Asian-named minority groups in a British school system: A study of the education of the children of immigrants of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin from the Indian sub-continent or East Africa in the City of Bradford.

摘要

This thesis was planned as an -interdisciplinary work, a possible exemplar of 'audpeace study' (see Appendix 5).udIt offers an analysis of the situation of the Asian children of immigrantudfamilies, socially and racially disadvantaged in Britain, in the Bradford schooludsystem from the mid-1970's to 1980*, and their relative success in terms ofudexternal examination assessment in comparison with their peers. This is seenudagainst the backcloth of pioneering Local Authority policies to support theirudeducation and observations of practice in schools. The findings are generalised asudmodels of what is perceived by the policy-makers and practitioners to be progressudtowards racial justice and peace.udIt is argued that the British school system has shown limited facility to offerudequal opportunity of success to pupils in socially disadvantaged groups and that thisudis borne out in an analysis of the situation of the Asian pupils in the CountyudUpper schools in Bradford (CB), less likely to be allocated to externaludexamination-orientated groups or to gain success in these than their peers. Thereudare indications that their potential may not be being realised. It is argued thatudwhile language support for the bilingual child is important, account should also beudtaken of a more general cultural dominance in the school system and stereotypedudlow expectations from teachers which may feed racial bias in institutions.udThe data show that the LEA policies, though benevolent in intention,uddemonstrate institutional racism in effect. With four case studies from observationsudin Bradford schools, models are developed for practice that has potential forudpower-sharing and greater equity of opportunity -for pupils, involving respect forudcultural diversity and antiracist education strategies supporting and supported byudcommunity participation in schools. It is argued that white educationists need toudlisten to black clients, pupils and their parents, involving them in dialogue toudascertain their real needs, to implement appropriate policy.udAs there was a considerable lapse of time between the field work research andudwriting up of this thesis, and its final presentation, an addendum (with bibliography)udreviews some of the research and literature in the fleld since 1980. This situates the fieldudwork historically. The issues raised and discussed in the context of the 1970's are still farudfrom being solved. The additional work stregthens, rather than changes my originaludconclusion that society is locked into a cycle of inequality. A counter-hegemony mustudemerge from 'grass-roots', community initiatives with a values-base linked not to self-seekingudor confrontational power group politics but to a notion of the common good.