Topic 5 Ethnicity Flashcards
What are the main trends with regards to ethnicity and achievement?
The gypsy community has the lowest percentage of achieving pupils and are below national level. Chinese and Indian pupils achieve the highest. Bangladeshi students have improved the most. Caribbean and Gypsy travellers are the lowest achievers.
What are the three external explanations for ethnic differences in achievement?
Cultural deprivation, material deprivation and racism in wider society.
How can cultural deprivation theorists be criticised?
Driver argues cultural deprivation theorists ignore the positive effects of ethnicity on achievement. Black Caribbean families provide girls with positive role models of strong independent women, this is why black girls tend to be more successful than black boys. Lawrence argues black pupils do not underachieve because of low self-esteem; it is because of racism.
What did Mike Noon identify?
He found there was discrimination in employing staff. He sent identical pairs of letters of enquiry about future employment opportunities to the top 100 UK companies, signed by made up applicants, ‘Evans’ and ‘Patel’. Each had identical qualifications and experience. Measured by the number and helpfulness of replies he found that the companies were more encouraging to the ‘white’ applicant ‘Evans’.
What are the main internal explanations for ethnic differences in achievement?
Labelling and teacher racism, pupil identities, pupil responses and subcultures.
What did Sewell discuss?
He found that many teachers had a stereotype of ‘black machismo’ which sees all boys as rebellious, anti-authority and anti-school. There are 4 responses: rebels (reject school), conformists (keen), retreatists and innovators.
What is institutional racism?
Discrimination that is built into the everyday workings of institutions like schools. It is unconscious rather than deliberate, deeply ingrained, taken-for-granted part of the institutions culture.
What does ethnocentric curriculum mean?
A curriculum that reflects the culture of one ethnic group, usually the dominant culture. It is a prime example of institutional racism because it builds racial bias into the everyday workings of schools and colleges.
What is the most significant explanation?
The ethnocentric curriculum produced underachievement as it creates images of black people as inferior which undermines black children’s self-esteem leading to failure.
Why does marketization place ethnic minorities at a disadvantage?
Marketisation has given schools greater scope to select pupils, which puts some ethnic minority pupils at a disadvantage. Selection gives more scope for negative stereotypes to influence decisions about school admissions. Good schools silt-shift ethnic minority pupils. There is racist bias in interviews for school places.
What does Bowker argue?
Bowker identifies that black american families lack of standard english is a major barrier to achievement. Children from low income black families lack intellectual stimulation leaning them portly equipped for school.
How can Bowker be evaluated?
Bowker argues that language is a barrier to achievement.
However, Gilbourn and Mirza argues that Indian pupils do very well despite English not being their home language. Therefore, they argue that language can’t be the factor.
What does Moynihan argue?
Tere are large amount of single parent female headed black families. Therefore, children lack adequate financial support from a clear breadwinner. Arguably, this is why girls achieve higher as they have a strong matriarchal role.
Why does Moynihan see cultural deprivation as a cycle?
because inadequately socialised children from unsuitable families go on to fail at school and become inadequate parents themselves.
What is Charles Murrays view on single parent families?
they lack a positive role model, especially boys, which leads to them underachieving as they are inadequately socialised.
