Ethnicity and educational achievement

Material and cultural factors affecting underachievement
1. African Caribbean males are near the bottom of each class group in terms of attainment
  1. Working class Afro-Caribbean girls do significantly better than white working class pupils at GCSEs
2. There is a strong emphasis on self-improvement through education in Chinese and Asian cultures
  1. There culture is perceived more positively by teachers than Afro-Caribbean culture
3. Black pupils
  1. Are more likely permenantly excluded and punished more harshly
  2. praised less and told off more often
  3. put in bottom sets based on behaviour not ability
  4. Are less likely to be idenitied as gifted and talented
4. Strand- Indian pupils' progress can be explained by
  1. High parental and pupil educational aspirations
  2. Undertaking high levels of homework
  3. low levels of truanting or exclusion
  4. High parental monitoring of their children's whereabouts
5. African Caribbean boys lack discipline from a father figure
  1. Girls, a role model is provided by a strong independent single mother
In-school factor, labelling racism and pupil responses
1. Ethnic minority boys
  1. Afro-Caribbean often labelled as 'unruly' and difficult to control. More likely to be given detention than other pupils
    1. teachers misinterpret their dress and manner of speech as representing a challengeto their authority
      1. Tony Sewell- teacher were fearful black boys in school
    2. Afro- Caribbean males react angrily to the labels and reject white- dominated education system and gained status in peer groups instead
  2. Indians show anger but don't reject education. they succeed by using education system to their advantage
  3. Teachers see some Asian boys as immature rather than deviant. Have higher expectations and they work harder to achieve what is expected of them. Not punished to the same extent. Made it more difficult to feel confident and enjoy school
2. Ethnic minority girls
  1. Teachers underplay black girls educational achievement and focus on their social behaviour
  2. Wright (1992)- teachers paid Asian girls less attention. They involved them in less discussion and used simplistic language assuming they had poor English skills.
    1. lacked sensitivity towards culture and made little efforts to pronounce their names correctly causing embarrasment and ridicule
  3. Black girls are anti-school but pro- education. Resent low expectations and labelling but are more determined to succeed
The curriculum
1. since 1970's some effort has been made to address the neglect of other cultures
  1. Multicultural education
2. Ethnic minority languages don't have the same status as European languages and schools are required to hold christian assemblies
3. Georgraphy emphasises Britain's positive contribution to the rest of the world- ethnocentric
  1. rather than negative consequences of unfair trade
4. Tended to focus of slavery when black history was acknowledged
Institutional racism?
1. schemes for gifted and talented pupils, and vocational schemes for less academic underrate the abilities of black children relegating them to low-ability groups
2. Marketisation of schools led to an 'A to C economy'- creates rationing of education- teachers are made to focus on those in danger of not realising potential for a C- ignores high and low achievers

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Ethnicity and educational achievement

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	Created by harriett291559920 over 9 years ago