EDUCATION - ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN ACHIEVEMENT INTERNAL 1

What do these statistics tell us about exclusion amongst different ethnicities?

Chinese/Indian were lowest as they werw pushed to be more academic

What do you think are the reasons for Gypsy/Roma children having the highest permanent exclusion rates?

Families put no/less pressure, as children leave by the end of primary school, boys go into work and girls look after the home and get married

How do teachers label students? Give examples

Trouble maker, cooperative, bright, stupid

Which students are FAR from the ideal pupil?

Black and Asian students

What do Asian pupils class as?

Banglesdhi or Pakistani

Gillborn and Youdell found teachers were quick to discipline which students?

Black pupils

Why do teachers discipline black pupils?

They expect black pupils to present more behavioural problems

How does this make black pupils feel?

They felt they were being picked on

Gillborn and Youdell stated that conflict stemmed from what?

Racial sterotypes

Are black students all underperforming?

No - not neccessairly - teachers just pick on them due to ethnicity

Why are teachers so quick to discipline black students?

Due to traditional stereotypes/black history, teachers values (racism), teachers assume they will be criminals/end up in gangs

What is an AO3 for this point about teachers disciplining black students?

It ignores both class and gender, not necessarily just black students that are discolored, other ethnicities can still be labelled and misbehave

How can these stereotypes be detrimental to black students?

Can cause lack of self esteem/ambition, cause self fulfilling prophecy, so they do end up misbehaving, feel they are being picked on, can cause them to not engage in lessons, lack of motivation

Are black boys or girls seen as a threat?

Boys

So do black boys achieve in terms of their GCSEs?

Low

Why may some schools do if they think someone if performing very poorly around GCSEs or A-Levels?

Some schools expel specific pupils just before GCSEs or A-Levels so they do not bring down the statistics/league tables

Which ethnicity pupils are more likely he expelled?

Black pupils

Where may pupils be sent if they get expelled?

Pupil referral units (PRUs)

What was the name of the economy that Gillborn and Youdell came up with?

A-C economy - educational triage

What type of sets and streams do black pupils end up in due to labelling?

Lower sets or streams

What is the differences between sets and streams?

Sets - can be different based on subject

Streams - the same across all subjects

What type of view do teachers hold? (Link to race/culture)

Ethnocentric view that British culture was superior

Due to an ethnocentric view, how did teachers treat Asian pupils?

Left them out of class discussions, or used simple childish langauge when speaking to them

Did teachers see Asian students as a threat?

No - they saw them as a problem to ignore

What impact would this have on Asian students?

Lack of ambitions, may not try in lessons, or misbehave (due to lack of attention), or may push them to do better

What message is this sending to young Asian girls? How does it link to culture?

That they will be unsuccessful/achieve lower in schools, negative impact from the state, could be getting pressure from home but get ignored in schools

Who came up with the idea of 3 different pupil identities?

Archer

What were the 3 pupil identities?

1. The ideal pupil identity

2. The pathologized pupil identity

3. The demonised pupil identity

What are "the ideal pupil identity"?

A white middle class masculine identity with a normal sexuality, the pupils achieve through ability

What are "the pathologized pupil identity"?

Asian, feminized, asexual, this pupil is an overachiever who succeeds through hard work rather than natural ability

What are "the demonised pupil identity"?

A black or white working class hyper sexual used identity, the pupil is seen as unintelligent, peer-led, culturally deprived and an under achieve

What type of identities did Archer also come up with?

Hyper-heterosexual feminine identities - cant do well in school so aim to get status - link to Nike identities, girls were loud and wanted to have boyfriends

An example of pupils rejecting negative labels can be found in whose study?

Fullers - a study of black girls in year 11 at a London comprehensive school

How were the girls in this study different than other black girls?

They were high achievers and placed in higher sets

How did these girls overcome negative labels?

The girls channeled their anger about being labelled into educational success (proving the labels wrong)

What was their response to the teachers? (Unlike other successful students)

They did not seek approval of their teachers (of whom were racist)

Which girls did these students make friends with?

Other black girls who were in low sets

How can we AO3 this study?

• racism isn't always the main cause

• so people fight back against it

Was Mac an Ghaill study similar results?

Yes

What did Mac an Ghaills study show?

Students who believed that teachers had labeled them negatively did not accept this label

What are the 3 types of teacher racism Mirza identified?

1. The colour blind

2. The liberal chauvinists

3. The overt racists

What does the “colour blind” racism mean?

Teachers who believe that pupils are equal but in practice allow racism to go unchallenged

What does the “liberal chauvinists” racism mean?

Teachers who believe that black pupils are culturally deprived and who have low expectations of them

What does the “overt racists” racism mean?

Teachers who believe that black people are inferior and discriminate against them (these teachers do not try to hide it)

What did the girls spend time at school doing?

Avoiding these teachers and their negative attitudes

What strategies did these girls use to avoid certain teachers?

Be selective about which staff they asked for help, getting on with their own work in lessons without help from teachers

What is Mirza’s study find that was different to others?

These girls were unsuccessful despite their strategies

How were the girls at a disadvantage in this study?

Faced ongoing racism every day, given less support, worsen their self esteem, girls were forced to segregate themselves

What could these girls have done? AO3

Reported and spoken to OFSTED and governors

What did Sewell say about how teachers affect achievement?

Stereotyping by teachers

Sewell identify 4 groups (stereotyped by teachers)?

1. The rebels

2. The conformists

3. The retreatists

4. The innovators

Who were “the rebels”?

Small minority group

They rejected the goals/rules of the school

Took on the identity of “the black macho lad”

Believed black masculinity equals sexual experiences

Who were “the conformists”?

The largest group

Keen to succeed

Accepted the schools goals

Who were “the retreatists”?

Tiny minority

Isolated indivisible

Disconnected from school

Despised by the rebels

Who were “the innovators”?

2nd largest group

Pro eduction but anti school

Did not seek the approval of teachers

What else has Sewell say impacted on children’s achievement?

The absence of fathers - and how they turn to gangs/music as role models

How many black pupils were part of the “rebels”?

A small minority

How did teachers treat all black students? (According to Sewell)

Badly - all the same (labelled them all as rebels despite them not being)

What are advantages of using documents to investigate racism in schools?

Formal, officials, spot trends, compare, both qualitative and quantitive data

What are disadvantages of using documents to investigate racism in schools?

Not all incidents recorded (dark figures), lack validity, not representative, may not be factual, no informed consent, lack of confidentially, could be historical (cannot follow up, and speak to students), could be para-phrased

What does Gillborn and Youdell say that publishing league tables creates?

This creates an A-C economy which leads to black and working class students being placed in lower streams/sets

What is an AO3 point of self fulfilling prophecy?

People can overthrow labelling (Fullers study)