Ethnicity & Education

Question 1

3 findings of the Swann Report (1985)

Answer 1

1) 5% of West Indians passed A Levels
2) 1% of West Indians went to uni
3) High % of teachers were unintentionally racist

Question 2

Outline Sewell’s 4 types of Afro-Caribbean students

Answer 2

1) Conformists
2) Innovators
3) Rebels
4) Retreatists

Question 3

3 ways in which the curriculum is ethnocentric

Answer 3

1) Curriculum only teaches White/western languages
2) History is taught from white/western perspective
3) School holidays organised around major Christian holidays

Question 4

1 finding of the ‘Black Child Report’

Answer 4

The exclusion rate of black pupils is 6x higher than that of any ethnicity

Question 5

Outline Hans Eysenck’s theory of why black students do worse in school

Answer 5

Black people are genetically less intelligent/have a lower IQ than white people

Question 6

6 ways in which ethnicity affects educational achievement

Answer 6

1) Ethnocentric curriculum affects self-esteem of other ethnicities
2) Lack of positive role models
3) Labelling of kids with English as their 2nd language
4) Exclusion rate 6x higher for black students
5) West Indians place less value on education
6) Institutional racism