Melissa Braithwaite

Examining ethic differences in achievement

a) Explain what is meant by the term ethic group.(2 marks)
Socially defined category of people who identify with each other based on
common ancestral, social, cultural or national experience.
b) Suggest three ways in which the education system may
encourage separation between children of different ethnic
backgrounds. (6 marks)
Three ways in which the education system may encourage separation between
children of different ethnic backgrounds are: Labelling and teacher racism, many
teachers label their students and studies by interactionist sociologists found out
that many teachers labelled black children as disruptive and they didnt want
them in their class. Another reason is the ethnocentric curriculum. Troyna and
Williams describe the curriculum in British schools as ethnocentric because it
gives priority to white culture and the English language; this causes separation
between white pupils and other ethnic pupils. A final reason is the selection and
segregation available to schools. Another way that the education system
encourages separation is through selection and segregation. David Gillborn
argues that marketization has given schools greater scope to select pupils. This
puts some ethnic minority pupils at a disadvantage because selection gives more
scope for negative stereotypes to influence decisions about school admissions.
c) Outline the ways in which factors in childrens home
background may lead to differences in achievement levels
between ethnic groups. (12 marks)
Cultural deprivation is one way a childs home background can lead to
differences in achievement. Cultural deprivation sees the under achievement of
some ethnic groups as the result of inadequate socialisation in the home. The
explanation for this is that some ethic groups may not have intellectual and
linguistic skills, proper attitudes and values and a tight family structure. Cultural
deprivation theorists see the lack of intellectual and linguistic skills as a major
cause of under-achievement for many minority children. They argue that many
children from low-income black families lack intellectual stimulation and
enriching experiences. This leaves them poorly equipped for school because they
have not been able to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills. Bereiter and
Engelmann consider the language spoken by low-income black American families
as inadequate for educational success. They also se lack of motivation as a major
cause of the failure of many black children. Most other children are socialised
into the mainstream culture which instils ambition, competitiveness and
willingness to make sacrifices necessary to achieve long-term goals. This equips
them for success in education. By contrast, some black children are socialised
into a subculture that instils a fatalistic live for today attitude.
d) Assess the importance of school factors such as racism and
pupil responses to racism in creating ethic differences in
educational achievement. (20 marks)
There are achievement differences between ethnic groups. For example, Indian
pupils tend to do better than average, while Bangladeshi and black pupils do

Melissa Braithwaite
worse. There are class and gender differences for example black females do
better than black males. Some explanations focus on external factors, such as
cultural deprivation due to unstable family