South Asian Parents' Aspirations Versus Teachers' Expectations in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article explores teacher expectations of second-generation UK South Asian students (of Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage) and their views of the parents as lacking high aspirations for their children. A range of misguided perceptions and stereotypical views are discussed and challenged. The author argues that these views are largely based on misconceptions and notions of culture as fixed and tightly bounded. As a result, young South Asians in the UK are trapped by these stereotypes that limit teachers' expectations of them, and that potentially constrain their educational opportunities.