The Role of Ethnicity in Educational Attainment
TITLE
Evaluate the view that ethnicity is the most important influence on educational attainment.
ESSAY
🌟Title: The Influence of Ethnicity on Educational Attainment🌟
🌟Introduction🌟
💥 Brief overview of the topic
💥 Explanation of the key terms and concepts
🌟Attainment Variability by Ethnicity🌟
💥 Discussion on how educational attainment varies across different ethnic groups
💥 Consideration of factors related to class and those independent of it
🌟Material Factors and Ethnicity🌟
💥 Analysis of how material deprivation affects educational outcomes among various ethnicities
💥 Exploration of links between household and community conditions and educational attainment
🌟Cultural Factors and Ethnicity🌟
💥 Examination of how cultural capital and ethnocentric curriculum impact academic success in different ethnic groups
💥 Discussion on how teacher stereotypes and expectations may differ based on ethnicity
🌟Ethnic Subcultures and Educational Attainment🌟
💥 Consideration of how ethnic subcultures can influence student motivation and achievement
🌟Gender and Ethnicity in Education🌟
💥 Exploration of how gender expectations vary within different ethnic groups
💥 Comparison of how girls' disadvantages have been addressed in social policy
🌟Counterarguments: Class and Other Factors🌟
💥 Examination of evidence suggesting that class might be the primary influence on educational inequalities
💥 Discussion of how structuralist views emphasize societal needs over individual identities
🌟Research Evidence🌟
💥 Reference to studies by Bourdieu, Gillborn and Youdell, Morley and Lussier, Mac an Ghaill, Mirza, etc.
🌟Key Concepts and Theories🌟
💥 Explanation of terms like material deprivation, cultural capital, habitus, and institutional racism
💥 Introduction of concepts like ethnocentrism, patriarchy, counter school subculture, and capitalism
🌟Conclusion🌟
💥 Summary of the main points from the essay
💥 Reflection on the complexity of factors influencing educational attainment, with ethnicity playing a significant but not exclusive role
SUBJECT
SOCIOLOGY
LEVEL
A level and AS level
NOTES
Evaluate the view that ethnicity is the most important influence on educational attainment.
🌟In support:🌟
💥 Attainment varies by ethnicity, both related to and independent of class.
💥 Material factors vary with ethnicity, especially groups experiencing household and community material deprivation and links to attainment.
💥 Cultural factors vary with ethnicity – cultural capital, school knowledge, and ethnocentric curriculum.
💥 Teacher negative stereotypes of pupils often linked to ethnicity. Labelling, streaming, discipline, exclusions.
💥 Ethnic subcultures influencing motivation and attainment.
💥 Teachers may have different expectations of gender within different ethnic groups.
💥 Girls’ disadvantages have been easier to address successfully with social policy.
💥 Pupils’ self💥image and aspirations linked to their ethnicity and affects impact of class and gender.
💥 Evidence of class being the dominant factor in educational inequality.
🌟Against:🌟
💥 Ethnic inequalities often only significant because of lower class context.
💥 Class differences more entrenched in capitalism.
💥 Varies according to national context; some places girls excluded from education whatever ethnicity, private school can be too expensive whatever ethnicity, etc.
💥 Meritocratic argument that attainment mainly due to Intelligence and effort.
💥 Structuralist views that limits on attainment set by needs of society/economy irrespective of individual identities.
🌟Research evidence:🌟
💥 Bourdieu
💥 Gillborn and Youdell
💥 Morley and Lussier
💥 Mac an Ghaill
💥 Mirza
💥 Connolly
💥 Shain, Modood, Sewell
💥 Archer
💥 Reid
💥 Jamal
💥 Jackson
💥 Ball
💥 Reay
💥 Boaler
🌟Additional concepts:🌟
💥 Material deprivation
💥 Cultural deprivation
💥 Cultural capital
💥 Habitus
💥 Institutional racism
💥 Ethnocentrism
💥 Patriarchy
💥 Counter school subculture
💥 Capitalism
💥 Class conflict
💥 Ideology
💥 Social mobility
💥 Attainment gap
💥 Meritocracy
The above content is indicative and other relevant approaches to the question should be rewarded appropriately.