Major Differences Contributing to these Incidents

Socioeconomic Status (S.E.S)

There are numerous different factors that together indicate that Jeremy is likely of lower socioeconomic status (S.E.S):

• There are indications that Jeremy often does not have breakfast, as teachers observe that he is often trying to get food of other students in the canteen.
• Jeremy also rarely has clothes for P.E. and his normal uniform appears as if Jeremy slept in it.
• Jeremy's parents are separated, with Jeremy being cared for by his father, and another woman in the home who reportedly regularly changes.
• Jeremy's father is also potentially verbally abusive to his children.

There are more clear indications that Mickahale is of low S.E.S.:

• His family are of Croatian origin, and Croatian is the primary language spoken at home.
• The parents appear to regularly move, chasing irregular work such as working the cabbage harvest.
• His parents identify that they are unable to pay for lessons that would help Mickahale with his low levels of English.

Ethnic Differences

We have no indication that Jeremy Nelson is of any ethnicity other than the dominant English-Australian ethnic group. By contrast, we have indications that both of the other contributing students, Michahale and Nick, are of minority ethnic groups.

• As mentioned before, Michahale's family is of Croatian origin and primarily speak Croatian at home. His English is of a low standard and the English of his parents in the interview is also of low standard.

• Nicholas' last name, Stephanopolous, gives indication that he is of Greek origin. Discussion in the staff room indicate that he has views that reinforce traditional gender roles and that he has strong opinions towards the left wing of politics. These opinions are probably developed at home. These may or may not be related to his ethnic background, but none-the-less indicate a value difference that can also cause social differences.