Ethnicity and Educational Attainment (2)

“In – school” factors  Ethnocentric curriculum – this describes a school syllabus that reflects the dominant culture and ignores or marginalises the cultures of less influential ethnic groups.  Coard (1971) observed the absence of black literature, history and music in the British curriculum and of positive images of black people in school books.  He concluded that this would induce low self-esteem in Afro-Caribbean children and give them the feeling that school subjects have little relevance to their lives.  Ethnic minority groups have attempted to address this problem by setting up weekend schooling to teach aspects of their own cultural heritage  These have been reported as instrumental in boosting the child’s self-esteem and their ability to cope academically.

Teachers’ attitudes and student responses  Cecile Wright interviewed teachers and year 10 students in 2 Midland schools in 1986  She found that teachers tended to associate challenging teaching conditions with high proportions of ethnic minority students  One teacher said that “English culture was being swamped”  The common view expressed in the staff room was that Afro- Caribbean children were “trouble”  This was picked up by new members of staff who tended to punish black students more harshly than white students

Cecile Wright – “them and us”  Wright also reported that some teachers made insensitive jokes that black students found disrespectful  In response, the students formed anti-school cultures  A student told Wright; “If the teachers have no respect for you then there’s no way I’m going to respect them”  Wright concluded; “If pupils discern a repeated pattern of injustice, discontent may well become general and come to have a lowering effect on the whole life and work of the school” (1986)

Evaluation  How would the work of Becker (labelling theory) back Wright’s conclusions?  What about her methods? Can we criticise them?  Could Wright be biased in any way?

Martain Mac an Ghaill (1989)  Martain Mac an Ghaill, an Irish sociologist, researched education and ethnicity whilst teaching at the school he was studying  He observed other teachers and interviewed teachers, pupils and parents  He opened his house to pupils out of school time in order to gain a “deeper insight into their experiences”.  He concluded that teachers were on the whole, well meaning and thought they treated all students the same

Anti and Pro school cultures  However, Mac an Ghaill stated that ethnic minority students were treated unfairly, which led to resentment.  This led to some Afro- Caribbean and Asian males forming anti school subcultures – which boosted their morale but was damaging to their school progress  However a group of girls named the “black sisters”, although resenting their treatment, formed a pro- school culture as they were determined to succeed.

Evaluation  Does Mac an Ghaill support the work of Wright? How?  In what ways does he support the work of Paul Willis?  Can we criticise his methods?  What is his own impact on the study?

David Gillborn (1990) “Avioding Confrontations”  Gillborn’s research involved observing classes at the same school over a period of 2 years  He stated that Afro-Caribbean boys were viewed as a threat to teacher authority  He found that they were reprimanded far more than white or Asian students for the same offence.  He also found that black pupils received detentions for “offences whose identification rested solely on the teacher’s interpretation of pupil attitude or intent”.

Teachers’ perceptions of threatening behaviour  Even though no rules were broken, behaviour was often seen as a challenge to authority.  Teachers often tried to repress Caribbean cultural differences such as dress and speech – viewing them as signs of resistance  In contrast, the cultural differences displayed by Asian students were not seen as threatening  The common response to unfair treatment often led to anti school subcultures forming amongst the Afro-Caribbean boys  These boys were often badly behaved and contained in small groups not destined for exams

Evaluation  Can we use the work of Gillborn to explain the statistics on educational attainment of different ethnic groups?  Can we identify the strengths and weaknesses of his method?  Are there any points on which all these theorists seem to agree?