Pupil Identities

• Archer's argument


  Teachers' dominant discourse defines ethnic minority pupils' identities as lacking the favoured identity of the ideal pupil
• Ideal pupil identity


  • White, middle-class, masculinised identity with a normal sexuality
  • Seen as achieving in the right way through natural ability and initiative
• Pathologised pupil identity


  • Asian, 'deserving poor', feminised identity, either asexual or with an oppressed sexuality
  • Seen as a plodding, conformist and culture-bound 'over-achiever', a slogger who succeeds through hard work rather than natural ability
• Demonised pupil identity


  • Black or white, working-class, hyper-sexualised identity
  • Seen as an unintelligent, peer-led, culturally deprived under-achiever
• Ethnic minority pupils are likely to be seen as either demonised or pathologised pupils
• Teachers stereotyped Asian girls as quiet, passive, or docile
• When Asian girls challenge this stereotype by misbehaving, they are often dealt with more severely than other pupils
• Chinese students were simultaneously praised and viewed negatively by their teachers who saw them as 'homogenous passive, quit and hardworking'
• Chinese students were seen as having achieved success in the wrong way through hard-working passive conformism, rather than natural individual ability
• This meant Chinese students could never legitimately occupy the identity of Ideal pupil
• Teachers stereotype Chinese families as tight and close and use this to explain the girl's supposed passivity
• Teachers also tend to wrongly stereotype their Chinese students as middle-class