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Ethnicity and Differential Achievement in Education - Coggle Diagram
Ethnicity and Differential Achievement in Education
Processes Inside Schools
Labelling, Curriculum and Prejudice
Labelling Theory
Says that teachers have different expectations of different ethnic minority groups
Gillborn
(1990) found that teachers sometimes negatively label black students
African-Caribbean students were seen as a challenge to school authority and were more likely to be excluded from school
Calls this the 'myth of the black challenge'
Teachers had high expectations of Asian students, which could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy of success
Negative labelling could result in a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure
School Curriculum
Could also be seen as ethnocentric
That it might fit the mainstream, white, MC culture better than other ethnicities
Troyna and Williams
Could be Europe-Centred too
Languages in the National Curriculum are mainly European
Even though Mandarin Chinese is being taught more, kids usally learn French and German
Assemblies, school holidays and even history lessons may not fit with the culture and history of particular groups
Institutional Racism
Some see British education as 'institutionally racist' - Where policies and attitudes unintentionally discriminate against ethnic minority groups
Wright
(1992)
Found that even though members of staff said they were committed to equal opportunities, Asian girls got less attention from teachers and felt their cultural traditions were disapproved of
E.g. Getting told off for a headscarf not being part of the school uniform
African-Caribbean boys were more likely to be punished and sent out of class
Some say these factors may lead to low self-esteem for ethnic minorities
Coard
(1971)
Black students are made to feel inferior in British schools
Mirza
(1992)
Found that black girls had positive self-esteem and high aspirations
They experienced discrimination but had strategies to minimise the effects of racism
It wasn't low self-esteem that affected their achievement - it was being unwilling to ask for help, or unwilling to choose certain subjects
Ethnicity
Combines with
Material Deprivation
The Swann Report
found that socio-economic status was a factor in lower levels of achievement of African Caribbean pupils
Pakistani, Bangladeshi and African-Caribbean groups are more likely to be in lower class positions e.g. routine occupations and elementary occupations
May result in poor housing, periods of unemployment, poverty and material deprivation
Some studies have claimed that prejudice in society may contribute to these lower-class positions
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
found ethnic minority workers in low-paid jobs often face barriers to promotion
FSM are given to children from families on certain financial benefits
Good indicator of material deprivation
Chinese, African Asian and Indian groups are more likely to be in higher class positions and less likely to experience material deprivation
Pupils at end of KS4 entitled to FSM (2012-2013)
Bangladeshi 38.5%
Pakistani 28%
Indian 9.7%
Chinese 7.4%
Factors Outside School
Cultural Deprivation
Language can be a barrier for children from immigrant families when they first arrive in the UK
However,
The Swann Report
found that language didn't affect progress for later generations
Driver and Ballard
(1981)
Asian children whose first language wasn't English were as good at English as their classmates by the age of 16
Labelling Theorists
Language might not be a barrier, but dialects or having an accent might influence teacher expectations and lead to negative labelling
A teacher might assume that a child isn't good at English because they have a foreign accent and put them in a lower set
Family life varies for different groups
Driver and Ballard
(1981) Close-knit extended families and high parental expectations increase levels of achievement in Asian communities
Archer and Francis
(2006) found Chinese parents saw education as hugely important
Seemed to create a desire for achievement in Chinese families
The relatively high levels of divorce and single-parenthood in African-Caribbean households could result in material deprivation
However, many parents who don't live with their children are still heavily involved in their lives after divorce
Some
Ethnic Groups
Do Better than Others
Higher Levels of Achievement
Chinese pupils are the highest achievers at GCSE
Indian pupils also perform above the national average
Students who are from mixed ethnicity backgrounds tend to perform above the national average at GCSE
Female black and male Asian groups have some of the highest rates of students entering higher education
Lower Levels of Achievement
Fewer black pupils get 5 A*-C passes at GCSE than any other major ethnic group
Roma, White and Bangladeshi students are the least likely to continue into higher education
However, it's worth nothing that Bangladeshi pupils achieve above the national average at GCSE
Must be reasons behind these statistics
Probably more than one factor
Probably some social and economic factors
Some say intelligence is inherited
People underachieve because they've inherited low IQ
IQ tests can be biased
Sometimes ask things that aren't really a test of brains, but really a test of cultural knowledge
The Swann Report
(1985)
Found that if you took into account social and economic factors, there were no significant differences in IQ whatsoever between different ethnic groups