, and did not invite girls to after school activities (assumed not allowed to attend)
Many of teachers actually felt they were a problem but one which they could ignore as there generally was no behaviour issues to deal with from more conformist students. This resulted in many students feeling marginalised and more resistant to participating in schools
How does Setting and Streaming affect Educational attainment
Teachers stereotypes often result in black students being placed in lower sets and streams as teachers assume they are less intelligent and the main concern is their behaviour.
Students internalise this label resulting in self-fulfilling prophecy which can then result in the students being placed with less challenging work being set for them
How did Gillborn and Youdell contribute setting and streaming
Found that as schools focus on the ‘A-C economy’ students perceived more likely to underperform, including black students, are placed in lower sets and streams - this has resulted in the ‘educational triage’ working negatively for under-performing black students
What did Archer contribute to Pupil Identities
Teachers have 3 dominated ways of looking at student identities
- Ideal pupil identity ; white middle class, masculine with a normal sexuality ; seen to be achieving through natural ability
- Pathologised pupil identity ; asian students, feminine, asexual or oppressed sexuality ; students often seen as ‘plodding’ and succeeding through ‘hard work’ rather tan nature
- Demonised pupil identity ; black or white working class, hyper sexualised ; students seen as unintelligent and peer led and underachieving
What did Archer stay about Chinese students
were pathologised despite their success. Teachers saw Chinese female students as too quiet and described them as ‘educational automatons’ and males as ‘effeminate and subordinate’ They believed that is was because of constant hard-work and effort rather innate ability that Chinese students achieve so were not ‘ideal students’ Teachers also held stereotype on Chinese family structures assuming them to be close knit and middle class , he used this to explain the success of the girls
Who did Proper Achievement belong to
In the domain of white, middle class students only
How do Student Subcultures affect educational attainment
As with Class and Gender students may accept the label given to them by their teachers, internalise it resulting in self fulfilling prophecy. As a result many black students especially black males form anti-school subcultures as an attempt to gain status from their peers, there are also examples of students who resist the label and therefore a self fulfilling prophecy does not occur
Which studies can be used to show how labelling theories can be too deterministic and what case do they present
Mary Fuller Mairtin mac an Ghaill Heidi Mizara Sewell They present a case that once labelled a student has no option but to accept the label and allow a self fulfilling prophecy to occur. These studies show that students can actively reject a teachers labelling, even when they are aware that they have been labelled negatively and try to change and resist them
What is institutional racism
Often subtle and not identifiable to a specific individual person and many believe that as it has been happening in our society for so long that it is entrenched in our day-to-day practices
How do Marketisation and Selection contribute to educational attainment
Commission for Racial Equality found the following examples of racism in school administration process
- Lack of info and application forms in minority languages
- Primary school reports stereotyped minority pupils especially regarding language difficulties
- Racist bias occurred in interviews for school places
- Schools did not share deadlines for applications or info on waiting-lists and appeals procedures with parents from ethnic minority backgrounds
