Anti-school Subculture

Question 1

AO1 on Tony Sewell research (black masculinity and schooling)

AO3?

Answer 1

• he studied Afro-Caribbean boys aged 11-16 in school- many of these lacked a father
• the boys displayed macho forms of masculinity: rejected teachers and education
• 18% of Afro Caribbean boys adopted the anti-school subculture
• ‘black masculinity’ and subculture was a comfort zone for these males who have been rejected by absent fathers and the education system

(-) Sewell seems like he’s blaming Afro-Caribbeans for their own underachievement at school and ignores institutional racism
(+) supported by Interactionists and the labelling theory and self fulfilling prophecy (negative connotations associated to Black Street Culture is example of deviancy amplification)
(-) many Afro Caribbean males were actually conformists and were not rebels against education

Question 2

Lads and Ladettes research by Carolyn Jackson
AO1
AO3

Answer 2

• lads showed forms of masculine behaviour: drinking, aggressive, no effort made at school
• Ladettes were sassy and feisty, avoided school work they hid any school effort they made (secret workers)

AO3

• the word laddish needs to be operationalised (-)
• semi-structured interview: good range of results collected both valid and reliable (+)
• social desirability and demand characteristics may occur making data collected invalid (-)

Question 3

Mac and Ghaill’s research on lads
AO1
AO3

Answer 3

• some school introduced vocational curriculum to teach students who were not academic job-related skills in hopes of reducing anti-school subculture
  They found 5 different school cultures the boys fit into:
  Ordinary lads, Macho lads (academic failures, rejected school rules and saw making effort in school work as feminine), academic achieves, real Englishmen, new enterprisers

(-) they disregard females