ethnicity: model answer (30 mark essay)

• What % of Chinese, black Caribbean and gypsy Roma children achieved grade 5 or more in GCSE English and Maths in 2021?

  80% Chinese, 35% black Caribbean, 8% gypsy Roma
• What are examples of outside of school factors?


  Language, parental attitude, variations in family structure, lower-class positions of many minority groups
• Why does the family have a fundamental part in instilling values into a child?


  It is a primary socialiser
• How does mainstream culture act as a drive for success in education?


  It instills competitiveness and a desire to succeed from a very young age
• Which ethnic groups are likely to use the 'tiger parenting' style?


  Chinese and Indian
• How does the use of the 'tiger parenting' style help to explain why there is an achievement gap between black and Chinese pupils?


  It motivates Chinese pupils to work hard and achieve highly
• What family structure do the New Right believe to be ideal for adequate socialisation?


  The nuclear family structure
• What does Moynihan argue in regards to black, female-headed lone parent families?


  Black children are deprived of adequate care because their mothers struggle financially in the absence of a male breadwinner
• What is likely to happen if black African-Caribbean families only have one parent?


  They may struggle to afford educational resources such as books and school trips, and are likely to live in overcrowded accommodation
• According to Sewell, what happens to black boys who lack a male role model?


  They often turn to 'gang' culture, which offers them the love and loyalty they're missing from a father
• How does involvement in gangs/lacking a male role model impact educational achievement of black boys?


  The boys will be culturally deprived and be less focused on their education, and may be disruptive, not complete homework or be truant. In turn, this can result in inadequate socialisation and create a cycle
• What do critics say about this view of black family structures?

  It ignores positive effects of black family structures, such as providing young black girls with positive role models of strong independent women
• What do cultural deprivation theorists see as a major cause of underachievement for many minority children?


  The lack of intellectual and linguistic skills
• What do Bereiter and Engelmann say about language?

  The language spoken by low-income black American families is inadequate for educational success because it is ungrammatical and incapable of expressing abstract ideas
• What does Keddie argue about the cultural deprivation theory?

  It is a victim-blaming explanation. You can't be deprived of your own culture, instead minority groups are culturally different
• How may a teacher treat a student based off of a label?

  Teachers may treat students differently in terms of the work and challenge they give them in lessons or the streams that they put them into
• How might a label impact educational success?

  It can create a self-fulfilling prophecy and effect a student's motivation to succeed. Also, being in a lower stream may mean that a student can only be entered into a foundation exam, therefore capping their educational success
• What did Gillborn and Mirza find in regards to the labelling of black students?

  Teachers had attributed labels to black students, such as 'disruptive' or 'threatening
• What did Fuller find in regards to the labelling of black students?

  Studied a group of high-achieving black girls in year 11, and found that they rejected the negative teacher labels, instead independently working hard and succeeding in external exams
• How may the ethnocentric curriculum disadvantage ethnic minority students' achievement?

  They may feel inferior and under-valued, affecting their self-esteem and motivation
• What evidence is there to suggest that the ethnocentric curriculum doesn't necessarily disadvantage ethnic minority students' achievement?

  Chinese and Indian cultures are ignored in the curriculum but their achievement is above the national average