2. Class Differences In Achievment (internal) Flashcards
- Labelling (Use in exam)
- To label someone is to attach a meaning or definition to the .
- In education teachers may label students as ‘bright’, ‘hardworking’ or even as a ‘troublemaker’.
- There is evidence to suggest that teachers pass judgement on their students based on pre-existing stereotypes of the ‘ideal pupil’ is
- Sociologists are interested how students and teachers react to these labels and the impact it has on achievement
Becker (1971) labelling in Secondary Schools
- Used interviews of 60 high school teachers, he found teachers stereotyped students based on their work, conduct and appearance.
- Teachers saw M/C children as the closest to their stereotype of the ‘ideal’ pupil and W/C furthest away from this
- Believes labelling leads to certain students getting a ‘halo’ effect throughout future interactions with teachers in their school life
Rist (1970) labelling in primary schools
- Studied an American kindergarten, found that teachers used information about their pupils’ home backgrounds and appearance to place students in separate groups
- Labelling began on the eighth day when children were permanently seated at three separate tables
- Teachers labelled the ‘fast learners’ as ‘Tigers’ and the slower learners as ‘Clowns and Cardinals’
- Tigers seated closer to teacher and shown more encouragement whereas clowns were seated further away and given less attention and lower level reading books
- Tigers generally ‘middle class’ and clowns generally ‘working class’
Keddie (1971) unequal access to classroom knowledge
Keddie found that teachers do not distribute knowledge evenly within the classroom but are more likely to give high ability student ‘high status knowledge’ whilst the opposite for lower ability students.
- The self fulfilling prophecy (Use in exam)
-This is prediction that comes true purely on the basis of it being made
Stage1: Teacher labels a pupil and makes predictions about them in relation to the label
Stage 2: The teacher interacts with the pupil based on this label and prediction
Stage 3: The pupil internalises the label, prediction and teachers expectations and it becomes part of their self concept. The pupil becomes the label and ‘fulfils’ the original ‘prophecy’
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) Teacher’s expectations and SFP
- They told a school that they had a new ability based test that could be used with pupils to identify those that would ‘spurt’ ahead. The teachers believed this.
- All pupils were tested and then R&J randomly selected 20% of them and told the school (again a lie) that these pupils were the spurters.
- A year later they found that almost half (47%) of the 20% pupils had made significant progress
- R&J suggested that the teachers interacted with the ‘spurter’ pupils differently which internalised the teachers views and led them to progress more
-Suggests that if teacher believes student to be certain type they can actually make them this type through interactions and encouragement
- Streaming- Gillborn & Youdell (2004) Educational triage (Use in exam)
-Due to pressures from league tables and formula funding schools are likely to ration their time and resources. Therefore educational triage takes place
-Those who are streamed lower are surrounded by others who have been streamed lower and may not care about education leading to distractions and poorer level of learning
Educational Triage
-Pupils are separated into 3 groups and either targeted for help or not
-The motivation for help is exam results and the eventual publication of results in league tables
3 groups- A)Those who will pass anyway (left to get on with it), B)Border line C/D pupils who are targeted for help or C)Hopeless cases (doomed to fail so don’t receive help)
-Working class are more likely to be labelled as hopeless cases and seen as lacking ability. This produces a self fulfilling prophecy and may lead to working class failure in education
- Pupil subcultures
- Subculture is a group of ppl who share same attitudes, values and behaviour patterns
- We can use Colin Lacey’s concept of differentiation and polarisation to explain how structures develop
- Differentiation refers to the way that teachers categorise or ‘Differentiate’ between pupils according to stereotypes about ability, appearance or ability
- Polarisation is the process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposites ‘poles’ or extremes. Lacey found that streaming polarised boys into pro or anti school subcultures.
Pro school subculture
- Associated with MC
- Positive stereotypes
- Positive labels
- Halos
- High sets and streams
- High expectations
- Positive self fulfilling prophecy
Anti school subculture
- Associated with WC
- Negative stereotypes
- Negative labels
- No Halos
- Low sets and streams
- Low expectations
- Negative self fulfilling prophecy
- Pupils’ class idententities and the school
- Louise Archer et al focus on the interactions between WC pupils’ identities in school and how this produced underachievement
- To understand this they expand on Bourdieu’s concept of habitus
Habitus
- Habitus refers to the dispositions or learned, taken for granted ways of thinking, being and acting that are shared by a particular social class
- It includes the tastes and preferences about lifestyle and consumption (such as fashion and leisure pursuits)
- Outlook on life is what is normal for ‘people like us’
- Group habitus is therefore formed as a response to its position in class structure
Symbolic capital and symbolic violence
- Because schools have a MC habitus, MC children who have been socialised at home with MC tastes and preferences gain ‘Symbolic capital’ or status at school
- WC tastes and lifestyles are different which creates symbolic violence. This reproduces class structure and divide between MC and WC
- Archer- believed WC had to change way they talk/dress which leads them feeling isolated in MC institutions
Nike identities
- WC pupils aware that school and society loom down in them
- Lead them to seek alternative ways of gaining status.
- Did this by creating their own style through consuming brands such as Nike and Adidas sportswear
-This went against MC habitus and risked being labelled as rebels which links with self fulfilling prophecy
