Topic 3

Question 1

Lawson and Garrod (2000) ethnic group

Answer 1

“People who share common history , customs and identity , as well as in most cases language and religion and see themselves as a distinct unit”

Question 2

External factors- cultural deprivation

Bereiter and Engelmann (1966)

Answer 2

Language spoken by low income black American families was inadequate for educational success and grammatical , disjointed and incapable of expressing abstract ideas

However only supported by very small difference in officials statistics
2010- GCSE A-C 52% ( English 2nd Lang)
2010- GCSE A-C 55.2% ( English 1st Lang)

Question 3

External factors -cultural deprivation

Gillborn and Mirza (2000)

Answer 3

Indian pupils do very well despite often not having English as Home language

But may not speak Indian , as may not be first generation living in the UK

Question 4

Attitudes and Values between ethnic minorities

Lack of motivation in many black children

Answer 4

Some black children are socialised into a subculture that instils a “fatalistic- love for today” attitude that does not value education . Leaving them ill equipped for success ( can’t change the future)

Question 5

Moynihan (1965)

Lone black mothers

Answer 5

Black families often headed by lone mothers so children are deprived of adequate care, due to financial struggle , lack of male role model. Cycle continues through generations

Question 6

Scruton (1986)

Reason for low achievement of ethnic minorities

Answer 6

Low achievement of ethnic minority’s are a result of failure to embrace mainstream British culture

Disagree with New right

Question 7

Pryce (1979)

Comparison between Asian and Caribbean pupils

Answer 7

Asians achieve higher because their culture is more resistant to racism and gives self worth whereas black Caribbean culture is less cohesive and less resistant to racism due to history of slavery, resulting in low self esteem and poor achievement

Can contrast with Lupton (2004)

Question 8

Lupton (2004)

Asian discipline

Answer 8

Adult authority in Asian families is similar to discipline in schools eg expectation of respect for adults so more supportive of schools behaviour policies

Question 9

Sewell (2009) lack of absence of fathers for black boys

Answer 9

Lack of fatherly love and nurturing “tough love” so black boys find it difficult to overcome emotional and behavioural difficulties of adolescence - turn to friends. Street gangs offer fatherless black joys “perverse loyalty and love” - role model of anti-black masculinity.

Many successful black boys said their greatest barrier was pressure from other black boys , speaking standard English was selling out to white establishment. Black boys need higher expectations placed on them . Whereas Asian families by contrast have supportive parents and high value expectations.

Question 10

Fuller (1977)

Strong independent black women

Answer 10

Cultural deprivation ignores positive affects of ethnicity on achievement . Girls offered positive strong , independent women as role models hence why black girls achieve better than black boys

Question 11

Gillbourn and Youdell (2000)

Teachers discipline black students

Answer 11

Teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour due to racial used expectations - teachers expected black pupils to present more discipline problems and misinterpreted behaviour as threatening or challenging. Students respond negatively and this caused further conflict .

Black students felt underestimated and picked on

Question 12

Mirza (1992)

Ambitious black girls

Answer 12

Ambitious black girls facing teacher racism tried a range of techniques to succeed deport teacher racism

Avoid affect of negative attitudes of teachers

Selective in which staff to work with

Completing own work and not participating

Not choosing certain options to avoid racist teachers

This restricted their opportunities and was ultimately unsuccessful

Question 13

Foster (1990)

Teachers racism leading to self fulfilling prophecy

Answer 13

Teachers stereotypes of black children poorly behaved could result in them being placed in lower sets than other pupils of similar ability . Leading to a self fulfilling prophecy

Question 14

Palmer (2012)

Material deprivation

Answer 14

Almost 50% of ethnic minority children live in low income household ( compared to 25% white)
Ethnic minorities 2x more likely to be unemployed and 3x more likely to be homeless
Almost 50% of Bangladeshi and Pakistani workers earned under £7 per hour
More likely to be shift work
Cultural factors may prevent women from working

Question 15

Perry and Francis (2010) 
Social class and education

Answer 15

Social class is strongest predicator of educational achievement in the UK and a key factor in whether someone does well or badly at school .
Secretary of State for education (2010) 
Rich, thick kids do better than poor , clever children “

Question 16

Waldfogel and Washbrook (2010)

Data from millennial Cohort Survey

Answer 16

Many children from disadvantaged backgrounds were already up to a year behind pro ledger children educationally by the age of three. The degree of social class inequality in education begins even before children enter primary school and becomes greater with the higher levels of the education system dominated but middle class and upper class students

Question 17

Symbolic capital Archer (2010)

Answer 17

There is conflict between working class girls feminine identities and values and ethos of school . Girls gained symbolic capital (status recognition and self of worth obtained by others) by behaving with working class feminine identity but this is prevented by gaining educational capital (qualifications) and gained economic capital (middle class careers)

Question 18

What do girls do to gain symbolic capital ?

Answer 18

Boyfriends- lower aspirations and school work . Less masculine subject choices , less interested in uni and more interested in settling down

Being loud- loud feminine identities causing them to be outspoken, independent and assertive. May question teachers authority and did not fit with passive and submissive stereotypes of girls in schools - leads to conflict

Hyper heterosexual feminine identity

1. Girls spending money on time constructing the desirable glamour hyper heterosexual identity
2. Girls spending money on makeup
3. Brought status with peers and prevented ridicule
4. Teachers - preventing from focusing on education as a result schools defined them as “not one of us” incapable of educational success and less worthy of respect
5. Boudieu- symbolic violence , the harm done by denying someone symbolic capital
6. Archer- the ideal female student is a desexualised and middle class one

Question 19

Contrast symbolic capital vs educational capital with …

Answer 19

Evans - motives of working class girls who went on to university was to benefit family and reflected working class feminine identity

Question 20

Skeggs (1997) girls in HE being limited

Answer 20

Girls from working class who go to HE often go to local universities limiting their choice out of working class habitus of preference of being local

E.g pit villages around Durham

Question 21

Washbrook (2010) low income children and education

Answer 21

More likely to live in crowded or damp conditions , dark , unclean and unsafe . Poorer diets and higher levels of sickness . May be tired at school and off sick

Question 22

Douglas (1964) parents attitudes on education

Answer 22

Single most important factor explaining educational success and failure was the degree of parental encouragement , expectation , interest and involvement in their educational achievement

Question 23

Robson (2003) supporting Bourdieus culture of capital

Answer 23

The possession of cultural capital in the form of activities like going to museums , zoos , exhibitions , the theatre , the opera , books for pleasure gives greatly improved chances of success in education . This can be turned into educational capital which leads to the possession of economic capital

Question 24

Criticism of cultural explanation

Reay (2009)

Answer 24

Reay (2099) involve a blame the victim approach. Blames underachievement on home and family background with the culture of the working class seen as deficient or deprived compared to middle class for example the working class lacks the ambition and aspirations ,attitudes and values , the necessary language skills or the cultural capital which are important for educational success. However there have been a number of criticisms of these cultural explanations of working class under achievement

Question 25

Criticisms or cultural explanations

Over looking practical issues

Answer 25

Douglas - used measures of parents interests based on teachers comments about parents attitudes and number of times parents visited school. However many WC parents will work long hours so can’t visit the school . Reay also points out that WC people offer the same degree of confidence and assertiveness that the middle class poses in their interactions with teachers and schools

Question 26

Criticisms of cultural explanations

The need for schools to change and the role schools play themselves

Answer 26

Schools play an active part in forming attitudes and ambitions of children . Middle class may receive more praise form teachers . Can actually be due to labelling and self fulfilling prophecy. 
Keddie (1973) argues there is no cultural deprivation  just difference . Fails to recognise strength in the culture of those deprived . Schools should change to meet the needs of those who are different

Question 27

In 2008 what were the statistics for those going into higher education from middle class backgrounds compared to young people from unskilled backgrounds

Answer 27

70% middle class backgrounds 
5% unskilled backgrounds

Question 28

Bernstein (1971) the elaborated and restricted code

Answer 28

Restricted code - language used between friends and family , informal , simple , everyday language . Not grammatically correct . Used by WC and Upper class . Not working class are more limited to this

The elaborated code- used by strangers and individuals in some formal context . Explanation and detail is required eg job interview , writing an essay , business letter etc. Used by middle and upper class .

Question 29

Criticisms of Bersteins elaborated and restricted codes

Answer 29

He tends to put all the middle class together and all the lower class together when there is a big difference from the bottom and top of each group. It is difficult to generalise and there is likely to be a diversity in the way families speak to each other

Rosen - Bernstein uses very few examples. He created a myth

Labov (1973) very critical of the notion that working class speak is inferior to that of the middle , based on his research in Harlem , in New York , Labov claims they are simply different , and that in many ways working class speakers are more efficient in making their points and that middle class speakers often get bogged down in detail

Question 30

What does WISE stand for

Answer 30

Women into science and engineering

Question 31

Sharpe (1976)

Research on girls 1976 vs 1994

Answer 31

1976- girls priorities were “love,marriage, husbands , children , jobs and careers more or less in that order”
1994- these priorities changed to job career and then supporting themselves

Question 32

Francis (2000) research on girls 14-16 years old

Answer 32

Confirming sharpes findings, found many girls were ambitious

Question 33

Ghaill (1994) male employment and the male identity crisis

Answer 33

Suggests that the decline in traditional male working class jobs is also a factor in explaining why boys and particularly working class boys are underperforming in education. They may lack motivation and ambition because they feel like they have limited prospects and getting qualifications won’t get them anywhere , so why bother?

Question 34

Skelton et al.(2007) males pursuing technical /technological jobs

Answer 34

Makes taking sconces because they are seen as being higher status than soft subjects taken by girls

Question 35

Research in Lobban 1974

Answer 35

Found evidence of gender stereotyping in children’s books

Question 36

Skelton et al (2007)

Gender roles

Answer 36

Boys and girls act out their gender roles opposites. These happen often without people realising and what is seen as appropriate for a boy and a girl can be different across the educational process . Girls sit together for example and these gender groups “police” those who they think may not be conforming

Question 37

Jackson et al Jackson et al (2010)
Feminist
What about the girls ?

Answer 37

Feminists become increasingly angry at how education has been more focused on underachieving girls and not on achieving boys . Girls remain marginalised

Question 38

DCSF (2007) gender gap due to poorer literacy and language skills

Answer 38

Could be due to parents spending less time reading to their sons or it is seen as a feminine activity as it is usually the mothers that read

Boys leisure pursuits don’t aid language skills
Girls have a bedroom culture spending less time outdoors but inside talking

Government introduced policies to aid buys language skills

Question 39

Effects of globalisation on men’s achievement

Mitsos and Browne

Answer 39

1980s , decline in industry due to globalisation of the economy

This has lead to an “identity crisis in men , they have little prospect of getting a job and have low self esteem so give up

But … a decline in manual working class so requires no/ few qualifications so unlikely to affect boys motivation for qualifications