Asses sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement Essay Example for Free

Asses sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement Essay Asses sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement. 20 marks. Ethnicity refers to shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set apart one group of people from another. That is, ethnicity is a shared cultural heritage. The most common characteristics distinguishing various ethnic groups are ancestry, a sense of history, language and religion. Modern Britain is said to be a multicultural society made up of many different ethnic groups. Achievement within education is very varied across cultures, with some such as Chinese and Indian students performing above the average, and African-Caribbean and Pakistani students performing well below average. There are many factors which can reduce a child from an ethnic backgrounds attainment. For instance, Material deprivation. Material deprivation focuses on income inequality and the material problems that are associated with it. An example of such a study is J. W. B Douglas, The Home and The School (1964). He argued that an interlocking network of inequalities existed which operated against many working class students. This included, differential effects of regional and variations in educational provision and expenditure. Also, housing and environmental factors. Which led to chances of access to good primary schools. Therefore, hindering the chance of access to top streams. As a result, minority ethnic children are more likely to live in low-income households. This means they face the problems that Douglas highlighted, the material factors, such as poor quality housing, no working space and even possibly bad influence of peers. One other reason for differences in educational achievement between ethnicities is the basic family life. African-Caribbean communities have a high level of lone parenthood. Actually, it is estimated 50% of African-Caribbean households have a lone-parent . This can mean that many face financial problems, this can lead to lower achievement in school (Douglas’ material factors). Conversely, single mothers can be a positive role model or influence for many young girls, meaning they perform better in education. Another explanation for ethnic differences is Language. For many children of an ethnic minority English is not their primary language. This can be a disadvantage because they may not understand exams as well as others. Also they might struggle to express themselves with limited English. Finally, some teachers may mistake poor English for a lack of intelligence, when actually this could be completely untrue, meaning that a clever child may be let down by the teacher who might not push the student to their full potential. However, you could argue that Chinese and Indian students first language isn’t English, on the other hand in these two cultures it is the norm to learn English as a strong second language. Therefore, they are not hindered by the second language barrier, as opposed to Bangladeshi’s for example. Language was such a big issue that Bernstein (1973) categorised students into two groups. Elaborated and restricted. In the case of an elaborated code, the speaker will select from a relatively extensive range of alternatives. However in the case of a restricted code the number of these alternatives is often severely limited. Bernstein’s work was not always praised. For instance, Labov (1974) argued that young blacks in the United States, although using language which certainly seems an example of the restricted code, nevertheless display a clear ability to argue logically. Their lack of knowledge concerning the subject may reach further than just the exams they have to take. For instance, due to the large amount of failing black Caribbean’s and Bangladeshi’s (a combined total of 41% managed to get 5 A* C grades), teachers may be subconsciously prejudiced against ethnic minorities. This can lower the students attainments in many ways, one is that the teachers give the student lower grades. Another way is that the teacher negatively labels a student of ethnic minority which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. Racism can also lead to conflict between students and teachers, making learning a much harder task. Lastly, racism can lead to low-self esteem among ethnic minorities. A researcher who studies this was Howard Becker (1971). Becker Interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers. He found that they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted image of â€Å"ideal pupil†. Their conduct appearance influenced judgement. Middle class was closest to ideal, working class furthest away labelled as badly behaved. As a result you can see, if teachers labelled students on how they look, you can imagine how they would label a whole ethnic race. Another factor for ethnic differences in educational achievement is the ethnocentric curriculum. There are several reasons why ethnic minorities may struggle due to this curriculum. One is that the subjects often focus on British culture; naturally White British students will have grown up with this culture, so they might have a greater understanding of the content than students who grew up in a different culture. Another reason is that the content of the curriculum could lower ethnic minorities self-esteem, this is because often the white character is seen as â€Å"good† and superior whilst the ethnic minorities are seen as â€Å"not as academic†. However, it is crucial not to forget that every ethnic minority underachieves at this level. In fact, in the UK, Chinese and Indian pupils score better grades than the â€Å"White† ethnic race. One of the main reasons for this is the support of the parents. Research has shown that some parents of ethnic minority, such as Chinese and Indian, take more interest in their child’s education, they also encourage their child more than other in other cultures. This obviously leads to higher achievement for the child. Not only the parents play a part. Some teachers may stereotype some ethnic minorities to be intelligent and hard-working. This encouragement and sort of support can aid a student in raising their grades. To conclude, there are many sociological explanations for the ethnic differences in educational achievement, from language barriers to family life at home. However, it is important to remember not all ethnic minorities to underachieve. Rafi Kentafi Lindill 12P.

Humor in A Midsummer Nights Dream :: Midsummer Nights Dream

Humor in A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare uses many ways to portray humor and make his plays a success because of it. He created a careful mix of love with humor to create a success called "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The focus of this paper is to describe how Shakespeare uses humor in his play. One way that Shakespeare uses humor in this play is by using plain humor that need not be interpreted in any way. He did this by creating the artisans. The artisans, obviously are not intelligent at all, but try to be. They mess up grammar, spelling, and everything that the author of "Pyramus and Thisby" had wanted for his play. For instance, when Bottom says "Thisbe, the flowers of odious savors sweet,"82 he was supposted to say ‘odors' instead of ‘odious' in the sentence. Odors means "fragrant smells," while odious means "repulsive." A simple mistake by someone that is low in the society, but totally changes the meaning of the sentence. This humor is obvious to everybody watching that Bottom had made a mistake. This type of humor, while obvious, sometimes doesn't portray the meaning correctly. Inferred humor is sometimes more suited for this. Shakespeare used something like inferred humor to get across some other meanings that added to the play. One good example is the character of Puck. Puck is a hyperactive child that gets into a lot of mischief. His attitude toward his tasks is sort of a light and airy one. He does not take life seriously, he only does what is fun. This type of character is totally different than everyone else in the play; they are in a serious tone, while Puck is just dancing around pulling pranks on everyone. One good example of a prank that Puck created was putting an Ass' head on Bottom. It was unnecessary, just fun. What made him funny was these sort of pranks, and the contrast of his attitude toward the other ones in the story. For example, Lysander is bound up in love for Hermia and Helena, depending on what part of the play. He is very serious and sad because Hermia is being forced to marry Demetrius. Sort of equivalent to a tragedy. Puck is just creating mischief and having fun. Another way that Shakespeare uses humor is that he uses examples that would never happen in real life. For example, after Lysander and Demetrius had been led around the king's oak for a long time, they fell down and went to sleep. This contains no logic whatsoever, because they are trying to kill each other,

Duality in “The Odyssey” Essay

Odysseus exhibits a certain duality in his nature that defines his persona and controls his actions. In Book Nine of The Odyssey, both oppositional sides of Odysseus are poignantly illustrated: the tactful, crafty leader who uses reason, and the rash warrior in search of home and glory who acts impulsively. From the opening scene, Odysseus uses his cunning and charm to win the respect and honor of the Phaeacians and their king, Alcinous. This is shown when he states, What a fine thing this is, to listen to such a bard/as we have here—the man sings like a god./The crown of life, Id say† Clearly, Odysseus is trying to flatter and win the favor of his hosts in order to secure their help for passage to his beloved Ithaca. In order to impress them further, Odysseus declares that he is â€Å"known to the world/for every kind of craft—my fame has reached the skies† (21-22). Odysseus creates an image of being an incredibly strong leader. However, for a man of great ingenuity, Odysseus makes several imprudent mistakes. Among the gravest of his faults is acting without caution. Upon sighting the land of the Cyclops, Odysseus feels a sense of foreboding in the upcoming events. He states that he knew that hed â€Å"soon come up against/some giant clad in power like armor-plate—/a savage deaf to justice, blind to law† (238-240). Although he gets this feeling, he acts without reason. However, he irrationally leads his men into the cave of the Cyclops anyway. As a result, Odysseus led some of his men to a horrendous death. Long after the Cyclops is utterly defeated, Odysseus taunts Polyphemus. Odysseus allows his haughtiness to surpass his wisdom and ridicules the blinded giant; thereby, jeopardizing the lives of his entire crew when the Cyclops hurls a boulder at his boat. Odysseus could not stop there; he had to take the credit for Polyphemus defeat and shouts his true identity, contrary to his mens pleadings. He had previously instigated the monster, who in turn, could now seek revenge upon him. These instances depict how Odysseus’ rash behavior overtakes his wiliness. Bibliography: The Odyssey by Homer

The Fight For Civil Rights And Equality - 1339 Words

America has come a long way in the fight for civil rights and equality. It has been a rocky road for people of all different races, especially for those of African American decent. It is hard to think about how over 100 years ago, African Americans had to live as slaves and had to put up with abuse, confinement, and had little to no freedom. They also faced an immense amount of discrimination, dating from the days of slavery to the mid 1900’s. It was an unfortunate situation that separated races into unequal divisions. A life of slavery was a hard one, and a man named Frederick Douglass would know. He was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. Despite being a slave, he was taught the alphabet and learned how to read and write from the wife of one of his slave owners. He eventually escaped slavery by using the identity of a sailor to travel to the North. As a free man, he then began to produce abolitionist newspapers such as North Star. He became one of the most famous b lack men in the country, and was the first black man to be seen on a political ballot. He was a supporter of the thirteenth amendment, which was one of the key impacts on abolishing slavery, as it banned slavery throughout the nation. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1964. More amendments of the United States that also contributed to helping slaves were the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments. The fourteenth amendment was adopted on July 9, 1868. It declares anyone born in theShow MoreRelatedPublic Opinion on Gender Issues: Human Rights, American Civil Rights, and Feminist Movements1328 Words   |  5 PagesGender Issues: Human Rights, American Civil Rights, and Feminist Movements The development of social movements in the course of human history has led to unprecedented changes that challenged the not only the status quo, but most importantly, the worldviews of societies as well. 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