Assess the Importance of School Factors Such as Racism and Pupils Responses to Racism in Creating Ethnic Differences in Educational Achievement.

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Assess the importance of school factors such as racism and pupils responses to racism in creating ethnic differences in educational achievement. Many sociologists would argue that internal factors are the most important factors when referring to racism and responses from the pupils as the school is where most of this would take place where different ethnicities are treated in different ways. However, some sociologists would disagree and say that external factors are more important than the internal factors which have an effect creating pupils to face racism at school and their responses in a particular way. Firstly, to start with, labelling in school factor and teacher racism is the first internal factor. Gillborn (1990) found that teachers were quick to discipline black pupils than any other raced pupils for the same behaviour. Gillborn and Youdell (2000) argue that this is the result of teacher’s racialised expectations. They found that teachers expected black pupils to present more discipline problems and misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening or challenge to authority. The pupils responded negatively when teachers misinterpreted their behaviour which resulted to conflict. Black pupils felt that teachers underestimated them and picked on them. Gillborn and Youdell conclude that much of the conflict between white teachers and black pupils stems from racial stereotypes which the teachers hold rather than the pupil’s behaviour. Thus, it creates ethnic differences in education achievement as if the teachers do this then it makes the students less motivated to work which may be the reason why black ethnic minority groups might do worst in education. On the other hand, some sociologists would argue and say that the external factors are the important factors which cause ethnic differences in achievement. The Swann report (1985) found that some minorities
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