Using Material from Item a and Elsewhere, Assess the View That Ethnic Differences in Achievement Are Primarily the Result of Home Background Factors

644 Words3 Pages
Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that ethnic differences in achievement are primarily the result of home background factors It is the common belief that home background factors affect achievement for people of different ethnicities; the belief is that White and Asian people achieve higher than black people. Home background factors consist of Cultural and Material deprivation. Cultural deprivation (CD) means inadequate socialisation in the home, this means that children who are culturally deprived lack the correct norms and values needed for educational success. CD can be broken down into 3 aspects, intellectual and linguistic skills, attitudes and values and family structure. Many CD sociologists see a lack of intellectual and linguistic as a major barrier to achievement in education, this is because a lack of these skills will slow development of reasoning skills, which can disadvantage the student. Bereiter and Engelmann consider the language used by black American families on low income as “inadequate for educational success”. Similarity, Bowker identifies their lack of Standard English as a barrier to education and integration in wider society. Most CD theorists see a lack of motivation as a key barrier to progress in educational achievement in black children compared to white or Asian children; who are instilled with ambition and a willingness to achieve thanks to the mainstream culture they are brought up in. Family structure varies greatly between ethnic groups, Ken Pryce argues that Asians are higher achievers because their culture is more resistant to racism and gives them a greater sense of self worth, whereas Black pupils have low self esteem due to racism and as such they achieve less in education. Driver and Ballard argue that Asian family structures are more positive to wards education and have higher aspirations for

More about Using Material from Item a and Elsewhere, Assess the View That Ethnic Differences in Achievement Are Primarily the Result of Home Background Factors

Open Document