Outside factor - Cultural

Question 1

Driver and Ballard

Answer 1

British-Indian families place a great value on their children’s education.
Push their children, high ambitions, gain the best possible grades.
Reflected in the achievements of Indian pupils who do better than black and white groups on average at GCSE and lead them into certain types of careers.

Question 2

Archer and Francis

Answer 2

Cultural factors important in the success of British-Chinese students.
Identifies that educational success is part of their identity.

Boys engage in laddish behaviour; they still maintain a commitment to school.
Parents took a stronger role in developing their academic success.
Continually talked to their children about their future education and invested time and money to support their children even when they have little money.

Critical of white British parents who were seen as allowing their children to fail.
British-Chinese students in poverty do better than other groups in poverty.

Question 3

Bolognani

Answer 3

“Myth of return” states that some ethnic groups are attached to their country of origin and may one day return there.
Perception has increased with the rise in islamophobia - staff and students.
Students with family in Pakistan are likely to take longer holidays and religious commitments result in extra time out of school which leads to gaps in learning.
2 issues:
Students missing out in course content
Teachers potentially presume that they are not fully focused on their educational attainment.

Question 4

Modood

Answer 4

Many ethnic minority parents face language barriers showing that this can have a negative impact on their children’s educational attainment.
Example:
⅗ of Bangladeshi women did not speak english.
⅕ of pakistani and bangladeshi men did not speak english.
Result this impacts educational attainment.

Question 5

Sewell

Answer 5

Blames the culture (norms and values) of the Black Caribbean boys for their own failure.
Lack positive role models due to being from matriarchal backgrounds - result of their upbringing, and matriarchal background, they are generally financially deprived.
Boys turn to role models in rap/youth culture - Messages passed on in this culture is the idea that they can ‘get rich quick’
Boys are vulnerable to peer pressure and become drawn into hyper-masculine, anti-school subcultures.
Black boys = ‘kings in the playground but the paupers in the classroom’

Question 6

Hendessi

Answer 6

Poverty is the key factor to educational underachievement, family and cultural norms and values are also important, especially for girls.