Ethnicity, Cultural Deprivation and Educational Achievement

What does Moynihan argue about Black Caribbean achievement?

Black Caribbean underachievement is linked to lone-parent families and a lack of male role models.

Why is Moynihan criticised?

He is criticised for victim-blaming, as he blames family structure rather than racism or poverty.

What does Sewell argue about Black boys and education?

Black boys may lack discipline and authority figures, leading to the formation of anti-school subcultures.

What criticisms are made of Sewell?

He ignores the impact of institutional racism and material deprivation.

What did Driver and Ballard find about Indian and Pakistani families?

They found high parental support and strong educational ambition.

Why are Driver and Ballard important for evaluation?

: They challenge negative stereotypes and cultural deprivation explanations.

Give one strength of cultural explanations for ethnic achievement.

They help explain patterns of ethnic achievement and highlight the importance of parental support.

What is the main criticism of cultural deprivation theories?

They victim-blame ethnic minority families rather than schools or society.

What does “victim-blaming” mean in education?

Blaming ethnic minority families for underachievement instead of institutional racism or poverty.

How do critics respond to victim-blaming arguments?

They argue cultures are different, not deficient, and schools favour white middle-class norms.

Why is ignoring institutional racism a problem?

It overlooks teacher labelling, setting, and discriminatory policies that disadvantage ethnic minorities.

What does the class vs ethnicity debate argue?

Many differences in achievement are better explained by social class than ethnicity alone.

How does social class affect ethnic minority achievement?

Through poverty, housing conditions, diet, and access to resources.

Does ethnicity act alone in educational achievement?

No, ethnicity often interacts with social class.

What is a strong evaluation sentence for essays on ethnicity?

Ethnic differences in achievement are often the result of class inequalities rather than cultural deficiencies.

What is a top-band evaluation sentence for cultural deprivation?

While cultural deprivation theorists argue that differences in language, parental attitudes and family structure explain ethnic achievement gaps, critics argue this approach unfairly blames minority families and ignores the role of poverty and institutional racism within schools.