Topic 3 - Factors That Lead To Ethnic Differences In Achievement

Question 1

What are the 3 external factors that lead to ethnic differences in achievement ?

Answer 1

-Cultural derivation
-Material deprivation
-Racism in wider society

Question 2

Cultural deprivation - what do Bereiter and Engelmann believe leads to ethnic differnces in achievement ?

Answer 2

Bereiter and Engelmann consider that the language spoken by low income black American families as inadequate for educational success .
They see it as ungrammatical . Disjointed and incapable of expressing abstract ideas

Question 3

Cultural deprivation - what do some theorists believe hold back ethnic children educationally ?

Answer 3

There has been some concern that children who don’t speak English at home may be held back educationally

Question 4

Cultural deprivation - what is evidence from Gillborn and Mirza that show due to English not being spoken at home doesn’t necessarily lead to underachievement ?

Answer 4

Gillborn and mirza note that Indian pupils do very well despite often not having English as their home language

Question 5

Cultural deprivation theorists - how do they see attitudes and values of some ethnic groups as leading to their underachievement ?

Answer 5

-cultural deprivation theorists see lack of motivation as a major cause of failure of many black children
-most children are socialised into mainstream culture which instils ambition , competitiveness and willingness to make sacrifices to achieve long term goals . This equips them for success in education
-By contrast , cultural deprivation theorists argue that some black children are socialised into a subculture that doesn’t value education and leaves them unequipped for success

Question 6

Cultural deprivation - how do cultural deprivation theorists see family structure as leading to educational underachievement ?

Answer 6

Cultural deprivation theorists argue that the failure to socialise children is the result of the dysfunctional family structure

Question 7

Cultural deprivation - how do Moynihan see family structure and parental support as leading to ethnic children’s underachievement in education ?

Answer 7

Moynihan argues that because many black families are headed by a lone mother , their children are deprived of adequate care because the mother has to struggle financially in the absence of the male breadwinner
The fathers absence also means that boys lack an adequate role model of male achievement
Moynihan sees cultural deprivation As cycle where inadequately socialised children from unstable families go on to fail at school and become inadequate parents themselves

Question 8

Cultural deprivation - how does new right Murray argue that family structure and parental support lead to ethnic groups educational underachievement ?

Answer 8

Murray argues that high rate of lone parenthood and a lack of positive male role models lead the underachievement of some minorities

Question 9

Cultural deprivation - what does Sewell argue leads to black boys underachieving and why and how does it criticise with Murray (new right ) view ?

Answer 9

-Sewell argues that its not the absence of fathers as role models that leads to black boys underachieving
-instead Sewell sees the problem as a lack of fatherly nurturing / tough love . This results in black boys finding it hard to overcome the emotional and behavioural difficulties in adolescence

Question 10

Cultural deprivation - what ethnic groups benefit from family structure and parental support and why ?

Answer 10

Indian and Chinese pupils benefit from supportive families that have an Asian work ethic and place a high value on education

Question 11

Cultural deprivation - what did Lupton discover that shows why Asian children often do succeed ?

Answer 11

Lupton argues that adult authority in Asian families is similar to the model that operates in schools , she found that respectful behaviour towards adults was expected from children . This had a knock on effect in schools , since parents were more likely to be supportive of school behaviour policies.

Question 12

Cultural deprivation - why do white working class pupils also underachieve ?

Answer 12

White working class pupils often underachieve due to their low aspirations

Question 13

Cultural deprivation - what did McCulloch find about the aspirations of minority compared to white pupils ?

Answer 13

McCulloch found that ethnic minority pupils are more likely to aspire to go to university compared to white British pupils

Question 14

Cultural deprivation - What did Lupton study and what does this find / discover ?

Answer 14

-Lupton studied 4 working class schools - 2 white ,1 Pakistani , 1 ethically mixed
-she found that teachers reported poorer levels of behaviour and discipline in the white working class schools - despite having less students on free school meals (a common measure of poverty )
-Teachers blamed this on lower level of parental support and the negative attitude that white working class parents had towards education
-by contrast , ethnic minority parents were more likely to see education as a way up in society

Question 15

Cultural deprivation - what is an example of how compensatory education tackles cultural deprivation ?

Answer 15

An example is head start , in the USA which had the aim to compensate children for the cultural deficit they are said to suffer because of their deprived backgrounds

Question 16

How does Driver criticise the cultural deprivation theory ?

Answer 16

Driver criticises the cultural deprivation theory for ignoring the positive effects of ethnicity on achievement.
He shows that black Caribbean families are far from being dysfunctional , as provide young girls with positive role models of strong and independent women
Driver argues that this is why black girls tend to be more successful in education than black boys

Question 17

How does Keddie criticise the cultural deprivation theory ?

Answer 17

Keddie sees cultural deprivation as a victim blaming explanation , she argues that ethnic minority children are culturally different not culturally deprived , they underachieve because schools are ethnocentric - biased in favour of white culture and against minorities

Question 18

Cultural deprivation - how does pryce compare black Caribbean and Asian pupils to explain the reasons for difference in their achievement ?

Answer 18

Pryce argues Asians are higher achievers because their culture is more resistant to racism and gives them a greater sense of self worth.
By contrast , he argues black Caribbean culture is less resistant to racism
As a result , the black pupils have low self esteem and therefore underachieve

Question 19

How does Lawrence criticise the cultural deprivation theory , in particular challenge Pryce’s view that black pupils fail because their culture is weak and they lack self esteem ?

Answer 19

Lawrence disagrees with Pryce and argues that black pupils fail not because of low self esteem but because of racism

Question 20

Why do critics of the cultural deprivation theory reject the idea of compensatory education ?

Answer 20

They see compensatory education as an attempt to impose the dominant white culture on children who already have a coherent culture of their own

Question 21

What do critics of the cultural deprivation theory put forward 2 alternatives to compensatory education to boost ethnic minority pupils achievement and what are they ?

Answer 21

-multi-cultural education - a policy that recognises and values minority cultures and includes them in the culture
-anti-racist education -a policy that challenges the prejudice and discrimination that exists in schools and wider society

Question 22

What is material deprivation ?

Answer 22

Material deprivation means a lack of physical necessities that are seen as normal or essential for life in today’s society . In general , working class people are more likely to face poverty and material deprivation

Question 24

What did Palmer find that shows ethnic minorities are more likely experience regarding material deprivation ?

Answer 24

According to Palmer ;
-almost half of all ethnic minority children live in low income households
-ethnic minorities are almost twice as likely to be unemployed compared to whites
-ethnic minority households are around 3 times as likely to be homeless
-ethnic minority workers are more likely to be engaged in shift work and Bangladeshi women and Pakistani women are more likely than others to be engaged in low paid home working

Question 25

Why are ethnic minorities at a greater risk of material deprivation , that results from unemployment , low pay and overcrowding ?

Answer 25

-many live in economically depressed areas with high unemployment and low wage rates -cultural factors such as the tradition of Purdah in some Muslim households , prevents women from working outside of the home -a lack of language skills , and foreign qualifications may not be recognised by UK employers -Asylum seekers may not be allowed to work -Racial discrimination in the labour market and the housing market

Question 26

How does Rex show that racism in wider society leads to worsened poverty for ethnic minorities and 2 examples in society ?

Answer 26

Rex shows how racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and how this worsens the poverty faced by ethnic minorities. In housing , discrimination means that minorities are more likely to be forced into substandard accommodation compared to white people of the same class In employment there is evidence of deliberate discrimination

Question 27

How does Wood et al show that racism happens in wider society and how does this impact children’s educational success ?

Answer 27

Wood et al found evidence for discrimination in employment He sent 3 closely matched job applications to each of almost 1,000 job vacancies These job applicants had names associated with different ethnic groups For each job , one application appeared to come from a white person and 2 from members of minority ethnic groups Wood et al found that only 1 in 16 ethnic minority applicants were offered an interview as against 1 in 9 white applicants His helps to explain why ethnic minorities are more likely face unemployment and low pay and in turn this has a negative effect on their children’s educational prospects

Question 28

What are 3 internal factors which lead to ethnic differences in achievement ?

Answer 28

-Labelling and teacher racism -Pupil identities -Pupil responses and subcultures

Question 30

What did Gillborn and mirza found that factors internal to school must lead to ethnic differences in achievement ?

Answer 30

Gillborn and Mirza found that in one local education authority , black children were the highest achievers on entry to primary school , yet by the time it came to GCSE’s they had the worst results of any ethnic group

Question 31

What do interactionists study show teachers label black and Asian pupils as and how does this impact the children who have been labelled ?

Answer 31

Their studies show that teachers often see black and Asian pupils as being far from the image of an ideal pupils For example , black pupils are often seen as disruptive and Asian as passive Negative labels may lead teachers to treat ethnic minority pupils differently This disadvantages them and may result in their educational failure

Question 32

What did Gillborn and Youdell’s study conclude around black pupils and labelling ?

Answer 32

-Gillborn and Youdell found that teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour -Gillborn and youdell argue that this is due to teachers racialised expectations . They found that teachers expected black pupils to present more discipline problems and misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening or as a challenge to authority -when teachers acted on this misconception , the pupils reacted negatively and further conflict resulted . -In turn , black pupils felt teachers underestimated their ability and picked on them

Question 33

What did Bourne find helps to explain the higher levels of exclusion from school of black boys and what does this lead to ?

Answer 33

Bourne found schools tend to see black boys as a threat and to label them negatively , leading to exclusion , exclusions affect achievement , only one in five excluded pupils achieve 5 GCSE’s

Question 34

What did Osler found that black boys were more likely to suffer from as well as official exclusions ?

Answer 34

Osler found that in addition to higher rates of official exclusions , black pupils are more likely to suffer from unrecorded unofficial , black pupils appear more likely to suffer from unrecorded unofficial exclusions and from internal exclusions where they are sent out of class . They are also more likely to be placed in pupil referral units (PRU’s) that exclude them from access to the mainstream curriculum

Question 35

How Did Gillborn and Youdell’s study conclude apply the idea of the A to C economy to black pupils ?

Answer 35

Due to negative stereotypes about black pupils ability , black pupils are more likely to be placed in negative streams so teachers give up on them

Question 36

What did Wrights labelling study about Asians pupils show ?

Answer 36

Wrights study of a multi ethnic primary school shows that Asian pupils can be the victims of teacher labelling She found that despite the schools apparent commitment to equal opportunities , teachers held ethnocentric views - they took for granted that British culture and standard English was superior This affected how they related to Asian Pupils . For example , teachers assume that Asians would have a poor grasp of English and left them out of class discussion or used simplistic childish language when speaking to them Asian pupils also felt isolated when teachers expressed disapproval of their customs or mispronounced their names

Question 37

What are the 3 pupil identities that Archer identifies ?

Answer 37

-the ideal pupil identity -the pathologised pupil identity -the demonised pupil identity

Question 38

Archer pupil identity - the ideal pupil identity ?

Answer 38

The ideal pupil identity - a white , middle class , masculinised identity , with a normal sexuality . This pupil is seen as achieving in the right way through natural ability and initiative

Question 39

Archer pupil identity - the pathologised pupil identity ?

Answer 39

The pathologised pupil identity - an Asian , deserving poor , feminised identity , either asexual or with an oppressed sexuality. This pupil is seen as an overachiever who succeeds through hard work rather than natural ability

Question 40

Archer pupil identity - the demonised pupil identity ?

Answer 40

The demonised pupil identity - a black or white working class , hyper sexualised identity . This pupil is seen as unintelligent , peer led , culturally deprived , underachiever

Question 41

What did Archer find ethnic minority pupils are likely to be seen as ?

Answer 41

Archer , found that ethnic minority pupils are likely to be seen as demonised or pathologised pupils And Asian girls were stereotyped as quiet , passive or docile

Question 42

What did Archer find out about Chinese students who achieved success , what does archer sum up teachers view of Chinese pupils as ?

Answer 42

Chinese pupils who were successful were seen as having achieved success in the wrong way - through hardworking rather than natural individual ability and as overachieving for pupils of “their kind “ This meant that they could never legitimately occupy the identity of the ideal pupil Archer sums up teachers view of them as a negative positive stereotype

Question 43

What is an example of how pupils respond to negative labels by Fuller ?

Answer 43

-Fuller conducted a study of a group of black girls in a year 11 comprehensive school. -the girls were untypical because they were high achievers in a school where most black girls were placed in low streams -fuller describes how , instead of accepting negative stereotypes of themselves ,the girls channeled their anger about being labelled into the pursuit of educational success -However , unlike other successful , they didn’t seek the approval of teachers , many of whom they regarded as racist . Nor did they limit their choice of friends to other academic achievers . Instead they were friends with other black girls form low streams -Also unlike other successful pupils , they conformed only as far as the schoolwork itself was concerned -They had a positive attitude towards academic success academic success but rather than seeking the approval of teachers , they preferred to rely on their own efforts and the impartiality of external exams. -this study highlights 2 important points , firstly, pupils may still succeed even when they refuse to conform . Secondly , negative labelling doesn’t always lead to failure

Question 44

What is an example of how pupils respond to negative labels by Mac an Ghaill ?

Answer 44

-Mac an Ghaill conducted a study of black and Asian A level students at a sixth form college and reached similar conclusion to Fuller -students who believed teachers had labelled them negatively didn’t necessarily accept the label -This shows that a label doesn’t inevitably produce a self fulfilling prophecy

Question 45

What is an example of a failed strategy for avoiding racism by Mirza ?

Answer 45

-Mirza found that racist teachers discouraged black pupils from being ambitious through the kind of advice they gave them about careers and option choices -for example , teachers discouraged them from aspiring to professional careers -much of the girls time at school was spent trying to avoid the effects of teachers negative attitudes -the strategies they employed to do this included being selective about which staff to ask for help , getting on with their own work in lessons without taking part and not choosing certain options so as to avoid teachers with racist attitudes -unlike the girls in fuller’s study , their strategies were unsuccessful

Question 46

What are the 3 types of teacher racism that Mirza identified ?

Answer 46

Mirza identifies 3 main types of teacher racism ; -the colour blind -the liberal chauvinists -the overt racists

Question 47

Mirza teacher racism - the colour blind ?

Answer 47

The colour blind - teachers who believe all pupils are equal but in practice allow racism to go unchallenged

Question 48

Mirza teacher racism - the liberal chauvinists ?

Answer 48

Liberal chauvinists - teachers who believe black pupils are culturally deprived and therefore have low expectations of them

Question 49

Mirza teacher racism - the overt racists ?

Answer 49

The overt racists - teachers who believe black pupils are inferior and actively discriminate against them

Question 50

What are included in Sewell’s 4 responses to teacher racism ?

Answer 50

-the rebels -the conformists -the retreatists -the innovators

Question 51

Sewell response to teacher racism - the rebels ?

Answer 51

The rebels - were the most vibrant and influential group , but Were only a small minority of black pupils . They were often excluded from school . They rejected both the goals and the rules of the school and expressed their opposition through peer group membership

Question 52

Sewell response to teacher racism - the conformists ?

Answer 52

The conformists - were the largest group . These boys were keen to succeed , accepted the school’s goals and had friends from different ethnic groups. They were not part of a subculture and were anxious to avoid being stereotyped either by teachers or their peers

Question 53

Sewell responses to teacher racism - the retreatists ?

Answer 53

The retreatists - were a tiny minority of isolated individuals who were disconnected from both school and black subcultures , they were despised by the rebels

Question 54

Sewell responses to teacher racism - the innovators ?

Answer 54

The innovators - were the second largest group . Like fuller’s girls they were pro education but anti school . They valued success but didn’t seek the approval of teachers and conformed only as far as the schoolwork itself was concerned

Question 55

What does Sewell argue is the main cause of underachievement ?

Answer 55

Sewell recognises that teachers racist stereotypes of black boys disadvantages them but argues that factors external to school such as the role of peer groups , street culture and the lack of a nurturing father are more important in producing underachievement

Question 56

What are some evaluation points for internal factors such as labelling and pupil responses ?

Answer 56

-rather than blaming the child’s home background as the cultural deprivation theory does , labelling theory tends to show how teacher’s stereotypes can also be a cause of failure -there is also a danger of assuming that once labeled , pupils automatically fall victim to the self fulfilling prophecy and fail , however they can succeed or can lead to further failure such as with Mirza on the girls strategies to avoid teacher racism

Question 57

What do Troyna and Williams make a distinction between that helps us to explain ethnic differences in achievement , as we need to look beyond individual teacher racism ?

Answer 57

Troyna and Williams argue that to explain ethnic differences in achievement , we need to go beyond examining individual teacher racism . we must look at how schools routinely and unconsciously discriminate against ethnic minorities . they make a distinction between ; -Individual Racism - that results from the prejudiced views of individual teachers and others -institutional Racism - discrimination that is built into the way institutions such as schools and colleges operate

Question 58

what is meant by the critical race theory ?

Answer 58

The Critical race theory sees racism as an ingrained feature of Society . This means that it involves not just the intentional actions of individuals but , more importantly , institutional racism

Question 59

What does Critical race theorist , Roithmayr see institutional racism as and what is meant by this ?

Answer 59

-Roithmayr sees institutional racism as a locked in inequality . -The scale of historical discrimination is so large that there no longer needs to be any conscious intent to discriminate - the inequality feeds on itself

Question 60

How does Gillborn apply the concept of locked in inequality to education ?

Answer 60

-Gillborn applies the concept of locked in inequality to education -He sees ethnic inequality as so deep rooted and so large that it is a practically inevitable feature of the education system

Question 61

What are the 5 ways that critical race theorists see the education system as institutionally racist ?

Answer 61

-Marketisation and Segregation -The ethnocentric curriculum -Assessment -Access to Opportunities -The New IQ ism

Question 62

How does Gillborn argue that marketisation is institutionally racist ?

Answer 62

-Gillborn argues that because marketisation gives schools more scope to select pupils , it allows negative stereotypes to influence decisions about school admissions

Question 63

How is Gillborns view that marketisation and segregation is institutionally racist supported by Moore and Davenport ?

Answer 63

-Gillborn's view is supported by Moore and Davenport's American Research. -They show how selection procedures lead to ethnic segregation , with minority pupils failing to get into better secondary schools due to discrimination -For example , they found that Primary school reports were used to screen out pupils with language difficulties , while the application process was difficult for non English Speaking parents to understand -These procedures favoured white pupils but disadvantaged those from ethnic minority backgrounds -Moore and Davenport conclude that selection leads to an ethically stratified education system

Question 64

what is meant by the ethnocentric curriculum ?

Answer 64

The ethnocentric curriculum is a curriculum that reflects the culture of a minority group - usually the dominant culture

Question 65

How does David see the curriculum as ethnocentric ?

Answer 65

David describes the curriculum as a specifically British curriculum that largely ignores non European languages , literature and music

Question 66

How does Ball see the curriculum as ethnocentric ?

Answer 66

Ball criticizes the national curriculum for ignoring ethnic diversity and promoting an attitude of Little Englandism For example , the history curriculum ignores the history of black and Asian people

Question 67

How does Coard explain how the ethnocentric curriculum produces underachievement ?

Answer 67

-Coard explains how the ethnocentric curriculum may produce underachievement -He argues that the image of black people as inferior undermines black children's self esteem and leads to their failure

Question 68

What is a criticism of the ethnocentric curriculum leading to black pupils underachievement by Stone ?

Answer 68

Stone argues that black children don't suffer from low self esteem

Question 69

How does Gillborn link the use of assessments to be linked to ethnic minorities underachievement ?

Answer 69

-Gillborn argues that the assessment game is rigged so as to validate the dominant culture's superiority -If black children succeed as a group ,the rules will be changed to re engineer failure -For example , in the past primary schools used baseline assessments which tested pupils when they started compulsary schooling . However , these were replaced in 2003 by a new way of measuring pupils' abilities , the foundation stage profile (FSP) -The result of this change was that overnight , black pupils now appeared to be doing worse than white pupils -For example , in one local authority , where black children were the highest achievers on entry to school , by 2003 the new FSP had black children ranked lower in all 6 developmental areas

Question 70

what did Gillborn conclude were the 2 institutional factors which made black pupils appear to now being underachieving due to the FSP being introduced compared to baseline assessments ?

Answer 70

Gillborn explains this as a result of 2 related institutional factors ; -The FSP is based entirely on teachers' judgements , whereas baseline assessments often used written tests as well -A change in the timing - the FSP is completed at the end of the reception year , whereas baseline assessments were done at the start of primary school

Question 71

what did Gillborn and Youdell point out about gifted and talented programmes ?

Answer 71

-Gillborn found from official statistics that whites are over twice as likely as Black Caribbean's to be identified as gifted and talented , and 5 times more likely than Black Africans

Question 72

What did Tikly et al find about exam tiers regarding different ethnic groups ?

Answer 72

-Tikly et al found that blacks were nevertheless more likely than whites to be entered for lower tier GCSE's. This was often because black pupils had been placed in lower sets

Question 73

what are the 2 issues that criticisms of Gillborn focus on?

Answer 73

Criticisms of Gillborn's view that ethnic differences in achievement are the result of institutional racism focus on 2 issues -the underachievement of some minority groups such as black boys -the overachievement of Indian and Chinese pupils

Question 74

How does Sewell reject the view that internal factors within the education system produce the failure of ethnic minorities especially black boys such as Gillborn's view ?

Answer 74

Sewell argues that internal factors are not powerful enough to prevent individuals from succeeding. In Sewell's view we need to focus on external factors such as boys' anti school attitudes , the peer groups and the nurturing role of the father

Question 75

How does Gillborn react to the argument that the education system cannot be institutionally racist because of Indian and Chinese pupils overachievement ?

Answer 75

-Gillborn responds by arguing that the image of Indians and Chinese as hardworking model minorities performs an ideological function. It conceals the fact that the education system is institutionally racist ; -It makes the system appear fair and meritocratic - that Indian and Chinese succeed because they make the effort and take advantage of the opportunities offered to them -It justifies the failure of other minorities - such as blacks ,that they fail because they are unwilling to make an effort due to their unaspiratinal home culture -It ignores the fact that model minorities still suffer racism in schools