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[internal] ETHNIC DIFFERNCES IN ACHIEVEMENT - Coggle Diagram
[internal] ETHNIC DIFFERNCES IN ACHIEVEMENT
LABELLING
to label someone is to attach a meaning or definition to them e.g a pupil as a troublemaker/cooperative/bright/stupid
studies show that teachers often see black and asian students as being far from the ideal pupil (black pupils seen as disruptive & asian as pasive'
Negative labels may lead teachers to treat pupils from, minority ethnic backgrounds differently
This disadvantaged them and may result in their failiure
BLACK PUPILS & DISCIPLINE
A good illustration of impact on Black pupils comes from studies GILBORN AND YOUDELL
they found that teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour
This is argued to be a result of 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 misperception, the pupils responded negitavely and and further conflict resulted
in turn, black pupils felt that teachers underestimated their ability and picked on them
GILBORN AND YODELL conclude that much of the conflict between white teachers and black students stems from racial stereotypes teachers hold, rather than the pupils actual behaviour
This may explain the high levels of school exclusions black boys have
BOURNE found schools tend to see black boys as a threat and to label them negitevly leading eventually to exclusion
exclusions affect achievement: only one in 5 excluded pupils achieve 5 GCSEs
OSLER found black pupils are more likely to suffer from unofficial unrecorded exclusions and from 'internal exclusions' where they are sent out of class
they are also more likely to be placed in pupil referral units that exclude them from access to mainstream curriculum
BLACK PUPILS AND STREAMING
GILBORN & YOUDELL found that in the 'A-C economy' teachers focus on those students who believe they are most likely to achieve a grade C at GCSE
this is a process teachers like to call 'educational triage' or sorting
As a result, negative stereotypes about black pupils ability that some teachers hold mean that they are more likely to be placed in lower sets or streams
FOSTER found that teachers stereotypes of black pupils as badly behaved could result in them being placed in lower sets than other students of similar ability
streaming black pupils on a basis of negative stereotypes about their ability or behaviour can result in a self-fulfilling prophecy pf underachievement
ASIAN PUPILS
WRIGHTS study of a multi-ethnic primary school shows that Asian pupils can also be victims of teachers labelling
she found the schools apparent commitment to equal opportunities, teachers held ethnocentric views- they took for granted that British culture and standard English were superior
this affected how they related to asian pupils- e.g teachers assumed they had poor grasp of English and left them out of class discussions or used simplistic language when speaking to them
asian pupils also feel isolated when teachers expressed disapproval of their customs or mispronounced their names
in general teachers saw them not as a threat, but as. problem they could ignore
the effect was that asian pupils especially girls were marginalised - pushed to the edges and prevented from participayting fully
PUPIL IDENTITIES
Teachers often define pupils as having stereotypical ethnic identites
LOUISE ARCHER says that teachers' dominant discourse (way of seeing something) defines minority ethnic group pupils identities as lacking the favoured identity of the ideal pupil
Archer describes how teachers dominant discourse constructs 3 different pupil identities:
THE IDEAL PUPIL IDENTITY:
a white, middle class masculinised identity and a heater sexuality.
teachers see this pupil stereotypically as achieving in the 'right' way through natural ability and initiative
THE 'PATHOLOGISED' PUPIL IDENTITY' - An asian ' deserving poor' feminised identity, either asexual with an oppressed sexuality
teachers see this pupil stereotypically as a plodding, conformist and cultural-bound 'over-achiever', a slogger who succeeds through hard-work rather than natural ability
THE DEMONISED PUPIL IDENITITY -
A white or black working-class hyper-sexualised idenitity
teachers see this pupil stereotypically as an unintelligent, peer-led culturally deprived under-achiever
ARCHER claims teachers are likely to either demonise or pathologist ethnic group pupils
e.g from interviews with teachers, she shows how they demonise black pupils as loud, challenging, excessively sexual and with 'inspirational ' home cultures
CHINESE PUPILS
Archer argues that even those minority pupils who perform successfully can be pathologies (seen as abnormal)
e.g Chinese pupils were simultaneously praised and viewed negitevly by their teachers who saw them as too passive, quiet and repressed
whilst successful,chinese students were seen as having achieved success in the wrong way- through hardworking, passive conformism rather than natural individual a ability
teachers stereotyped chinese families as 'tight' and 'close' and used this to explain the girls supposed passivity
result of this is that even successes of minority ethnic groups will only be seen as 'over-achievement'- since teachers see proper achievement as the natural preserve of the privileged, white, middle class ideal pupil
PUPIL RESPONSES AND SUBCULTURES
REJECTING NEGATIVE LABELS
FULLERS 1984 study of a group of black girls in year 11 of a London comprehensive School
the girls are untypical because they were high achievers in a school where most black girls were placed in low streams
instead of accepting the negative stereotypes of themselves, they channelled their anger about being lavbelled into educational pursuits of success
This study highlights 2 important points
firstly pupils may still succeed even when they refuse to conform
secondly, negative labelling doesnt always lead to failure - the girls were able to reject the labels placed on them and they remained determined to succeed- no self fulfilling prophecy
FAILED STRATEGIES FOR AVOIDING RACISM
MIRZA found that racist teachers discouraged black pupils from being ambitious through the kind of advice they gave them about careers and options choices
E.G teachers discouraged them from aspiring to professional careers
MIRZA identifies 3 main types of teacher racism
1) THE COLOUR BLIND: teacher who bvelieves all pupils are equal but allow racism to go unchallenged
2) THE LIBERAL CHAUVINISTS: teachers who believe black pupils are culturally deprived and have low expectations of them
3) THE OVERT RACIST: teachers who believe black pupils new inferior and actively discriminate against them
[SEWELL] THE VARIETY OF BOYS RESPONSES: (identifies 4 types of responses to schooling & how it affects achievement)
THE REBELS:
most visible and influential group bit only small minority of black pupils
often excluded from school
rejected both goals and rules of the schools
expressed opposition through peer group membership conforming to the stereotype of the anti-authority , anti-school' black macho lad
rebels believed in their own superiority based on the idea that black masculinity equates with sexual experience & virility :
THE CONFORMIST: - largest group, keen to succeed, accepted goals and not anxious about being stereotypes by peers or teachers
THE RETREATIST:
tiny minority of isolated individuals who were disconnected from both school and black subcultures
despised by rebels
NNOVATORS: second largest group, pro-education but anti-school (like fullers girls)
valued success but didn't seek approval of teachers and conformed only as far as schoolwork
EVALUATION OF LABELLING & PUPIL RESPONSES
Rather than blaming the Childs home background, as cultural deprivation theory does, labelling theory shoes how teachers stereotypes can be a cause of failiure
HOWEVER there is a danger of seeing these stereotypes as simply the product of individual teachers prejudice, rather than racism within how the education system operates as a whole
there is also a danger of assuming that once labelled, pupils automatically fall victim to the self-fulfilling prophecy and fail