ethnic differences in achievement

Question 1

how do Lawson and Garrod define ethnic groups

Answer 1

people who share common history, customs and identity, as well as in most cases language and religion who see themselves as a distinct unit

Question 2

what is an issue of studying ethnicity

Answer 2

a difficulty is the problem of deciding who to include in an ethnic group

Question 3

DfES study (2012)

Answer 3

23% white boys on FSM gained 5 A*-C grades

Question 4

who says that whites are going to be the worst performing group

Answer 4

hasting - whites becoming worse than Asians or black

Question 5

why are black families unequipped for school

Answer 5

black children lack intellectual stimulation + enriching experiences as they are deprived culturally

so they are poorly equipped for school - lack of reasoning + problem solving skills

Question 6

how can you link Engelmann and Bereiter to underachievement in black families

Answer 6

language spoken by low-income black American families is inadequate for educational success - disjointed, ungrammatical - unable to explain abstract ideas

Question 7

is English as a second language a big factor in causing underachievement

Answer 7

2010 - pupils with EAL were only 3.2 points behind.
Mirza + Gillborn - Indian pupils do well regardless of not having English as their first language

Question 8

what is the mainstream culture

Answer 8

MC values of ambition, competitiveness + willingness to make sacrifices to achieve long term goals

Question 9

how does Sugarman link to the failure of black families

Answer 9

black WC families instil a fatalistic, live for today attitude that does value education

Question 10

who argues that structure of black families causes educational failure

Answer 10

Moynihan - Black families headed by a lone mother, children are deprived adequate care as mother struggles financially in absence of breadwinner + homemaker

this absence means that boys lack a role model of male breadwinner - no male achievement figure

Question 11

what is Moynihan’s cycle of cultural deprivation in black families

Answer 11

black families are headed by women, these women struggle to adequately socialise children as she struggles financially

inadequately socialised children from unstable families fail educationally + become inadequate parents themselves

Question 12

what is the New Rights’ view of family structure affecting achievement (New Right socioloigist)

Answer 12

Murray - high rate of lone parenthood + lack of positive male figures lead to underachievement of some minorities

Question 13

why do ethnic families underachieve according to Scruton

Answer 13

they fail to embrace mainstream British culture

Question 14

why do Asian families do better than Black families according to this sociologist

Answer 14

Pryce - Asians are higher achievers because their culture is more resistant to racism - gives them greater sense of self-worth but Blacks are less cohesive + less resistant to racism = blacks have low self - esteem

Question 15

why are Asians more resistant to racism compared to Blacks

Answer 15

impact of colonialism is much more culturally devastating. slavery meant that they lost their culture, language, religion,
whereas Asians family structure + culture was not destroyed by colonial rule

Question 16

what is Sewell’s views of why black boys are underachieving

Answer 16

it is not the absence of father but lack of fatherly nurturing that leads to boys failing to overcome emotional + behavioural difficulties of adoloscence

Question 17

According to Sewell where do black boys turn to as they have a lack of a fatherly figure in adolesecnce

Answer 17

street gangs offer boys perverse loyalty + love that presents boys with the media inspired anti -school personality

Question 18

what us a big factor in Black boys themselves causing underachievement of other black boys according to this sociologist

Answer 18

black boys are subject to powerful anti - educational peer group pressure

most academically successful black boys felt that greatest barrier to success was pressure from other black boys

Question 19

why do Blacks perform worse than Asians according to Sewell

Answer 19

Blacks are nurtured by MTV, the other is clocking on educational hour

black boys need to have greater expectations on them to raise their aspirations

Question 20

why does Gillborn argue against Sewell about peer pressure from other black boys being the greatest academic barrier

Answer 20

Gillborn - it is not peer pressure but institutional racism within the educational system that systematically produces failure of black boys

Question 21

how do Asian families achieve because of family structure according to this sociologist

Answer 21

Lupton adult authority in Asian families is similar to model that operates in education

respected behaviour to adults was expected from children. this has a knock - off effect in school, as parents supportive of school policies

Question 22

survey of 16,000 students by McCulloch findings
why are the findings like that

Answer 22

ethnic minorities more likely to aspire going to university than white British pupils

Question 23

why do Whites have lower levels of aspiration of going to university compared to ethnic minorities according to this study

Answer 23

Lupton’s study of 4 WC schools
2 predominantly white
1 largely Pakistani community
1 many ethnic minorities

teachers reported poorer levels of behaviour + discipline from white students - despite if not on FSM. teachers blamed on lack of parental support

in contrast ethnic minorities saw education as a way of social mobility

Question 24

According to this sociologist why are whites more resistant to schools authority

Answer 24

Evans - whites in WC areas can be in a street culture that is brutal so young children learn how to withstand intimidation /- intimidate others

Question 25

what is a criticism of Moynihan that lone parent families cause underachievement

Answer 25

Driver - lone parent families give women a sense of independence from watching the mother be the breadwinner and the homemaker shows that girls can have careers too

Question 26

who challenges Pryce' s view that blacks fail because their culture is weak

Answer 26

Lawrence challenges Pryce's view that pupils fail because their culture is weak. black pupils underachieve because schools are ethnocentric biased in favour of white culture

Question 27

Keddie's view of cultural deprivation

Answer 27

it is victim blaming explanation ethnic minorities underachieve because they culturally different not culturally deprived

Question 28

what are two alternatives to compensatory education

Answer 28

multicultural education - a policy that that recognises + values minority cultures + includes them in the curriculum anti - racist education - a policy that challenges prejudice + discrimination that exists in education

Question 29

statistic of ethnic minorities living in low- income households compared to white children

Answer 29

almost half of ethnic minorities live in low - income households against a 1/4 of white

Question 30

statistics of ethnic minorities being unemployed

Answer 30

ethnic minorities almost x2 likely to be unemployed compared with whites

Question 31

statistics of ethnic minorities to be homeless

Answer 31

x3 to be homeless

Question 32

why ethnic minorities are in danger of unemployment

Answer 32

- many live in economically depressed areas with high unemployment + low wage - cultural factors - purdah- prevents women from working - lack of language skills, + foreign qualification by UK employees - asylum seekers may not be able to take work - racial discrimination in the labour + house market

Question 33

why are ethnic minorities more likely to be FSM

Answer 33

they are more likely to be poor due to inequalities in the labour market + lower qualifications they are materially deprived

Question 34

evidence of Chinese students students still performing better even if materially deprived

Answer 34

2011 - 86% of Chinese girls who received FSM achieved 5 A*- C grades compared to 65% of white girls who were not receiving FSM

Question 35

what does this sociologist say about the effects of low income ethnic families compared to low income whites

Answer 35

Modood says that children form low income families generally do bad the effects of low income families were much less for ethnic households compared to whites

Question 36

masons view of racism embedded in ethnic lifes

Answer 36

discrimination is a continuing and persistent feature of the experience of Britain's citizens of minority ethic origin

Question 37

how does racial discrimination lead to social exclusion and how does this make poverty even worse fir ethnic minorities

Answer 37

in housing discrimination means that minorities are more likely to be forced into substandard accommodation than white people of same class employment - outright deliberate discrimination

Question 38

sociologist study of discrimination in the workplace

Answer 38

wood et al (2010) sent 3 closely matched job applications to each of 1,000 vacancies fictious applicants using names associated with with ethnic minorities - one application from a white person - other two from ethnic minorities 1 in 16 ethnic applications offered interview 1 in 9 whites offered interviews explains why members of ethnic minorities face unemployment

Question 39

according to these sociologists what is evidence that racism from teachers to black students causes underachievement

Answer 39

Gillborn + Mirza - in a education authority black children were highest performers on entry to primary school (ahead by 20 points) at GCSE time, blacks had worst results of any ethnic groups (21 points below average)

Question 40

what challenges the theory that black children fail due to material deprivation

Answer 40

Strand, gillborn + mirza - blacks high achievers initially but as they progress they become worst achievers - how education treats them is the root cause

Question 41

how does labelling lead to ethnic minorities to fail

Answer 41

ethnic minorities seen far from the ideal pupils and so labelled negatively leads to self fulfilling prophecy failure is internalised

Question 42

what did these sociologists find out about black children and discipline??

Answer 42

Gillborn + Youdell - teachers quicker to discipline black pupils than others for same behaviour because of racialised expectations teachers expected black students to present more discipline problems + misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening + challenge to an authority teachers acted on this misperception and students reacted negatively

Question 43

what does Bourne say about exclusions and black boys

Answer 43

schools see black boys as a threat and to label them negatively, leading to exclusion only 1 in 5 excluded pupils achieve 5 GCSEs

Question 44

studies on streaming that show that black pupils are unfairly put into low streams because of

Answer 44

the A - C economy teachers focus on students they believe are going to achieve high - not black people negative stereotype of black pupils ability some teachers hold that they are low acahievers

Question 45

what does Foster conclude about teachers streaming black pupils

Answer 45

teachers stereotypes of black pupils as badly behaved results them in being put in low streams results in self - fulfilling prophecy

Question 46

how are Asians subject to streaming, sociologists study evidence

Answer 46

Wright - study of multi - ethnic primary school despite schools commitment to equal opportunity, teachers held ethnocentric views - english culture is superior teachers assume Asians have a poor grasp of English so left them out on class discussions/ used simple lang asians feel isolated when teachers expressed disapproval of their customs Asians are marginalised + prevented from participating

Question 47

archer - what is the dominant discourse of the ideal pupil identity

Answer 47

white, middle class, normal sexuality academic success achieved through the right way of natural ability

Question 48

Archer - what is the dominant discourse of the pathologised pupil identity

Answer 48

Asian, deserving poor, feminised identity, asexual / oppressed conformist, over achiever academic success achieved through the wrong way - through hard work rather than natural ability

Question 49

Archer - the demonised pupil identity

Answer 49

black/white, WC, hypersexualised, pupil is unintelligent, peer - led , culturally deprived

Question 50

according to this sociologist how are Asian girls mistreated in the education system

Answer 50

teachers stereotyped Asian girls as quiet, passive, docile, so when an Asian girl misbehaves, they are dealt with more severely than other pupils

Question 51

how are Chinese pupils pathologised according to Archer

Answer 51

while successful, Chinese seen as achieving success in wrong way - through conformism, not natural ability they can never be the ideal pupil

Question 52

why are Asian students most likely to be seen as passive, conformist and tight according to Archer

Answer 52

teachers stereotyped Asians families as tight + close - explains passivity of asian girls victims of oppressing house situations

Question 53

what are some responses to negative labelling

Answer 53

becoming withdrawn, disruptive or challenge their label + work extra hard

Question 54

Fuller's study

Answer 54

study of black girls in year 11 in a London comprehensive school - low streams girls channelled their anger toward academic success - did not seek approval from teachers appearance of not doing schoolwork but worked hard at home girls behaviour is a way of meeting the contradictory demands of school - remaining friends with black girls in low streams + avoiding ridicule of black boy + achieving academically

Question 55

Mac an Ghaill's study of black + Asian A level girls

Answer 55

students negatively labelled did not accept label. how they responded depended on experience at school e.g girls at an all girls schools felt they could commit to education more - helped to overcome labels

Question 56

how does teacher racism cause ethnic minorities to be discouraged from being ambitious form careers according to his sociologist (girls)

Answer 56

Mirza - studied black girls who face teacher racism - teachers discouraged black pupils from choosing aspirational professional careers

Question 57

what are the types of teacher racism according to Mirza

Answer 57

the colour- blind - teachers who believe all students are equal but allow racism to go unchallenged the liberal chauvinists - teachers believe black pupils are culturally deprived and have low aspirations of them the overt racists - blacks are inferior + actively discriminate against them

Question 58

responses of stereotyping of black boys what sociologist

Answer 58

Sewell - - the rebels influential group, rejected rules . conform to stereotype of anti- school black macho lad the conformists - keen to succeed, friends from different ethnic groups - anxious of being stereotyped the retreatists - isolated, disconnected from both school + subcultures the innovators - pro - education but anti - schpp; . do not seek approval of teachers

Question 59

what is the problem in viewing teachers responsible for students underachievement

Answer 59

we have to ignore individual racism + look at institutional racism as a whole e.g Gillborn + Youdell A-C economy leading to black pupils being entered for low tier exams

Question 60

what is Troyna + Williams definitions of individual + institutional racism

Answer 60

individual racism - results from prejudiced views of individual teachers institutional racism - discrimination that is built into the education system

Question 61

what is the critical race theory

Answer 61

racism is a ingrained feature of society involves not just individuals actions but institutional racism as a whole

Question 62

how do Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton see institutional racism as

Answer 62

less overt, more subtle.], less identifiable in terms of specific individuals committing the acts... It originates in the operation of established + respected forces in society

Question 63

how does this critical race theorist apply locked - in inequality to education

Answer 63

Gillborn - ethnic equality is deep rooted + so large that it is a inevitable feature of the educational system

Question 64

how is the educational system institutionally racist

Answer 64

-marketisation + segregation -the ethnocentric curriculum - assessment - access to opportunities -the new IQism

Question 65

how does marketisation allow institutional racism to undergo according to this sociologist

Answer 65

Gillborn - marketisation gives schools morer scope to select pupils - negative stereotypes influence decisions about school admissions

Question 66

what sociologists support Gillborns view that marketisation allows discrimination to affect choice in school admissions

Answer 66

Moore + Davenport american research selection procedures leads to ethnic segregation with minorities failing to get into good school due to discrimination e.g primary schools - language speaking difficulties are screened out, application process difficult to understand

Question 67

the commission for racial Equality (1993) identified what issues in school admissions

Answer 67

-reports from primary schools stereotyping minorities - racist bias in interviews for school - lack of information + application forms in minority languages - ethnic parents unaware of importance of deadlines

Question 68

what does ethnocentric mean

Answer 68

attitude/ policy that gives priority to the culture + viewpoint of a particular group while disregarding others - reflects dominant MC class culture

Question 69

examples of ethnocentric curriculum

Answer 69

languages literature + music Troyna + Williams note meagre provision in teaching Asian languages opposed to European languages history - Ball criticises national curriculum for ignoring history of ethnic people whereas paints British history as glorious

Question 70

according to this sociologist how does the ethnocentric curriculum cause underachievement

Answer 70

Coard - in History English history is presented as bringing civilisation to the primitive people they colonised causes low - self esteem in black pupils

Question 71

a criticism of Coard

Answer 71

Even though ethnocentric curriculum ignores Asian culture, Indians, Chinese pupils achievement is above national average

Question 72

How do assessments cause underachievement according to this sociologist

Answer 72

Gillborn argues assessments are rigged to validate dominant culture superiority if blacks are achieving, rules will be changed to make sure they fail primary schools used to use baseline assessments however they were replaced in 2003 by the foundation stage profile and this made blacks underachieve

Question 73

what is a criticism of the gifted and talented programme according to Gillborn

Answer 73

Gillborn points out that official statistics show that whites are twice as likely than black caribbeans to be identified as gifted as x5 more likely than black african

Question 74

what does Tikly et al find in aiming high schools that treats whites and blacks differently

Answer 74

amongst 30 schools in aiming high initiative to raise Black caribbean achievement blacks nevertheless more likely than whites to be entered for low tier exams

Question 75

why do people criticise Gillborn in the aspect of black boys underachievement

Answer 75

Gillborn claims that black boys underachievement is from internal factors of education however Sewell rejects this. racism in schools is not powerful enough to prevent individual from succeeding. in sewells view we must focus on EXTERNAL factors instead e.g nurturing role of the father + peer group pressure

Question 76

why is Gillborn criticised in terms of underachievement differences in different minorites

Answer 76

Indian + chinese pupils overachieve even though they are ethnic minorities - is institutional racism at fault as critical theorists assume

Question 77

how does Gillborn respond to criticisms of different ethnic minorities achieving even though the school education

Answer 77

-it makes educational system seem fair + meritocratic - justifies the failure of other minorities - ignores the fact that model minorities still suffer racism e.g Chinese face same amounts of racism as blacks

Question 78

what is an example of how ethnicity intersects with gender to affect child's achievement

Answer 78

Connolly's study of 5 and 6 year olds in a multi - ethnic inner city primary school pupils + teachers construct masculinity differently depending on child's ethnicity. Black boys seen as disruptive under - achievers so teachers focused them into sport Asian boys were passive, conformist + academic seen as immature rather than threatening boys picked on them to assert masculinity + excluded them from football