External Factors And Ethnic Differences In Achievement

Question 1

What are the main External Factors for Ethnic Differences in Achievement?

Answer 1

• Cultural deprivation
• Material deprivation
• Racism in wider society

Question 2

How has ‘Intellectual and Linguistic Skills’ impacted Ethnic Pupils? (Cultural Deprivation)

Answer 2

• Bereiter + Engleman; Language spoken by low-income Black American families is inadequate for educational success
• Gilborn + Mitzi; Indian pupils do well despite not having English as their home language

Question 3

How has ‘Attitudes and Values’ impacted Ethnic Pupils? (Cultural Deprivation)

Answer 3

• Black children have been socialised into a subculture which instills fatalistic attitudes
• De-value education which makes them unequiped for success

Question 4

How has ‘Family Structure and Parental Support’ impacted Ethnic Pupils? (Cultural Deprivation) (SPAM)

Answer 4

• Moynihan; Black families tend to be headed by a LP mother which are deprived economically + lack a male role model
• Sewell; Lack of nurturing or ‘tough love’ leads to Black boys developing an anti-school identity
• Arnot; ‘The ultra-tough ghetto superstar’, enforced in rap + MTV videos
• Sewell; Speaking Standard English was viewed with hostility for ‘selling out’
• Pryce; Asian pupils are high achievers since they are more resistant to racism

Question 5

Why should ‘Cultural Deprivation’ be treated with caution for Ethnic Differences in Achievement?

Answer 5

• Gilborn; Institutional racism takes a far greater impact than peer pressure
• Lawrence; Black pupils do not fail because of factors identified by Pryce but racism
• Khan; Asian families are ‘stress ridden’ + control their children
• Pilkington; Cultural explanations divert attention away from material inequalities + education system

Question 6

How has ‘Material Deprivation’ impacted Ethnic Pupils?

Answer 6

• Flaherty; Pakistanis + Bangladeshis are 3X more likely than whites to be in the poorest 1/5 of the population
• 15% Ethnic households live in overcrowded conditions compared to 2% Whites
• Palmer; 1/2 Ethnic minority children live in low-income households compared to 1/4 Whites
• 44% Children of Bangladeshi origin are eligible for FSM while 11% for White

Question 7

What are the criticisms of ‘Material Deprivation’ with Ethnic Pupil Achievement?

Answer 7

Gilborn + Mitzi; Comparisons are made between pupils of same social class, MC Black pupils do comparatively poorer at GCSE compared to MC white pupils

Question 8

How has ‘Racism in Wider Society’ impacted Ethnic Pupils?

Answer 8

• Mason; Discrimination is most felt by British citizens of minority ethnic origin
• Poverty + material deprivation are products of racism in wider society
• Negative effect on their children’s educational prospects