Ethnicity (DA)

Question 1

What are the 3 external factors?

Answer 1

Cultural deprivation
Material deprivation
Racism in wider society

Question 2

What are the 5 internal factors?

Answer 2

Racialised expectations
Ethnocentric curriculum
Institutional racism
Marketisation and selection policies
Assessment Game/New IQ’ism

Question 3

What is material deprivation?

Answer 3

The lack of money and the things that money can buy

Question 4

What evidence is there that material deprivation is a factor for different ethnic groups?

Answer 4

Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are 3x more likely than whites to be in the poorest fifth (20%) of the population

Unemployment is 3x higher for African-Caribbeans, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis than it is for whites

Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are more likely to work in low-paid, unskilled jobs

These inequalities line up with those seen in educational achievement

Question 5

What are the 3 components of cultural deprivation for ethnicity?

Answer 5

Family structure
Attitudes and values
Intellectual and linguistic skills

Question 6

How does family structure act as a disadvantage for some ethnic groups?

Answer 6

Some sociologists argue that because many black families are headed by a lone mother, children are deprived of adequate care

This is a cycle as black children then fail and become inadequate parents themselves

Question 7

How do attitudes and values act as a disadvantage for some ethnic groups?

Answer 7

Some sociologists argue that black children are not socialised into attitudes which would benefit their education, instead falling into fatalistic, present-time oriented patterns

Asian families, on the other hand, instil strong educational values in their children and pass on an ‘Asian work ethic’

Question 8

How do intellectual and linguistic skills act as a disadvantage for some ethnic groups?

Answer 8

Some ethnic groups, such as Pakistanis and Bangladeshis (particularly women), aren’t all fluent in English which may prevent them being able to understand things in school properly

The language of black students is seen by some as ungrammatical, disjointed, and incapable of expressing abstract ideas

Question 9

What is cultural deprivation?

Answer 9

A lack of the attitudes, values, norms, and beliefs that benefit a person (in education)

Question 10

What is racism in wider society?

Answer 10

Biases, disadvantages, and prejudice that ethnic minorities face

Question 11

How does racism in wider society act as a disadvantage for some ethnic groups’ education?

Answer 11

This can lead parents to face unemployment and low pay, which in turn has a negative effect on children’s education, meaning they can’t buy things that would benefit them for school

Question 12

What does racialised expectations mean?

Answer 12

Labelling based on a person’s ethnicity

Question 13

How do racialised expectations disadvantage some ethnic groups?

Answer 13

This affects how teachers interact with their students and may lead to students’ academic ability being underestimated. This can lead to them being denied access to the top sets, groups, and exams which would help them progress

Question 14

What is institutional racism?

Answer 14

Subtler forms of racism which are built into the workings, process, and attitudes of an organisation as a whole (such as a school)

Question 15

How does insititutional racism act as a disadvantage for some ethnic groups?

Answer 15

Some schools will place low priority on dealing with race issues, will not properly deal with instances of racist bullying, and will not provide sufficient academic support to some ethnic groups

Question 16

What is the ethnocentric curriculum?

Answer 16

A curriculum (the outline of what a person learns in a given subject) which focusses on one ethnicity. In this country that means white British

Question 17

How does the ethnocentric curriculum act as a disadvantage for some ethnic groups?

Answer 17

The curriculum only focusses on white British culture, meaning those children already know about some of the things they’re learning about. Other ethnic groups will not learn about their own culture, or may be discriminated against, e.g. dress codes sometimes don’t allow the wearing or religious items, or school canteens may not offer halal/kosher food

Question 18

What are marketisation and selection policies?

Answer 18

Marketisation policies are designed to create competition between schools

Selection policies allow schools to choose which students they will take on

Question 19

How do marketisation and selection policies act as a disadvantage for some ethnic groups?

Answer 19

Some ethnic groups are chosen over others because they are seen as high achievers, whilst others are ignored as they are seen as low achievers

Question 20

What is the Assessment Game?

Answer 20

This suggests that whenever black students start to achieve on a similar level to white students, the rules of the assessment will change to disdvantage black students

Question 21

What is New IQ’ism?

Answer 21

Previously, students’ ability was assessed using IQ tests. Today, it is assessed by teachers, who get to decide which students gain access to the top sets or Gifted and Talented programs

Question 22

Which ethnic groups would be considered high achieving?

Answer 22

Indian, Chinese

Question 23

Which ethnic groups would be considered low achieving?

Answer 23

Black, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Gypsy/Roma