2. Class differences in Achievement: Internal Factors

Question 1

Labelling

Answer 1

• Becker: Conducted an Interactionist study of labeling. Based on 60 Chicago high school teachers, he found that they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted an image of the ‘ideal pupil’
• Amelia: found these notions vary according to social class. Aspen Primary school: discipline was a major problem, ideal pupil was quiet passive and obedient.
  Rowan Primary School: Very few discipline problems and here the idea pupil was defined in terms of personality and academic ability

Question 2

Labelling in secondary schools

Answer 2

• Dunne and Gazeley: Schools persistently produce working-class achievements because of the label assumptions of teachers. It is normal for W.C to fail and are unconcerned by it. Where as they believe they can over come M.C underachievement

Question 3

Labelling in primary schools

Answer 3

Rist: American Kindergarten shows: He found that the teacher used information about children’s home background and appearance to place them in separate groups, seating each group at a different table.

Question 4

Self- fulfilling prophecy

Answer 4

1. Teacher labels a pupil
2. Teacher treats pupil accordingly as if the label is true
3. Pupil internalises the self fulfilling prohecy

Question 5

Teachers expectations

Answer 5

• Rosenthal and Jacobson: Show SFP at work, they told a school they have designed a test that can identify those pupils who would ‘spurt’ ahead. This was untrue because the test was just an IQ test. However the teachers believed what they were told. Picked those children at random and found out that they actually made progress

Question 6

Steaming

Answer 6

• Seperating kids into different ‘streams’ or groups.
• Youdell: Educational Triage (sorting)
• Becker: W.C are not ideal pupils

Question 7

A-to-C economy

Answer 7

• Youdell and Gillborn and : Teachers use stereotypical notions to stream pupils. Teachers less likely to see Working class and Black pupils as having ability. Due to this they are placed in lower GCSE tiers. To get a high exam performance thus higher in the leader boards

Question 8

Pupil subcultures

Answer 8

Lacey:
- Differentiation, Teachers sorting pupils according to how they perceive their ability.
- Polarisation: pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite poles or extremes.
-Pro-school subculture:
Pupils placed in high streams tend to be commited
-Anti school subculture:
Those placed in low streams (w.c) suffer a loss of self esteem.

Question 9

Abolishing streaming

Answer 9

Ball: When the school abolished banding, the basis for pupils to polarise into subcultures was largely removed and the influence of the anti-school subculture declined.

Question 10

Variety of pupil responses

Answer 10

Woods:

• Ingratiation: Teachers pet
• Ritualism: Staying out of trouble
• Retreatism: Day dreaming and mucking about
• Rebellion: Rejection of everything the school stands for

Question 11

Criticism’s

Answer 11

Marxist, ignoring the wider structures of power within which labelling takes place. Not teachers but merely that they work for a system that believes in divisions

Question 12

Habitus

Answer 12

Middle class has the power to control Habitus

Question 13

Symbolic Violence and Capital

Answer 13

• Schools based off Middle class Habitus, MC gain Symbolic Capital [ worth].
• Archer: W.C would have to change themselves to fit with the M.C habitus.

Question 14

Nike identities

Answer 14

• Archer

- Nike styles: W.C rejection of higher education which they saw as unrealistic and undesirable