T2 | Ethnicity and achievement (external) Flashcards
What is an ‘ethnic majority’?
The dominant ethnic group, making up most of the population
What is ‘ethnic diversity’?
Where there are different ethnic groups in a population
What is ‘ethnic minority’?
A group that makes up a small number of the population compared to the ethnic minority.
What are 3 key factors that affect the achievement of various ethnic groups?
- Racism in wider society
- Cultural Deprivation
— (attitudes & values, language skills, family structure) - Material Deprivation
— (employment and income, class)
What does Mason claim about racism in wider society?
> Mason
— Poverty is the result of racism in society
— People with names associated with ethnic minorities are less likely to get offered an interview
— This study was based on sending out 100 applications to large organisations and found 1/16 ethnic minorities are likely to get an interview compared to 1/5 White British.
What does Rex say about racism in wider society and the way it may impact educational achievement?
> Rex
— Believed racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and worsens poverty
— Ethnic minorities are less likely to be given standard housing compared to white people.
EVALUATION : RACISM IN WIDER SOCIETY
CRITICISM - TOO DETERMINISTIC
+ Some would argue that linking racism in wider society to education is too deterministic, implying all people who experience racism are passive - some victims actively challenge this and work harder in order to overcome racism.
What is cultural deprivation in the context of ethnicity and educational achievement?
Cultural deprivation theorists say that underachievement of some ethnic groups is the result of inadequate socialisation in the home.
Believe that:
— Ethnic minorities failed to socialise their children, the cultural norms and values which are appreciated in education.
— Some black children are socialised into subcultures that installs a fatalistic mindset that does not value education and leaves them unequipt for success.
What does Anot say about attitudes and values as contributors to academic disadvantage for ethnic minorities?
> Anot
— A major cause of underachievement from man black children is a lack of motivation.
— They blame media for encouraging social black masculinity (eg. music, rap and TV such as Top Boy).
What does Sewell say about attitudes and values contributing to academic disadvantage for ethnic minorities?
> Sewell
— Black fathers use a tough love approach with their sons
— Black boys experience emotional and behavioural difficukties in adolescence as they don’t have a nurturing father
— Therefore, they turn to gangs which offer them love and loyalty.
What did Moynihan find about family structure that may contribute to ethnic children’s academic downfall?
> Moynihan
— Found that Black families are headed by lone mothers meaning their children are often deprived for adequate care because they may struggle financially in absence of a male breadwinner.
— Cultural deprivation becomes a vicious cycle as inadequately socialised children from unstable families go on to fail school and become inadequate parents themselves.
— Fathers absence may mean there is a lack of male role model
What did the O&S (office for national statistics) find about family structure that may contribute to ethnic children’s academic downfall?
> O&S (Office for National Statistics)
— They say that single parent families are very common amongst the Black Caribbean (48%) and Black African (36%) community.
— In this family type we often see a lack of positive male role model.
EVALUATION : Cultural Deprivation
CRITICISM - SEWELL
> Sewell (2009)
+ It’s not the lack of male role models that is the issue but the lack for fatherly nurturing figures
+ This results in black boys finding it hard to deal with emotional and behavioural changes in adolescence
+ In the absence of this nurturing figure they seek this guidance outside the home.
CRITICISM - VICTIM BLAMING
> Keddie
+ They see cultural deprivation as a victim blaming explanation
+ She argues that ethnic minorities are culturally different yet not culturally deprived
+ They underachieve because schools are ethnocentric biased in favour of white middle-class culture.
CRITICISM - ASIAN PARENTS
> Lipton (2004)
+ Found that Asian parents impose positive authority on their children, including respect towards adults which has a knock on effect in school with parents supporting school policies.
CRITICISM - TEACHER TRAININGS
+ The government have introduced compensatory education schemes that tackle cultural deprivation through early interventions (eg. literacy workshops in deprived areas).
What are language skills and why may that be a factor to differential achievement in education from various ethnicities?
Many children from black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences, this leaves them poor equips for school because they have no been able to develop reasoning skills and problem solving skills.
What do Bereter and Engelmann conclude about language skills?
> Bereter and Engelmann
— Studied language spoken by low income black American families and they felt it to be inadequate for educational success.
— They see it as ungrammatical, disjointed and incapable of expressing abstract ideas (this is also known as restricted code).
