Telling a different story: The effect of parenting on the academic and professional achievement of 24 British-Ghanaian high flyers

Abstract

Research often highlights concerns about the underachievement of Black students in education and, later, within the labour market. However, shortcomings are identifiable with such research. Firstly, achievement levels of all Black students are often homogenised. For example, findings on the achievements of African-Caribbean students are often applied to other Black groups, creating a misleading impression of their different academic outcomes. Secondly, studies seeking to explain low attainment levels of Black students frequently present a pathological picture of Black families in Britain, by assuming that most parents use authoritarian approaches to socialising their children, which hinders educational outcomes. This research aims to challenge these ideas. It analyses the role of parenting in the academic and professional success of 24 high-achieving British-Ghanaians. In doing so, it suggests that not all Black/Ghanaian parents use authoritarian socialisation methods. However, when parents did adopt this approach, it was not necessarily detrimental to children’s educational/professional outcomes.