2.1 education- class differences in achievement (external factors) Flashcards
external factors definition
factors outside of the school education system
3 main external factors that explain class differences in achievement
- cultural deprivation
- material deprivation
- cultural capital
material deprivation
definition of material deprivation
poverty and a lack of material necessities such as adequate housing and income
material deprivation
example of poverty linked with educational underachievement: fsm gcse results
- only 1/3 achieved 5 or more grades a*- c
material deprivation
Jan Flaherty said money problems in the home linked to
school attendance
material deprivation
exclusion and truancy are more likely for kids from what type of families
poorer, less likely to return to mainstream education and 1/3 of truants leave with no qualifications
material deprivation
where are 90% of failing schools located?
in deprived areas
material deprivation
how does poor housing directly affect a pupils achievement?
overcrowding:
- less room for educational activity
- nowhere to do homework
- disturbed sleep
- having to look after siblings (lack of childcare)
material deprivation
how can poor housing impaire a childs development?
- lack of safe space for play and exploration
- temporary accomodation- constant moving (disturbed education)
material deprivation
how does poor housing indirectly affect a pupils’ achievement?
- crowded house- higher risk of accidents
- cold or damp- ill health
- temporary accomodation- more psychological distress and incidents and infections
material deprivation
what about diet and health does marilyn howard believe contribute to absenses from school and difficulties concentrating in class?
- poorer houses- lower intakes of energy, vitamens and minerals
- poor nutrition- weakens immune system- lowers energy levels- more absenses
material deprivation
what link did richard wilkinson find between poorer homes and emotional problems?
- lower the social class, higher the rate of hyperactivity, anxiety and conduct disorders
material deprivation
blanden and machin found that children from low income families were more likely to…
engage in externalising behaviour (fighting and tempers), disrupting their schooling.
material deprivation
what was david bulls “the cost of free schooling”
the idea that:
poor households have to do without equipent and miss out on educational experiences
material deprivation
what things did emily tanner find to place a burden on poor families
transport, uniform, books, computers, calculators, sports, music, art equipment
material deprivation
what do hand me downs and cheaper, unfashionable equipment lead to in schools?
being isolated, stigmatised or bullied. essential for self esteem and fitting in
material deprivation
why do 20% of those eligible for fsm not take them?
fear of stigmatisation and teasing
material deprivation
how do teresa smith and micheal noble believe poverty acts as a barrier to learning?
- inanility to afford private schooling/tuition
- going to poorer quality local schools
material deprivation
examples of jobs children from low icome families take up and what is the impact of them
- baby sitting, cleaning, paper rounds
- negative impact on schoolwork
material deprivation
when and who abolished EMAs
2011, coalition government
material deprivation
Callender and Jackson found that debt adverse students were … less likely to go to uni than …
- 5 times
- debt tolerant students
material deprivation
in 2012 the maximum tuition fee was … which …
- £9000
- detered debt adverse students from applying
- e.g numer of applicants fell by 8.6
material deprivation
statistics on financial support at uni from home
- middle class- 86%
- working class- 43%
material deprivation
what percentage of university is from a working class background
30%
material deprivation
why are working class students more likely to apply to local universities and what impact does this have
closer to home- live at home and save on travel costs
less opportunity to go to higher status universities
material deprivation
why is it more difficult for working class students to get higher class degrees
working part time to fund their studies
material deprivation
drop out rate for london metropolitan univeristy compared to oxford
16.6 %
1.5%
cultural deprivation
what kind of language are educated parents more likely to use and what impact does that have?
- language that challenges children to evaluate their own understanding/ability
- cognitive performance to improve
cultural deprivation
what language are less educated parents likely to use and what is the impact of that?
- language that requires children to make simple descriptive statements
- lower performance
cultural deprivation
who researched language?
Feinstein
cultural deprivation
educated parents are more likely to use praise which…
leads a child to develop a sense of their own confidence
cultural deprivation
what claim did Bereiter and Engelmann make about the link between social class and language used? what is the impact of this?
- language used in lower class homes is deficient; communicating using gestures, single words or disjointed places
- fail to develop necessary language skills, become incapable of abstract thinking and limited language to convey feelings and thoughts
cultural deprivation
Basil Bernstein distinguished two speech codes:
- the restriced code
- working class
- limited language
- grammatically simple/ incorrect sentances
- predictable
- single words or even just a gesture
- context bound
- the elaborated code
- middle class
- wider vocabulary
- grammatically correct, longer sentances
- context free
cultural deprivation
how does using elaborated code give middle class children an advantage
elaborated code is used by teachers, textbooks and exams. essential for analysis and reasoning in answers. middle class children are already “fluent” in this by the time they enter education.
cultural deprivation
evaluation of bernstein’s theory:
why may he be a cultural deprivation theorist?
what does bernstein argue unlike most cultural deprivaation theorists?
- he decribes working class language as inadequate
- he recognises that school (not just home!) influence a childs achievement and that working class students dont fail because they are culturally deprived but because schools fail to teach them how to use elaborated code.
cultural deprivation
differences in an educated parenting style with a less educated style
- educated- emphasises consistent discipline, high expectations, encouranges active learing and exploration- supporting achievement
- less- harsh, inconsistent, preventing independence and self control
cultural deprivation
what educational behaviours do educated parents show?
- reading to their children
- teaching them letters
- numbers
- songs
- poems
- nursery rhymes
- painting
- drawing
- helping with homework
- actively involved in their school work
- better at establishing relationships with teachers
- guide children in school
- recognise educational value in museums and things
cultural deprivation
in what ways do middle class parents use their income to increase educational success compared to working class parents?
- bernstein and young found that middle class mothers are more likely to buy educational toys, books and activities that stimulate intellectual development (which working class homes lack the access to)
- educated parents- more knowledge on nutrition to better development and can afford more nutritious food.
cultural deprivation
why dont children of the same class perform the same
different levels of parental education
cultural deprivation
what is a subculture?
a group whose attitudes and values differ from those of the mainstream culture
cultural deprivation
what are the 4 key features of working class subculture that Barry Sugarman claims to be the barrier to educational success?
- fatalism - a belief in fate, the idea that “whatever will be will be” and you cant do anything to change your status. Contrary to middle class views that argue you can change your position through personal efforts
- collectivism- value being part of a group more than individual success. Middle class would not hold back due to group loyalties
- immediate gratification- seeking pleasure rather than making sacrifices (e.g saving) to benefit the future
- present-time orientation- seeing the present as more important rather than future goals
cultural deprivation
why do the differences in values Barry Sugarman identifies exist?
- middle class jobs- more secure jobs that offer prospects for individual advancement (promotion). this encourages ambition, long term planning and willingness to invest time and effort into qualifications
- working class jobs- less secure, less career structure for advancing, few promotion opportunities, earnings peak at a young age
- these values then passed on through primary socialisation.
cultural deprivation
what is the aim of compensatory education?
to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation by providing extra resources in deprived areas to intervene early on in the socialisation process to compensate for the deprivation experienced at home.
cultural deprivation
what is operation head start?
- US
- multi-billion dollar
- pre-school
- poorer areas
- introduced in 1960’s
- planned enrichment of childs environment to develop skills and instil achievement motivation
- included improving parenting skills, nursery classes, home visits by educational psychologists
cultural deprivation
why did Nell Keddie argue that cultural deprivation is a myth?
- she believes it is victim-blaming
- dismisses the idea that failing at school is due to culturally deprived background: cannot be deprived from their own culture, just culturally different and that the education system is dominated by middle class values (putting them at a disadvantage)
cultural deprivation
what did Nell Keddie believe schools should do to prevent working class student failing in education?
- rather than seeing working class culture as deficient, recognise it and build on its strengths, and also challenge teachers prejudices
cultural deprivation
what do troyna and williams believe about the “problem” with working class language in education.
that the problem isnt the childs speech but the teachers attitude towards it, setting expectations and labelling, middle class highest, working class, then black
cultural deprivation
evaluating that working class parents “arent interested in their childs education”
- no parents evening- work longer/ less regular hours, cant afford childcare, put off by schools middle class atmosphere
- want child to progress, lack knowledge to do so
- less effecting parent- school contacts in mainly working class schools.
evauation: why is it unclear whether material or cultural factors play a part in achievement
- children from poor families can be high achievers- material deprivation is only part of the explanation
- other cultural, religious and polital views may help a childs achievement despite poverty
cultural deprivation
what are the three types of capital Bourdieu identifies?
- cultural
- economic
- educational
cultural capital
what does the term cultural capital refer to?
- the knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities of the middle class
cultural capital
3 ways cultural capital is acquired
- family background and social class
- educational background and achievement
- geographic location
cultural capital
3 effects of cultural capital
- economic advantage- power of signaling to others that you belong in their wealthier world through subtle social cues
- social advantages- advantages relationships e.g. advice for a job and networks
- reproduction of social inequality- conforming to the social structures, upholds the social structures. taught to behave in a certain way (difficult to move up the social ladder)
cultural capital
why does possessing cultural capital give a child an advantage?
- through their socialisation, middle class children aquire the ability to grasp, analyse and express abstract ideas
- more likely to develop intellectual interestsand an understanding of what the school education system requires for success
- eventually being an acedemic advantage as schools admire these qualities and favour middle class culture
cultural capital
why is a lack of cultural capital a disadvantage for a working class child?
- schools devalue their culture as “rough” and inferior
- lack of cultural capital- exam failure
- get the message “education isnt for them”
cultural capital
how do educational, economic and cultural capital interlink with one another?
- middle class children- more likely to be equipped to meet demands of qualifications
- wealthier parents- convert economic capital into educational capital (send kids to private school, tutoring etc…)
- leech and campos study: middle class parents, more likely to be able to buy house in school catchment area (“selection by morgage”) (drives up the cost of these houses)
cultural capital
how did Alice Sullivan test Bourdieu’s ideas?
- survey
- questionnaires
- 4 schools 465 students
- to assess their cultural capital
- asked them abou a range of activities, TV habits, reading and whether they visited art galleries, museums and theatres.
cultural capital
what findings were produced from Alice Sullivans survey?
- those who read complex fiction and watches serious documentaries- greater cultural knowledge/ cultural capital wich were children of graduates and more likely to pass their GCSE’s
- however = despite class some children had the same cultural knowledge yet middle class students still performed better
- showing the greater middle class resources and aspirations are the reason for the gap in achievement
cultural deprivation
what features may make it easier/ more difficult to research parental attitudes towards education
- parents may have poor personal experience with education so refuse to participate
- parents may feel defensive about their role, e.g. when it comes to truancy/ their support
- may see the questions as having a dig at them
- gives parents an opportunity to talk freely about school
