Interviewed Asian girls in a number of different schools in the Manchester area
Identified 4 different groups of girls and each group used different strategies for coping with school experiences
1 of 5
Shain 2003 - Gang Girls
Held anti-education and anti-school views
Were confrontational and had developed a 'them' and 'us' attitude
Felt they had experienced racism in school and that led them to form an all Asian female subculture
This subculture excluded white students and teachers
They used survival tactics of resistance through their culture
Had a clear and positive Asian identity which they defended
2 of 5
Mirza
Found the Black girls in her study were held back by the well-meaning but misguided behaviour of most od the teachers whilst rarely encountering open racism
Their 'help' was often patronising and counterproductive, curtailing both career and educational opportunities that should have been available to the black girls.
They were entered for fewer subjects to 'take the pressure off', or they were given ill-informed, often stereotypical, careers advice.
Had to look for alternative strategies to get by, some of which hindered their progress such as not asking for help.
They helped each other out with academic work but were seen to resist the schools values by refusing to conform through their dress, appearance, and behaviour
3 of 5
Archer and Yamashati 2003
Studied the Harkton boys - a group of year 10 boys in a London comprehensive school
Displayed norms and values that were anti-school and anti-education
Style, clothes, and accent were crucial parts of their identity in school and the local area where they wanted to be visible and seen by others.
Displayed strong commitment to local area and spoke about importance of staying local, not moving away when they left school
Enjoyed rap culture, showed attachment to the 'bad boy' image
Considered reading and education to be 'soft'
Thought they would be labelled as a '*****' if they worked hard in class - did not want to be seen to make an effort to learn.
4 of 5
Jackson 2006 - Ladettes
Researched ladette culture in secondary schools and claimed they displayed anti-school and anti-swot characteristics
Norms and values included acting hard, smoking, swearing, disrupting lessons, being cheeky/rude to teachers, loud/gobby and open about their heterosexual sex lives
These were displayed in and out of school
Mostly white and working-class and were in danger of seriously underachieving in school becasue of their attitude of 'it is not cool to be cleaver'.
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