Topic 3 - Ethnic Differences in Achievement

Question 1

Ethnic statistics - who achieves best?

Answer 1

Chinese & White Middle-Class pupils

Question 2

Ethnic statistics - who achieves worst?

Answer 2

Black Caribbean & Gypsy Roma

Question 3

Linguistic skills - External [2]

Answer 3

Bereiter and Engelmann - Black Caribbean language impractical and disjointed, means they cannot convey abstract ideas
- English may not be first language used in some Asian households- PSI study found lack of fluency significant problem

Question 4

Family Structure - External

Answer 4

Moynihan found many Black Caribbean lone-parent families - lack of male role model.

Question 5

Attitudes and values - External [1]

Answer 5

Some sociologists argue that some black pupils have a fatalistic outlook on life - want immediate gratification

Question 6

Material deprivation - External [1]

Answer 6

Victims of racism in wider society -> discrimination at work -> may be in low paid jobs or unemployed -> impacts upon children’s educational opportunities

Question 7

Internal factors - Labelling [3]

Answer 7

Gillborn and Youdell - Black pupils were more likely than others to be punished for the same behaviour as white pupils.
Fuller - High achieving black girls rejected teacher’s stereotypes
Mirza - black girls’ strategies for dealing with teacher racism still disadvantaged them - e.g. not asking for help

Question 8

Asian pupils - Labelling [1]

Answer 8

Wright - found Asian primary school pupils were stereotyped

- Teachers used simple language - assumed they would speak poor English

Question 9

Pupil Subcultures - Internal

Sewell - black boys developed responses to racist teacher labelling [4]

Answer 9

Conformists: keen to succeed, accepted the school’s goals.
Innovators: pro-education, but anti-school. Valued success, but not teacher’s approval.
Retreatists: disconnected from the school and black subcultures outside of it.
Rebels: rejected the school’s goals, and conformed to the stereotype of the ‘black macho lad’.

Question 10

Ethnocentric Curriculum [Troyna & Williams] - Internal

Answer 10

English curriculum priorities white culture + English holidays + language.
Ball: ‘little Englandism’

Question 11

Evaluation of ethnic differences [2]

Answer 11

• Class and gender also impact achievement, although w/c Chinese still overachieve
• Some research is dated & based on crude stereotypes e.g. linguistic skills