Internal Factors affecting Ethnic Achievement

Question 1

What is teacher labelling?

Answer 1

When a teacher makes an assumption about a pupil and begins to treat them as though their initial judgement is true

Question 2

What are the 3 studies into teacher labelling of ethnic minority pupils?

Answer 2

• black pupils are prone to stronger discipline from their teachers
• black pupils are more likely to be placed into lower sets and streams
• Asian pupils are seen to have inferior language and culture

Question 3

What was Gilborn and Mirza (2000) find about teacher labelling?

Answer 3

In England, found that black pupils do 20% better in primary schools than other pupils. However in secondary schools, black pupils do 21% worse at GCSE

Question 4

What did Gilborn and Youdell (2000) find about black pupils being subject to stricter discipline from teachers?

Answer 4

Found that teachers have racialised expectations towards pupils. In particular black pupils, who were judged to be more disruptive. Teachers were therefore quicker to respond with stricter discipline.
Schools are therefore quicker to exclude black boys which interrupts education.
Black boys often sent out of class

Question 5

What did Foster (1990) find about black pupils being placed into lower sets and streams?

Answer 5

Teachers make negative assumptions about their ability based on their judgement of speech. Once placed into a lower stream it reduces the likelihood of success as teachers regard them as a lost cause. They will develop a SFP and become demotivated.

Question 6

What did Wright (1992) find about how Asian pupils are assumed to have inferior language?

Answer 6

Into a study in a diverse primary school in the U.K., found that teachers were prejudice against Asian pupils. They had an ethnocentric view of the world and regard British culture as being superior. Teachers presume such pupils have a poorer grasp of English so do not challenge their speech to help them develop. Also think that Asian girls lack academic ambition due to their culture.
Make Asians feel devalued

Question 7

Evaluation of the view that teacher labelling is a major cause of ethnic underachievement?

Answer 7

-awareness and child safeguarding laws make racism and prejudice less likely to have an effect.

Question 8

What are the 4 internal factors affecting ethnic achievement?

Answer 8

• teacher labelling
• pupil identities
• pupil behaviour
• institutional racism

Question 9

What are the 4 types of pupils according to Archer (pupil identities)

Answer 9

• ideal pupil
• pathologised pupil
• demonised pupil
• model minority pupil

Question 10

What is the ideal pupil according to Archer (pupil identities)?

Answer 10

White and middle class. They are masculinised and confident and have a normal sexual identity. They are respectful of teachers and have respect

Question 11

What is the patholgised pupil according to Archer (pupil identities)?

Answer 11

Typically Asian and from a poorer background. More feminised, lack confidence. Sexually oppressed. Lack intelligence so “over achieve”

Question 12

What is the demonised pupil according to Archer (pupil identities)?

Answer 12

Black and white from a working class background. They lack intelligence and are more interested in socialising rather than studying. Subject to harsher discipline.

Question 13

What does Archer say about pupil identities?

Answer 13

Found that teachers have a tendency to apply stereotypes to whole ethnic groups

Question 14

What is the model minority pupil according to Archer (pupil identities)?

Answer 14

Usually Chinese. They have only succeeded through excessive conformity to the rules. Do not fit into the ideal pupil as teachers cannot relate to them as they are not socially confident

Question 15

Evaluation of the view that pupil identity have a major impact on ethnic achievement?

Answer 15

Just because teachers apply this stereotype, does not mean they act in this way.

Question 16

What did Fuller (1984) research into when doing pupil behaviour?

Answer 16

Black females in a London high school. All high achievers. But their black colleagues were in bottom sets and streams. They worked exceptionally hard but still socialised with those in the bottom sets and streams and participated in deviant behaviour.

Question 17

What did Fuller (1984) conclude after their study into black females?

Answer 17

They wanted to prove their teachers’ racial prejudices to be wrong.

Question 18

What did Mac an Ghaill (1992) research into when doing pupil behaviour?

Answer 18

Found that despite black pupils doing well at GCSE, teachers still held negative assumptions about them . Again, the pupils wanted to prove their teachers wrong and disregard the negative label.
Whether they succeeded depended on their social life. Asian girls found it easier to disregard racist teachers as they had the confidence to overcome such barriers from their all girls school.

Question 19

What does Mac an Ghaills (1992) study show?

Answer 19

That teacher labelling doesn’t always result in a negative SFP.

Question 20

What did Mirza (1992) research into when doing pupil behaviour?

Answer 20

Found 3 different types of racist teachers…

• colour blind
• liberal chavaunist
• overtly racist

Question 21

According to Mirza (1992) what is the colour blind teacher?

Answer 21

Teachers who weren’t racist themselves, but refused to regard it as a problem

Question 22

According to Mirza (1992) what is the liberal chauvinist teacher?

Answer 22

Teachers who presumed ethnic minority pupils weren’t as able as white pupils, so went out of their way to help such pupils.

Question 23

According to Mirza (1992) what is the overtly racist teacher?

Answer 23

Teachers who openly disliked ethnic minority groups and made no effort to hide it.

Question 24

According to Mirza (1992) how do students respond to racism?

Answer 24

Pupils would often not attend lessons held by a racist teacher, causing them to fall behind.

Question 25

What did Sewell (2009) research into when doing pupil behaviour?

Answer 25

He was interested in how black Boys responded to teacher labelling.

• rebelled
• conformists
• retreatists
• innovators

Question 26

According to Sewell (2009), what does rebel mean?

Answer 26

Boys who developed an anti school subculture and disregarded the rules

Question 27

According to Sewell (2009), what does conformists mean?

Answer 27

Those who were keen to succeed and built good relationships with teachers and non-black pupils

Question 28

According to Sewell (2009), what does retreatists mean?

Answer 28

Effectively dropped out of school academically and socially

Question 29

According to Sewell (2009), what does innovators mean?

Answer 29

Those who wanted to be successful, but did not conform to school rules and were still part of an anti school subculture

Question 30

Evaluation of the view that pupil behaviour is a major cause of ethnic underachievement?

Answer 30

Behaviour could be caused by other factors other than teacher labelling, such as external factors

Question 31

What is meant by institutional racism?

Answer 31

Critical race theorists argue that because the UK is a white dominated society, its institutions are racist

Question 32

What are the 5 ways the education system could be institutionally racist?

Answer 32

• marketisation process
• ethnocentric curriculum
• assessment practices
• access to opportunity
• new IQism

Question 33

How does the marketisation process make the education system institutionally racist?

Answer 33

Moore and Davenport (1990) found that good schools would ensure their advertisement would deliberately target white middle class families. Also, admission forms would be in difficult English which would deter non-English speakers from entering good schools. 
The Commission for Racial Equality found that schools demonstrated a racial bias towards minority pupils impacting their achievement

Question 34

How does assessment practices make the education system institutionally racist?

Answer 34

Gilborn (2008) found that in 2003 the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile system was brought into place to replace objective tests with teacher assessments. Before 2003, one local authority found black pupils did 20% on average better than white pupils. After 2003, the same local authority found that black pupils were among the bottom performers. Means teachers racism negatively impacts the achievement and chances of minority pupils

Question 35

How does access to opportunity make the education system institutionally racist??

Answer 35

White pupils have access to greater opportunity than black pupils. The Labour governments Gifted and Talented Programme which aimed to give bright pupils in poor schools are better chance failed to do so for minority pupils. Statistics showed that more white pupils were entered for the scheme despite there being a greater proportion of minority pupils in schools.

Question 36

How does an ethnocentric curriculum make the education system institutionally racist?

Answer 36

Curriculum in schools is tailored around the white culture. History tends to focus on how white troops overcame the Nazis and the 1940s but fails to acknowledge what minority pupils did in this time. Again, schools fail to acknowledge the part Britain had to play in the slave trade.

Question 37

How does the new IQism make the education system institutional racist?

Answer 37

Schools base sets and streams off IQ tests taken as entry exams or in year 7. These are then not reassessed leaving pupils in the wrong sets and streams for a very long time. This can limit their achievement. Disadvantaged minority pupils as they are more likely to be judged as underachievers from an early age and therefore placed in lower sets.

Question 38

Evaluation of the claim that institutional racism is a major cause of underachievement?

Answer 38

Race report in 2021 said Britain was free of institutional racism