The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
CS-ISC-36e

Bibliographic reference :
Stevens, P.A.J. (2007). Researching Race/Ethnicity and Educational Inequality in English Secondary Schools: A critical Review of the Research Literature Between 1980-2005. Review of Educational Research, 77(2), 147-185.

Abstract :

The goal of this literature review was to describe and critically analyze the main sociological research traditions focusing on educational inequalities related to ethnicity in England between 1980 and 2005.

Reference Selection
Selection criteria were first identified. Studies had to have been conducted with a population of secondary school students in England during the 1980-2005 period of time. They also had to focus on the correlation between educational inequalities and ethnicity from a sociological perspective. In addition, they had to be published in peer-refereed journal articles.

The Sociological Abstract, ERIC and Social Science Citation Index bibliographical databases were searched to collect data. References worthy of interest were also identified by perusing research projects included in these databases.

Research Traditions
The author of this article identified five research traditions. He first explained the origin of each from an historical viewpoint. Then, he described these traditions by examining the research questions they raised and debates they sparked, along with the methods used.

(1) Political Arithmetic – This tradition consists of describing the relationship between educational inequalities and ethnicity using large-scale data sets. It contributed to a better understanding of inequalities by describing the differences in the school situation of students of different ethnic groups, their individual progress and the complex interactions of ethnicity, gender and social class.

(2) Racism and Racial Discrimination in School – This tradition uses qualitative research methods to explore how school selection processes, the distribution of school and classroom resources, the nature of knowledge and values taught in school, and teachers’ attitudes and discriminatory behaviour are related to the educational experiences and outcomes of ethnic minority students. It enhanced knowledge of the complex processes through which racism operates in school settings.

(3) School Effectiveness and School Inclusion – Although this research tradition is similar to the previous one, its assumptions and methods are different. Studies featuring this tradition explore the relationships between school processes and characteristics and the differences observed in the educational achievement of different groups of students. Their aim is to identify the characteristics of effective schools fostering the educational achievement of not only all students, but also that of different groups of students by using quantitative methods of analysis.

(4) Culture and Educational Outcomes – This tradition focuses on the effect of culture and religion on schooling, more particularly girls’ schooling, while considering certain social background characteristics (e.g., parents’ level of education, family size).

(5) Educational Markets and Educational Outcomes – This tradition looks into the consequences of the Education Reform Act, a British educational policy implemented in 1988. Creating a statutory national curriculum and setting standards of achievement, both imposed on all state schools contributed to creating an educational market within the educational system. This context stimulated educational diversity among schools competing to attract the best possible clientele with a view to increasing their chances of performing better than other schools. However, many students do not receive the services they need in this tradition. Instead, resources are allotted to the students most likely to meet achievement criteria. Referred to as “educational triage”, this process takes place among schools and excludes low achieving students. Results of research conducted under this tradition suggest that British students, especially African-Caribbean students, are the most at risk of exclusion, followed by white students and Asian students.

Towards a More Comprehensive Research Programme
To conclude, the author identified some of the elements that need to be improved in each of these research traditions in order to further enhance knowledge of the correlation between educational inequalities and ethnicity. Among other things, he suggested a greater integration of these different traditions and qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Links :
This journal is also available in electronic format. Publisher’s Website address: http://rer.sagepub.com/"

Key Words :
Ethnicity, Social Class, Gender, Discrimination, School Characteristics, School Selection Process, Accountability, Sociology of Education, Quantitative Analysis, Qualitative Analysis, Literature Review, Secondary/High School, Newsletter11

Monitored Countries :
England