Ethnicity - Factors

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, and more likely to be in low-paid, low-skilled jobs

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

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

Many black families are headed by a single mother

Charles Murray and the New Right says this leads to inadequate socialisation

Question 7

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

Answer 7

Black children are socialised into anti-education attitudes

On the other hand, the ‘Asian work ethic’ instils strong educational values in their children

Question 8

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

Answer 8

Pakistanis and Bangladeshis (particularly women), aren’t all fluent in English, meaning they don’t understand everything in school

Some black students speak in an ungrammatical, disjointed way, and are 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

Unemployment and low pay in the family mean they can’t afford to help their child at school with resources or tutors

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 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, processes, and attitudes of an organisation

Question 15

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

Answer 15

Some schools will place low priority on supporting ethnic minorities’ education and dealing with race issues like bullying

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

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

Question 18

What is the difference between 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

Leads to certain groups being chosen/ignored by schools based on stereotypes

Question 20

What is the Assessment Game?

Answer 20

When black students achieve on a similar level to white students, the rules of the assessment will change to disadvantage black students. Gillborn, 2008

Question 21

What is New IQ’ism?

Answer 21

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

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