Volume 29, Issue 2 p. 155-188

Voluntary and Involuntary Minorities: A Cultural-Ecological Theory of School Performance with Some Implications for Education

Professor John U. Ogbu

Professor John U. Ogbu

Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley

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Professor Herbert D. Simons

Professor Herbert D. Simons

School of Education University of California, Berkeley

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First published: 08 January 2008
Citations: 524

Abstract

This article has three objectives. First, it describes Ogbu's classification of minorities: autonomous, voluntary or immigrant, and involuntary or nonimmigrant minorities. Second, it explains Ogbu's cultural-ecological theory of minority school performance. Finally, it suggests some implications of the theory for pedagogy. The authors regard the typology of minority groups as a heuristic device for analysis and interpretation of differences among minority groups in school experience.