Pupil responses

• Pupil responses


  Ways in which pupils respond to teacher labelling and stereotyping
• Pupil responses


  • Channelling anger about negative stereotypes into educational success (Fuller's study)
  • Maintaining positive self-image by relying on own efforts rather than teacher approval (Fuller's study)
  • Overcoming negative labels through greater academic commitment from single-sex schooling (Mac an Ghaill's study)
  • Devising strategies to avoid teacher racism, but these can still limit opportunities (Mirza's study)
• Types of teacher racism


  • Colour-blind: allowing racism to go unchallenged
  • Liberal chauvinists: low expectations of black pupils
  • Overt racists: actively discriminating against black pupils
• Sewell's typology of boys' responses


  • Rebels: rejecting school goals and rules, expressing through gang membership
  • Conformists: keen to succeed, avoiding stereotypes
  • Retreatists: disconnected from school and black subcultures
  • Innovators: pro-education but anti-school, valuing success without teacher approval
• Teacher stereotypes can be a cause of pupil failure
• Pupils may devise strategies to avoid teacher racism, but these can still limit their opportunities
• To explain ethnic differences in achievement, we need to go beyond just examining individual teacher racism (Troyna and Williams)
• Internal factors


  Institutional racism within the education system