Asses sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement Essay

Ethnicity refers to sh atomic number 18d cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set apart one group of stack from an early(a). That is, culturality is a shared cultural heritage. The most common characteristics distinguishing various heathen groups are ancestry, a sense of history, wording and religion. Modern Britain is said to be a multicultural society made up of many an(prenominal) incompatible cultural groups. Achievement within education is very varied crosswise cultures, with some such as Chinese and Indian school-age childs get alonging supra the average, and Afri nooky-Caribbean and Pakistani students performing well below average.There are many factors which can reduce a child from an social backgrounds attainment. For instance, visible deprivation. Material deprivation focuses on income inequality and the material problems that are associated with it. An example of such a study is J. W. B Douglas, The Home and The School (1964). He argued tha t an interlock network of inequalities existed which operated against many working(a) class students. This included, differential effects of regional and variations in educational provision and expenditure. Also, housing and environmental factors.Which led to chances of approach shot to good primary educates. Therefore, hindering the chance of access to top streams. As a result, minority ethnic children are more likely to raging in low-income households. This means they strikingness the problems that Douglas toweringlighted, the material factors, such as ugly quality housing, no working space and even possibly dismal influence of peers. whiz other reason for differences in educational attainment betwixt ethnicities is the basic family life. African-Caribbean communities yield a high level of lonely(prenominal) parenthood.Actually, it is estimated 50% of African-Caribbean households have a lone-parent . This can mean that many face financial problems, this can precede to lower achievement in school (Douglas material factors). Conversely, single mothers can be a positive quality model or influence for many young girls, meaning they perform better in education. Another explanation for ethnic differences is Language. For many children of an ethnic minority English is not their primary language. This can be a disadvantage because they whitethorn not understand exams as well as others.Also they might struggle to express themselves with limited English. Finally, some teachers whitethorn mistake poor English for a lack of intelligence, when actually this could be completely untrue, meaning that a clever child may be let down by the teacher who might not bear upon the student to their full potential. However, you could argue that Chinese and Indian students first language isnt English, on the other hand in these two cultures it is the average to learn English as a strong second language. Therefore, they are not hindered by the second language barrier, as opposed to Bangladeshis for example.Language was such a big issue that Bernstein (1973) categorize students into two groups. Elaborated and restricted. In the case of an elaborated code, the speaker lead select from a relatively extensive range of alternatives. However in the case of a restricted code the number of these alternatives is ofttimes gravely limited. Bernsteins work was not al counselings praised. For instance, Labov (1974) argued that young blacks in the unite States, although using language which certainly seems an example of the restricted code, nevertheless break a clear ability to argue logically.Their lack of knowledge concerning the undefended may reach further than just the exams they have to take. For instance, due to the self-aggrandizing amount of failing black Caribbeans and Bangladeshis (a have total of 41% managed to get 5 A* C grades), teachers may be subconsciously prejudiced against ethnic minorities. This can lower the students attainments i n many ways, one is that the teachers give the student lower grades. Another way is that the teacher negatively labels a student of ethnic minority which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy.Racism can also lead to conflict between students and teachers, making learning a much harder task. Lastly, racism can lead to low-self esteem among ethnic minorities. A researcher who studies this was Howard Becker (1971). Becker Interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers. He found that they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted image of elevated pupil. Their conduct & appearance influenced judgement. Middle class was closest to ideal, working class furthest away & labelled as badly behaved. As a result you can see, if teachers labelled students on how they look, you can consider how they would label a whole ethnic race.Another factor for ethnic differences in educational achievement is the ethnocentric curriculum. There are several(prenominal) reasons why ethnic minorities may struggle due to this curriculum. One is that the subjects often focus on British culture naturally White British students will have grown up with this culture, so they might have a greater understanding of the content than students who grew up in a different culture. Another reason is that the content of the curriculum could lower ethnic minorities self-esteem, this is because often the white character is seen as good and superior whilst the ethnic minorities are seen as not as academic.However, it is crucial not to forget that every ethnic minority underachieves at this level. In fact, in the UK, Chinese and Indian pupils score better grades than the White ethnic race. One of the main reasons for this is the support of the parents. Research has shown that some parents of ethnic minority, such as Chinese and Indian, take more interest in their childs education, they also encourage their child more than other in other cultures. This obviously leads to higher achievement for the child .Not only the parents play a part. Some teachers may stereotype some ethnic minorities to be ingenious and hard-working. This encouragement and sort of support can aid a student in raising their grades. To conclude, there are many sociological explanations for the ethnic differences in educational achievement, from language barriers to family life at home. However, it is important to call not all ethnic minorities to underachieve. Rafi Kentafi Lindill 12P.