Ethnicity and Educational Achievement

Not finished

Cultural factors

The social norms and values of some ethnicities are better suited to UK schooling, which are principally white and middle class establishments. Cultural factors include how students live their lives away from school, languages spoken, and parental influence.

Material/Economic Factors

Some ethnicities live in areas that experience the most poverty and deprivation. This could be due to patterns of immigration over the last 100 years. However, the fact remains that students who do worse in school come from poorer areas, have poor diets, and don’t have the material means to complement their schooling, such as buying books. The poor performance in school might be an economic factor. Material factors include material deprivation, location of household, and parental income.

Institutional Factors

The curriculum and the teachers are crucial to success in education. If these are inaccessible or inappropriate for some ethnicities, then they will suffer. It makes sense that policy makers for schools, those that run schools, and the materials in schools will reflect that culture. Schools could be described as ‘ethnocentric’ as they are focused on white culture, which has a big impact on ethnic groups. Institutional factors include how school is organised and what it teaches, the behaviour of the teachers, and the rules and regulations of schools.

Gilbourn & Mirza (2000)

Youth cohort study, found a strong correlation between social class and educational achievement in ethnic groups.

Tariq Mahmodd (2004)

Relationship between cultural capital in comparison to white counterparts of similar class

Tehmina Basit (2013)

The ‘blessing’ of education among Pakistani and Indian families

Tony Sewell (1997)

High proportion of black single parents’ families led Sewell to suggest that black boys lack the value of discipline that comes from a male role model.

Gilbourn (2002)

Institutional racism

Gilbourn (1990)

Stereotyping and relationship with white teachers

O’Donnell and Sharpe (2000)

Black subcultures and alternative status

Boffey (2014)

Teacher role models and ethnic minorities

Wright (1992)

Teacher expectations and interaction with ethnic minority students

Swann Report (1985)

Ethnocentric curriculum

Archer and Francis (2007)

Said that Chinese parents place high pressure on their children to do well.

Lina Platt (2011)

Found that the rates of male employment in households was quite similar to the rate of achievment in schools. Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Black Caribbean children tend to do worse in school and have less income.

Education can’t be racist

Education arguably can’t be racist because of the high rates of Chinese and Indian successes in education.

Curriculum

Changes in what was once an ethnocentric curriculum to support ethnic minorities.

Tickly (2006)

Aiming High 2003 and government programmes to support ethnic minorities.

Fueller (1984)

Positive reactions to labels with black girls’ subcultures.

Teacher training

Pedagogy and teacher training means that teachers are aware of and actively try not to perpetuate negative stereotypes about ethnic minorities.