1) ‘All levels of the education system show differences in achievement between ethnic
groups. When explaining these patterns, some sociologists focus on the role of the
home and family life in promoting educational achievement for some ethnic groups.
However, other sociologists suggest that factors within schools are more important in
explaining differences in achievement between ethnic groups’. Applying material from
Item B and your knowledge, evaluate sociological explanations of differences in
educational achievement between ethnic groups.
Ethnic differences in educational attainment refers to the differences in the academic
outcomes between the various ethnic groups. Historically, children descending from an
Asian background, particularly Indian and Chinese, tend to overachieve and outperform their
peers who come from different ethnic backgrounds, like Black Caribbean students. As stated
by the item, there are various different sociological explanations for such disparities in
outcomes, with some focusing on internal factors like labelling and the ethnocentric
curriculum, while others tend to focus on external factors, like cultural or material deprivation.
One vital explanation for the differences in the academic outcomes of the various ethnic
groups is that of cultural deprivation, in which factors like familial attitudes towards education
or parental support are viewed as having an overarching impact on ones’ educational
success, clearly supporting the idea that ‘the role of the home’ is vital in influencing student
achievement. Many cultural deprivation theorists believe that familial processes have a dire
impact on a child’s academic outcome, such as through the language used at home. For
example, many theorists are concerned for children who do not speak English at home and
have this as their second language, meaning that they may come across words within their
education they do not completely understand. If this was to happen in an exam paper, the
child would perform significantly worse as they may not have fully understood and processed
the wording of the question and what it is asking them. Despite this, Gillborn and Mirza put
forward the view that many Asian pupils achieve either above average or average despite
not having English as their first language, with this being further supported by the fact that
the school with the top Attainment 8, score, the Michaela school, is made up by a large
percentage of children with English as their second language. This clearly demonstrates that
linguistic capabilities may not be the overarching factor to account for differences in
educational achievement between the ethnic groups.
Additionally, the values amongst different ethnic groups towards education tend to be
significantly different, with ethnic groups like Asian families stressing the importance of
educational success and White British families tending to place less emphasis on mobility
through educational achievement, another way 'the role of the home’ may impact success.
For example, Bhatti found that Asian families placed a large amount of emphasis on success
through education, encouraging their children to take advantage of all the opportunities they
may receive in regards to their education, perhaps explaining the overachievement of some
Asian pupils - they may be placed under additional pressures due to their parents’ values.
Sewell refers to this as ‘an Asian work ethic’, in which parents place high value on education,
particularly in Chinese and Indian families. In contrast to this, sociologists believe that black
children fail to be adequately motivated by their parents to excel in their education, with
many arguing that parents instill a ‘live for today’ attitude which doesn’t value education,
ultimately leaving them unequipped for success. This is also reflected within white-working
class families, in which the parents often have low aspirations for their children, meaning
groups. When explaining these patterns, some sociologists focus on the role of the
home and family life in promoting educational achievement for some ethnic groups.
However, other sociologists suggest that factors within schools are more important in
explaining differences in achievement between ethnic groups’. Applying material from
Item B and your knowledge, evaluate sociological explanations of differences in
educational achievement between ethnic groups.
Ethnic differences in educational attainment refers to the differences in the academic
outcomes between the various ethnic groups. Historically, children descending from an
Asian background, particularly Indian and Chinese, tend to overachieve and outperform their
peers who come from different ethnic backgrounds, like Black Caribbean students. As stated
by the item, there are various different sociological explanations for such disparities in
outcomes, with some focusing on internal factors like labelling and the ethnocentric
curriculum, while others tend to focus on external factors, like cultural or material deprivation.
One vital explanation for the differences in the academic outcomes of the various ethnic
groups is that of cultural deprivation, in which factors like familial attitudes towards education
or parental support are viewed as having an overarching impact on ones’ educational
success, clearly supporting the idea that ‘the role of the home’ is vital in influencing student
achievement. Many cultural deprivation theorists believe that familial processes have a dire
impact on a child’s academic outcome, such as through the language used at home. For
example, many theorists are concerned for children who do not speak English at home and
have this as their second language, meaning that they may come across words within their
education they do not completely understand. If this was to happen in an exam paper, the
child would perform significantly worse as they may not have fully understood and processed
the wording of the question and what it is asking them. Despite this, Gillborn and Mirza put
forward the view that many Asian pupils achieve either above average or average despite
not having English as their first language, with this being further supported by the fact that
the school with the top Attainment 8, score, the Michaela school, is made up by a large
percentage of children with English as their second language. This clearly demonstrates that
linguistic capabilities may not be the overarching factor to account for differences in
educational achievement between the ethnic groups.
Additionally, the values amongst different ethnic groups towards education tend to be
significantly different, with ethnic groups like Asian families stressing the importance of
educational success and White British families tending to place less emphasis on mobility
through educational achievement, another way 'the role of the home’ may impact success.
For example, Bhatti found that Asian families placed a large amount of emphasis on success
through education, encouraging their children to take advantage of all the opportunities they
may receive in regards to their education, perhaps explaining the overachievement of some
Asian pupils - they may be placed under additional pressures due to their parents’ values.
Sewell refers to this as ‘an Asian work ethic’, in which parents place high value on education,
particularly in Chinese and Indian families. In contrast to this, sociologists believe that black
children fail to be adequately motivated by their parents to excel in their education, with
many arguing that parents instill a ‘live for today’ attitude which doesn’t value education,
ultimately leaving them unequipped for success. This is also reflected within white-working
class families, in which the parents often have low aspirations for their children, meaning
