Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Outline and assess the view
that processes within schools
result in differences in
educational achievement
between ethnic groups
- Introduction:
- The current situation for students of different ethnic backgrounds is that
black african carribean boys achieve the least, compared to Chinese girls
who achieve the most. However, it is generally white middle class females
who are seen as the ideal pupil according to Becker
- Conclusion
- While ethnicity is an affecting factor in educational
achievement, class is still the most important factor
within education. This is according to Gilborn and Mirza
- Outside school factors
- Cultural Deprivation
- Hyman said that working class lack work ethic
and that they value: Fatalism, immediate
gratification, Present time orientation and
Collectivism
- Douglas: Middle class parents tend to take
more of an interest in their child's education.
- Social Deprivation
- Afro Caribbean adolescents with absent
fathers do not have role models.
- Working class people have less connections
- Material Deprivation: Smith & Noble say there is a low income
barrier that stops people from learning. Due to the fact that they
can't afford computers or books.
- Reay et al says 32% of working class students who go to
university stay at home due to the travel/accommodation
costs.
- Cultural Capital
- Bernstein: Elaborated & Restricted Code
- Parentocracy - Parents now have more choice
- Bordieu found that middle class parents have more culture capital
and therefore use it to their advantage to get their children into the
best schools. This leaves lower class parents with restricted choice
- Social Capital
- Old boys' network
- middle class parents will have
more connections
- Inside school factors
- Labelling
- Becker stated that the ideal pupil is a white middle
class female. This was later proved by Dunne &
Gazeley
- Connelly found that teachers tended to see Asian boys as immature,
their behaviour was feminised and not seen as threatening in the way
that black boys’ was. Academic achievements were often praised and
encouraged, and teachers did have high academic expectations.
- Setting and streaming
- Because people from working class and different ethnic
backgrounds, they are more likely to be labelled negatively which
reinforces the differential educational achievement
- Pupil subcultures
- Mac an Ghaill – young African-Caribbean males developed subcultures
based on very masculine images (warriors, rasta-heads) as a response to
teacher labelling.
- Research suggests that some cultures develop anti school
subcultures. Sewell says this is specifically black males.
- Hidden curriculum
- General
- Explanations for difference in ethnic attainment: Labelling, formation of
subcultures, low teacher expectations and ethnocentric curriculum despite
attempts towards multicultural education
- Some minority groups such as Chinese, Indian and Irish heritage
perform better than others such as African, Caribbean and Pakistani.
- Unsuccessful ethnic minority students are
more likely to stay in education than white
students.
- Some explanations for ethnic differences:
Afro-Caribbean culture creates failure as a
result of being a minority High rate of male
desertion in African-Caribbean families – lack of
male role models therefore vulnerable to peer
group pressure and to aggressive version of
masculinity (Sewell) Language issues Ball –
ethnic minority parents are disadvantaged
when trying to get their children
- Self fulfilling prophecy