🤝
Ethnic differences in Achievement
Evidence of ethnic differences in achievement
Whites and Asians on average do better than blacks.
White pupils’ achievements are very close to the national average📊 — as whites are by far the largest group,
accounting for about 4/5 of all pupils.⬜
However there is a class difference, with many working class white pupils performing at a lower level than that of
other ethnic groups.
23% white boys who had free school meals 🍲 achieved 5⃣ GCSE’s from grade A*— C.
External Factors — factors outside the education system 🏠, such as the influence of home and family background
and wider society.
Internal Factors — factors within the school and the education system🏫, such as interactions between pupils and
teachers, and inequalities between schools.
External Factors and Ethnic differences in achievement
Ethnic differences can best be explained by looking at factors outside the school — in the home, family and culture of
the child, and the impact of wider society.
The main explanations of this kind are cultural deprivation/material deprivation and class and racism in wider
society.
The main explanations of is:
Cultural Deprivation
Material Deprivation and Class
Racism in wider society
1. Cultural Deprivation
Intellectual and linguistic skills
Attitudes and values
Family structure and parental support
Intellectual and Linguistic skills
Ethnic differences in Achievement 1
, Sociologists argue that many children from low-income black families 🤝 🏚 lack intellectual stimulation and
enriching experiences . 🗿
They believe that this leaves them poorly equipped for school because they have not been able to develop
reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Bereiter and Engelmen
Believes that languages spoken by black American families is inadequate for educational success.
They see It as ungrammatical disjointed and incapable of expressing abstract ideas 💡.
There is also a concern that children who do not speak English at home may be held back educationally. 🗣🚫📉
📚
Official statistics show that in fact that this is actually not a major factor as to why some children of ethnic
backgrounds might underachieve.
Gillborn and Mirza
Note that Indian pupils do very well🥇despite often not having English as their home language.🚋
Attitudes and Values
Theorists see lack of motivation 📉📚 of many black children.
as a major cause of the failure
They argue that some black children are socialised into a subculture that instils a fatalistic, ‘live for today’🎉attitude
that does not value education and leaves them unequipped for success🐌.
Family structure and parental support
Cultural deprivation theorists argue that this failure to socialise children adequately is the result of a dysfunctional
family structure.
Moynihan
Argues that because many black families are headed by a lone mother , their children are deprived of adequate
care🏚 because she has to struggle financially 👛
in the absence of a male breadwinner 🚫 🍞
.
This means that black boys lack in an adequate role models of male achievement.
He sees cultural deprivation as a cycle where inadequately socialised children from unstable families go on to
fail at school and become inadequate parents themselves.
Ethnic differences in Achievement 2
Ethnic differences in Achievement
Evidence of ethnic differences in achievement
Whites and Asians on average do better than blacks.
White pupils’ achievements are very close to the national average📊 — as whites are by far the largest group,
accounting for about 4/5 of all pupils.⬜
However there is a class difference, with many working class white pupils performing at a lower level than that of
other ethnic groups.
23% white boys who had free school meals 🍲 achieved 5⃣ GCSE’s from grade A*— C.
External Factors — factors outside the education system 🏠, such as the influence of home and family background
and wider society.
Internal Factors — factors within the school and the education system🏫, such as interactions between pupils and
teachers, and inequalities between schools.
External Factors and Ethnic differences in achievement
Ethnic differences can best be explained by looking at factors outside the school — in the home, family and culture of
the child, and the impact of wider society.
The main explanations of this kind are cultural deprivation/material deprivation and class and racism in wider
society.
The main explanations of is:
Cultural Deprivation
Material Deprivation and Class
Racism in wider society
1. Cultural Deprivation
Intellectual and linguistic skills
Attitudes and values
Family structure and parental support
Intellectual and Linguistic skills
Ethnic differences in Achievement 1
, Sociologists argue that many children from low-income black families 🤝 🏚 lack intellectual stimulation and
enriching experiences . 🗿
They believe that this leaves them poorly equipped for school because they have not been able to develop
reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Bereiter and Engelmen
Believes that languages spoken by black American families is inadequate for educational success.
They see It as ungrammatical disjointed and incapable of expressing abstract ideas 💡.
There is also a concern that children who do not speak English at home may be held back educationally. 🗣🚫📉
📚
Official statistics show that in fact that this is actually not a major factor as to why some children of ethnic
backgrounds might underachieve.
Gillborn and Mirza
Note that Indian pupils do very well🥇despite often not having English as their home language.🚋
Attitudes and Values
Theorists see lack of motivation 📉📚 of many black children.
as a major cause of the failure
They argue that some black children are socialised into a subculture that instils a fatalistic, ‘live for today’🎉attitude
that does not value education and leaves them unequipped for success🐌.
Family structure and parental support
Cultural deprivation theorists argue that this failure to socialise children adequately is the result of a dysfunctional
family structure.
Moynihan
Argues that because many black families are headed by a lone mother , their children are deprived of adequate
care🏚 because she has to struggle financially 👛
in the absence of a male breadwinner 🚫 🍞
.
This means that black boys lack in an adequate role models of male achievement.
He sees cultural deprivation as a cycle where inadequately socialised children from unstable families go on to
fail at school and become inadequate parents themselves.
Ethnic differences in Achievement 2
