Anthropological Lens Flashcards
Mills (2009)
Anthropologists tend to study aspects of informal learning.
They use tools of ethnography to develop an emic perspective on participants’ lives.
This can help represent the experiences of underrepresented groups.
Lareau (2011)
Concerted Cultivation
Natural Growth
The author documents the powerful, invisble ways that social class influences child rearing and educational outcomes.
She argues that middle and upper class parents use “Concerted cultivation” which refers to deliberate actions taken to develop children’s cognitive and social skills, including organized leisure activities, and treating children as equals to adults.
In contrast, poor and working class parents engage in “Natural Growth” parenting in which parents do not closely control children’s development. Kids leisure is mostly unstructured, parents speak in directives, and there are clear boundaries between adults and children.
The natural growth approach is in conflict with the culture of school where teachers embrace concerted cultivation. Paradoxically, their lives are somewhat less controlled, which comes into conflict with the control they experience in schools. This results in distrust and distance between teachers and students.
Lareau (2011)
Social Structures
The author argues that there is systemic economic and social inequality in the U.S. which affects how children are raised and educated.
According to the author, social structures are patterns of behavior that certain social groups engage in.
The author argues that social class membership helps define cultural patterns of behavior that help explain differences in educational outcomes for learners.
The core paradox is that there are structural differences in the quality of services at schools, but teachers have the same expectations that students will engage in concerted cultivation.
Key differences: verbal reasoning, leisure time, parent involvement, physical aggression
Lareau (2011)
Language use
There are key differences in language use in working class Vs middle class households.
The patterns of language use in middle class houses helps children develop verbal skills necessary for success in schools and other institutions
Alexander (middle class): Large vocabulary, used verbal reasoning and negotiation, family values inherent worth of language, he uses language to interact as an equal with adults
Harold (lower class): Smaller vocabulary, uses short simple sentences, parents use directives, little verbal reasoning or negotiation, difficulty interacting with authorities
Miller and Murillo
The authors conducted a qualitative ethnographic study to better understand why students don’t seek help from libraries and to understand who they do seek help from.
METHODS: Semi-structured ethnographic interviews. Used photo artifacts.
PARTICIPANTS: 91 undergraduates of various majors at 3 midwestern universities
FINDINGS: The authors found that participants did not seek librarians help, and participants did not understand how librarians could help them. Ss preferred using professors, peers, and public libraries due to habit formation and proximity.
IMPLICATIONS: Library use should be integrated into school curricula. Schools should use peer mentors to reduce library anxiety and increase accessibility.
ARTIFACT USE: researchers showed participants pictures of their libraries. Participants could not explain what a circulation desk is or a reference desk
Burdick-Wil (2013)
The author conducted a secondary data study (observational) to examine the relationship between school violence and learning outcomes for high school students in Chicago.
METHODS: secondary data analysis of crime stats over 7 years for public high schools in Chicago
PARTICIPANTS: high school students in violent neighborhoods in Chicago
MEASURES: Crime data from Chicago PD, State standardized test scores, student grades, School Climate survey
ANALYSIS: Pearson product movement correlations, regression analyses on confounds
FINDINGS: The authors found a significant negative correlation for level of school violence and test scores, but no relationship with course grades. Level of trust in schools varied with violence but did not fully predict the outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: In schools with higher violence teachers lowered their expectations and grading standards. Students learned less overall.
IMPLICATIONS: Work with police to reduce violence; schools need to work on building trust with students
INTERNAL VALIDITY: The authors took steps to prove internal validity by statistically ruling out confounding variables, such as differences in violence and levels of trust.
