Pupil responses and subcultures

Fuller (1984) — group studied

• Black

• Y11

• Girls

• London

• Comp

Fuller (1984) — attitude towards teachers

• Saw them as racist

• Did not seek their approval

Fuller (1984) — response to labelling

• Channeled anger into educational success

• Relied own own efforts and impartiality of external exams

Fuller (1984) — friendships

• Friends with other Black girls from lower streams

Fuller (1984) — extent of conformation

• Only conformed as far as schoolwork

  • Pretended to not care but did

• Did not care about school routines

Fuller (1984) — contradiction

• Girls had to both succeed while also remaining friends with lower stream Black girls and avoiding ridicule of anti-school Black boys

Mac an Ghaill (1992) — group studied

• Black/Asian

• A-Level

• Sixth-form college

Mac an Ghaill (1992) — 3 factors that impacted response to teacher labelling

1. Ethnicity

2. Gender

3. Nature of former school — e.g. girls having gone to an all-girls school had greater academic commitment

Fuller (1984) and Mac an Ghaill (1992) — two important takeaways

1. Pupils can suceed even when they refuse to conform

2. Negative labelling doesn’t always → failure/s-fp

Mirza (1992) — group studied

• Black

• Girls

• Ambitious

Mirza (1992) — effect of teacher racism

• Discourged ambition due to discouraging professional careers

Mirza (1992) — 3 types of teacher racism

1. Colour-blind

2. Liberal chauvinist

3. Overt racist

Mirza (1992) — colour-blind

• Believe all pupils are equal

• Let racism go unchallenged

Mirza (1992) — liberal chauvinist

• Believe Black pupils culturally deprived

• Lower expectations and assumptions about their abilities

Mirza (1992) — overt racist

• Believe Black pupils inferior

• Active discrimination

Mirza (1992) — 3 strategies to avoid teachers’ negative attitudes

1. Being selective about which staff to ask for help

2. Not takng part in lessons and getting on with own work

3. Not choosing certain options

Mirza (1992) — impact of strategies

• Restricted opportunities

  • Girls were unsuccessful

Sewell — 4 responses to schooling (incl. teacher racist stereotyping)

1. Rebel (most visible and influential)

2. Conform (largest)

3. Retreat (tiny minority)

4. Innovate (second largest group)

Sewell — 6 features of a rebel

1. Excluded from school

2. Rejected school’s goals and rules

3. Expressed opposition by conforming to Black, macho, anti-authority, anti-school stereotype

4. Believed in superiority as Black masculinity = sexual experience; virility

5. Contemptious of White boys (eff3minate)

6. Dismissive of conformist Black boys

Sewell — 5 features of a conformist

1. Keen to succeed

2. Accepted school’s goals

3. Wide range of friends

4. Not part of a subculture

5. Avoided being stereotyped

Sewell — 3 features of a retreatist

1. Isolated

2. Disconnected from both school and Black subcultures

3. Despised by rebels

Sewell — 4 features of an innovator (aka Fuller’s girls)

1. Pro-education

2. Anti-school

3. Distanced from conformists

4. Maintained credibility with rebels

Sewell — teacher perceptions of Black boys

• See all as rebels

  • Then s-f p