Sociology Assignment JF: SO1310 Student Number: 14314593 Name: Lara Nolan Tutorial Group: 3 Q2. How does cumulative disadvantage (Darmody, 2011) constitute itself in education? Discuss with particular reference to migrant students. This essay will discuss how cumulative disadvantage (Darmody, 2011) constitutes itself in education with regards to migrant students in particular. Migrant students on arrival into their receiving country are faced with many difficulties regarding their education. These difficulties include problems with integrating, communication, negotiations and academic potential. The language barriers that exist between migrant students and irish national students/teachers pose a huge disadvantage and is the …show more content…
Students may often be accepted into a school based on their religious upbringing, their connection to passed pupils and their English fluency level. Immediately migrant students are put at a disadvantage as most likely they have no connection to passed pupils, their English may not be exceptional and their religious orientation may be indifferent. Even if their admission is accepted they then will also face obstacles with both settling in and ignoring their own cultural identity. Many migrant students are expected to reject their cultural differences and develop a more adapt, common persona within the school community. This can inhibit the migrant students own religious education as they can often be forced to attend masses of a different religious orientation. Considering that in Ireland the proportion of the population who were Catholics reached its lowest point in 2011 at 84.2 per cent (Anon., 2011), one would think that coming from a different ethnic origin shouldn’t still inhibit a person’s education. Indeed efforts are being made to integrate and encourage religious diversity within multicultural schools it still remains a problem and could be classified as a disadvantage to migrant students. A migrant student’s religious orientation may also act as a disadvantage within the Irish education system as it may cause …show more content…
The disadvantages that migrant students may face in education within their receiving countries can include problems through communication, integration and negotiation. Many of these difficulties arise as a result of existing racism, language barriers, religious indifference and national ignorance to cultural variety. Migrant students may not reach their full academic potential as a result of this cumulative disadvantage (Darmody, 2011) in education. A resolution to this problem can be difficult to pin point although measures have been taken to encourage integration and racial acceptance through constitution giving equal rights to education etc. National teachers and students of the receiving country must make a conscious effort to enable migrant students full development on an academic and social level to avoid these existing