Ethnic differences in achievement

Ethnic differences in achievement

1. Ethnic group: a group with a shared culture, identity and history.

   • Distinct group based on religion, geography or language.
   • An ethnic minority group may be of a different skin colour than the majority population, but not necessarily.

2. Ethnic differences in achievement.

   • Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils do worst.
   • Indians do best.
   • White pupils are very close to the national average, but this may be because they form the majority.
   • Amongst white and black working class pupils, girls do better than boys, however among Asians boys do better.
   • Working class black girls do better than working class white girls.

3. Cultural deprivation.

   • External factor.
   • Intellectual and language skills.
     • Children from low-income black families lack intellectual stimulation.
     • The language of poorer black American families is ungrammatical and disjointed.
     • Children who do not speak English at home may be held back educationally.
   • Attitudes, values and family structure.
     • Fatalism and immediate gratification.
     • The lack of a male role model.
     • Culture of poverty.
       • Inadequately socialised children who fail at school, become inadequate parents and perpetuate a culture of poverty.
     • The impact of slavery.
       • Black Caribbean culture is less resistant to racism because of slavery.
     • Asian families.
       • Asian families take a controlling attitude towards girls.
   • White working class pupils.
     • Lupton (2004) studied 4 working class schools. Teachers reported poorer levels of behaviour and discipline in the white schools.
       • Lower levels of parental support and negative attitudes of the white working class towards education.
     • Evans (2006) argues that street culture in white working class can be brutal and is brought into school resulting in anti-school subcultures.
   • Compensatory education.
     • Educational policy that aims to counter the effects of cultural deprivation.
     • Operation Head Start in the USA was established to compensate children for the cultural deficit they are said to suffer.
     • Sure Start in the UK aims to support the development of pre-school children in deprived areas.
   • Criticisms.
     • Victim-blaming.
       • They do not underachieve because of cultural deprivation, they underachieve because of an ethnocentric curriculum.
     • Cultural exclusion.
       • Minority ethnic group parents are at a disadvantage because they are less aware of how to negotiate the British education system.
     • Cultural domination.
       • Compensatory education imposes the dominant white middle class culture on minority ethnic groups.

4. Material deprivation and class.