The educational experiences of young people of Ghanaian origin in England

Attainment statistics spanning more than three decades have indicated continuing high levels of underachievement among Blacks, including Africans in schools in England and Wales. Data has always placed Black Africans into one composite category, making it nearly impossible to identify the sub-groups within this category who are underperforming. Yet there is limited research depicting the educational experiences of young people within the African group. The main aim of this study therefore is to single out one group from the Black African category, who are of Ghanaian origin and illuminate their voices concerning their educational experiences. This thesis therefore examines the likely contributory factors internal and external to the school system, which influence their educational experiences either negatively or positively. Using a qualitative approach and a phenomenological methodology, the young people and key stakeholders involved in their education - parents, teachers and community leaders- have shared their views through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Following an evaluation of the limited utility of various theoretical lenses, such as Cultural Deficit theory, Post - Colonial Theory and Marxist Theory, a synthesis between Bourdieu’s Social Reproduction Theory and Critical Race Theory is advanced to provide theoretical underpinnings for this study and a lens through which to analyse the research data. The findings of this research reveal that negative stereotyping, low expectations by teachers and institutional racism in schools exist in British schools. Furthermore, there is strong evidence to suggest that there are insufficient Black role models, the Curriculum in English schools is Eurocentric, and parental involvement is key, in impacting on educational experiences and outcomes. The conclusions drawn are that Race Relations and Equality guidelines in school policies should be monitored by Department for Education and Local Authorities to facilitate their translation into practice. While proposing that struggling to take up this challenge should be supported, parents must understand that the burden of educational responsibility is placed upon them, as recommended by the Educational Responsibility Model advanced in this thesis.