Internal Factors (1) Labelling, Identities and Responses

Question 1

How are Asian pupils labelled compared to black students?

Answer 1

Interactionists studies show black students are seen as disruptive and Asian as passive.

Question 2

What do Gillborn and Youdell argue about black students and discipline?

Answer 2

• They argue teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils due to ‘racialised expectations’ as they misinterpret their behaviour.
• Pupils felt underestimated and responded negatively to teachers picking on them.
• They concluded this conflict between white teachers and black pupils stems from racial stereotypes

Question 3

What does Bourne argue about black students and exclusions?

Answer 3

She found schools see black boys as a threat and label them negatively, leading to exclusion, explaining the higher rate of exclusions in black pupils. This affects achievement as 1 in 5 pupils who are excluded achieve 5 GCSEs

Question 4

Describe black pupils in streaming

Answer 4

Gillborn and Youdell found due to negative labels, black students are in bottom sets and treated as ‘hopeless cases’ due to the A-C economy

Question 5

How are Asian pupils affected by labelling?

Answer 5

• Wright found teachers assumed they had a poor grasp of English so left them out of discussion or used simplistic language when speaking to them
• This means they felt isolated and are marginalised due to teachers’ labels

Question 6

Describe the three different pupil identities constructed the school’s habitus that Archer argues

Answer 6

• Ideal pupil: White, middle class, masculinised identity, normal sexuality. Achieves in the ‘right way’ with natural ability and initiative
• Pathologised pupil: Asian, ‘deserving poor’, asexual. Achieves through hard work.
• Demonised pupil: black or white working class, hyper-sexualised. This pupil is peer-led, culturally deprived and a underachiever

Question 7

How are Chinese students views by teachers?

Answer 7

• Archer argues they’re seen as successful, but in the ‘wrong’ way, through hard work and not natural ability.
• They stereotype Chinese families as ‘tight’ using this to explain girls’ passivity and tended to wrongly stereotype them as middle-class
• This shows that ethnic achievement is seen as ‘over-achievement’ since ‘proper’ achievement is natural and white

Question 8

Describe Fuller’s study of rejecting negative labels

Answer 8

• Study of a group black girls in year 11, who channelled their anger about labelling into the pursuit of educational success
• This shows that pupils can still succeed even if they refuse to conform and negative labelling doesn’t always leads to failure

Question 9

Describe Mirza’s study that supports that teachers are racist

Answer 9

• Studied ambitious black girls who faced teacher racism that discouraged them from being ambitious through advice on career and option choices
• Much of girls’ time at school was spent avoiding effects of teachers’ negative attitudes

Question 10

Describe Sewell’s study on the variety of boys’ responses

Answer 10

He found 4 responses to schooling:
- Rebels who were anti-school, conformists who accepted school goals, retreatists who were isolated individuals and innovators who were pro-education but anti-school as they didn’t seek teacher approval.
- Nevertheless, teachers tend to see all black boys as rebels as rebels, contributing to underachievement