Notably, ethnicity as a social construct affects social justice for families in early education and care in various ways ranging from education to labour market. There is a growing concern between the gap that is evident in education, as well as labour markets and other interconnected aspects as a result of ethnicity and differences in cultural backgrounds (Maestri, 2016). In Australia, children from Aboriginal backgrounds have faced racial discrimination as a result of the ethnicity social construct. Sometimes children may not feel included in certain learning environments and this situation can affect both their academic performance and personal development. In some environments, there are lack of cultural competency among the stakeholders a situation that has led to lack of appropriate mitigation measures and adaptation strategies that can help in eliminating the negative impacts of ethnicity.
Children in early childhood education setting with stakeholders who do not value or recognise diversity may not be confident and involved learners (Maestri, 2016). According to EYLF, children are confident and involved learners. In relation to that, they adapt, as well as transfer what they have learnt from one context (aspect) to another. In cases where ethnicity has negative impacts, the children as well as their parents may be affected because of lack of sense of becoming, belonging, and being. For instance, in a situation where a children population is more heterogeneous, all teachers need to adapt their teaching strategies in ways that recognise diversity. This can mean using differentiation strategies. Not all educators can employ appropriate differentiation strategies to eliminate, which can lead to unequal learning and peer academic performance among the diverse population.
On the other hand, it is essential to recognise that the diversity brought by ethnicity can enrich the learners. According to Maestri (2016), as long as the cultures of different communities are relevant and not overlapping with that of other groups, it can help in enriching all the involved cultural groups. For instance, currently almost all learning institutions in Australia recognise Indigenous education. Therefore, ethnic diversity can enhance social justice where children learn through contributing to greater creativity and enhancement of cultural awareness (Maestri, 2016).
Identify and apply relevant sociological theory as a means to explain and address the social justice issue
In education, sociology allows better comprehension and understanding of socio-cultural influences or impacts on young people, children, and their families, as well as the ways in which the influences determine the engagement of the students and the possible education outcome.
Sociological theory for educational practices such as functionalist theory helps in understanding ways in which universal education can help in serving the need of the community. It is also applicable in addressing the racial discrimination, which is a social justice issue identified from ethnicity social construct. For instance, it can solve the racial discrimination issue through ensuring that there is equality in education irrespective of one’s background (Miller, 2016).
Since the theory focuses on understanding the social differences that makes some children perform better than others, it can help in identifying the gaps such as racial discrimination that affects performance of Indigenous children, as well as others children from various backgrounds.
The theory also helps in addressing the racial discrimination issue through questioning whether the education system provides opportunities for every child to succeed. This can ensure that there are inclusive practices within the learning institutions to
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