Ethnicity and Educational
Attainment (2)
“In – school” factors
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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
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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 AfroCaribbean 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”
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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?
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Martain Mac an Ghaill (1989)
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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
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However, Mac an Ghaill stated
that ethnic minority students
were treated unfairly, which
led to resentment.
This led to some AfroCaribbean 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 proschool 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?
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David Gillborn (1990) “Avioding
Confrontations”
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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
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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?
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