How Has Your Culture Influenced Who You Are

This 'How has your culture influenced who you are' essay will discuss the sociological concepts of identity and social group differences that are present in Australian schools. In particular, the differences of identity in high school aged children and the social class differences of year 7 students and how these differences have a real affect of student achievements and outcomes.

Identity and culture have a close relationship. Culture can both negatively and positively affect how one may identify themselves and how other people may also identify them. Debra Hayes believes that culture in part, can both incite specific forms of identity and suppress those same, or other forms of identity. Hayes continues that a person’s identity is influenced by many different areas of their being. These areas include but are not limited to “age, gender, race, class, outlook and sexuality”. All these areas, and more, can and do influence how a person or group of people may identity themselves as. In “It felt like I was a black dot on white paper': examining young former refugees’ experience of entering Australian high schools” it was the first time the subjects of the study; high school aged refuges had to face that they were being identified as different and that these differences were not accepted by their peers. The way they were identified as different was set into two main areas. Their different skin tone (darkness and complexion) and that they spoke with an accent. These racial divides that are experienced at Australian schools can lead to negative experiences, both the person on the receiving end of the racism and the offending student. This shows that having an accent and different skin tone may be a feature of how an Australian may identify themselves, or others, as Australian. This also shows that to an extent; different social groups interact with each other based on not only their identity and culture but their own social groups.

As identity and culture influence each other based on their similarities and differences, the same can be said for social groups and the differences between social groups in Australian schooling and the wider community. It is these social differences and how we construct social group differences that is important. Anthony Welch believes that social class is perhaps the key to understanding social stratification and inequality between social groups. Anthony welch defines social class as the grouping of people based on their economic wealth and the social power, they hold over their own lives as well as the lives of others. Welch continues to say that social class difference is the key driver of social difference in equality and how it also affects other social differences such as one’s gender and ethnicity. Social group in schools can also differentiate themselves by other means. One’s skin tone and accent as is another that groups may differentiate themselves, as social groups are usually formed around similarities and not differences. It’s these differences that can and do affect a child’s schooling outcomes and achievements.

These identity and social group differences are some key factors as to why there are differences in equality and outcomes in Australian schools, despite all public schools following a national curriculum in which the expected outcomes for students are outlined to teachers in each key area of learning. These areas include: “English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, Languages, Technologies and the Arts”. As results from the NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) indicate, there is a significant and undeniable difference in the outcomes achieved. Specifically, the outcome difference in those students in year 7 whose parents are identified as having a different level of occupation or lack of occupation. Year 7 students in NSW whose parents are group 1, with group 1 being defined as “Senior management and qualified professionals” had at least 98.6% of students scoring at or above the national minimum standard. Compared to year 7 students whose parents are identified as in “Not in paid work” had only 81.3% of the students scoring at or below the minimum national standard. A point difference of 17.3%. As welch (welch) believes that the social class difference is the one of the key differences in equality, this point difference between the groupings is to be expected.

To sum up, how Australian students identify themselves and others is a key aspect of social groups and the difference between these social groups. These differences can both have a negative and positive aspect depending on one’s position and point of view. However, it is important to try to mitigate these differences in the outcomes of students so that all students can have the opportunity and ability to achieve equal outcomes.