Class Flashcards
What are the two types of people?
disadvantaged/working class: manual occupations which traditionally include skilled workers, semi-skilled workers & unskilled workers
advantages/middle class: non-manual occupations traditionally including professionals
Class & Educational Achievement key statistics
WC kids more likely to:
- start school unable to read
- do vocational courses
- placed in lower streams (4x for bottom set)
- be out of work by aged 21
- earn less in jobs despite similar qualifications
WC kids less likely to:
- do well in tests
- get a place in top performing state schools (90% of failing schools in deprived areas)
- achieve good exam results (75% of MC achieve 5 A*-C compared to less than 1/3 WC)
- go onto university
- do the EBacc
What did the Sutton Trust study find out about Oxbridge places?
+ FSM children achievement statistics
Pupils from 8 schools (6 private, 2 grammar) filled 1,310 Oxbridge places over 3 years, compared with 1,220 from 2,900 other schools
+ only 29% achieved 5+ in English and Maths compared to 57% on non FSM pupils in 2022
+ non FSM pupils 2x as likely to pass both English & Maths compared to FSM kids
What are the external school explanations for class differences in educational achievement?
+ what are the internal school explanations?
1) Material deprivation
2) Cultural deprivation/capital
- cultural attitudes, beliefs & views
- socio-linguistics
- cultural capital
+ Interactionist/Labelling Theories:
- stereotyping, labelling & self-fulfilling prophecy
- setting & streaming
- unequal access to classroom knowledge
- Pupil subcultures
- ‘wider’ educational policies
What is material deprivation?
+ who was the main sociologist involved in this theory & what are his ideas?
+ what else did he observe?
Lacking necessary material and economic means to function effectively & comfortably
Douglas
Material deprivation factors linking parental support to educational achievement:
- overcrowded home
- poor diets
- low income/unemployment
- lack of nursery provision
- taking up a part-time job
- disadvantaged, poverty stricken areas
+ children from lower WC backgrounds were less likely to stay in school
+ MC parents more likely to encourage their children to succeed & socialise them more effectively to achieve
What type of research methods did Douglas use?
+ how can his study be evaluated?
Longitudinal Study (1964)
of 5362 children born in the first week of March in 1946 continuing until they were 16
- divided into groups based on ability measured through IQ tests
- sub-divided into 4 social class groups
+ IQ tests unreliable
+ cultural capital misrepresents ability of WC children
+ common high drop out rate in long studies
How did Howard (2001) say class affects educational achievement?
+ what did Tanner et al (2003) say?
- young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins & minerals
- poor nutrition affects health which may lead to increased school absences
+ lack of financial support means children have to do without equipment & educational experiences
+ costs place burden on poor families
How did Wilkinson (1996) say class affects educational achievement?
+ statistics which show teachers are supporting struggling families?
- children from poorer homes often have behavioural and/or emotional problems
- among ten year olds, lower social class equates to higher rates of hyperactivity, anxiety & disorders
+ approx 34% say their school is helping with teeth brushing
+ approx 15% say they have spent their own money to provide food for them
How does Sugarman suggest cultural deprivation is affecting working class educational achievement?
There are extreme differences between WC & MC extreme subcultures
- WC vs MC:
+ fatalism vs optimism (due to role models)
+ collectivism (e.g trade unions & Labour voting) vs individualism
+ immediate gratification vs deferred gratification (e.g uni, investments etc)
+ present-time orientation vs future orientation - MC occupations have more opportunity for promotion which is the opposite for WC jobs which is why they value the here and now
What research method did Sugarman use?
+ Weaknesses of his view?
Interviews & questionnaires (longitudinal) 1970
+ responses may not reflect true reality
+ is it not quite difficult for the WC to not be fatalistic?
+ victim blaming (Keddie)
How does Bernstein suggest cultural deprivation is affecting working class educational achievement?
Suggests that the WC & MC use different linguistic codes
- WC (restricted code) vs MC (elaborated code):
+ limited vocab vs large vocab
+ grammatically simple vs gramatically complex
+ gesticulations vs fully elaborative
+ context bound vs abstract
+ particularistic vs universal - MC are advantages and education & MC professions rely on the elaborated code e.g textbooks
- WC are unable to fully engage as their code is ‘deficient’ & therefore teachers assume their ability is lower
What research method did Bernstein use?
+ Weaknesses of his view?
Used two five year old boys from different social classes to explain a series of four pictures (experimental)
1961
+ hardly representative
+ simplistic approach
+ little evidence
How does Bourdieu suggest cultural capital is affecting working class educational achievement?
- Each class possesses its own cultural framework (habitus) which is ideas about what is good/bad etc
- Dominant group get to impose theirs on society:
+ Education favours & rewards MC cultural traits and punishes WC traits. WC kids alienated and clash culturally
WC: (opposite for MC)
Low cultural capital + low economic capital + low educational capital = failure
- this reproduces inequality
What happened to England during the 1980s?
+ how has this impacted social mobility?
- end of the golden age of social mobility
- manufacturing industry disintegrated
- divide between rich and poor widened by 60%
- ‘hourglass economy’ created
+ now in the UK approx 50% of earning power is down to effort and the other 50% down to your financial position at birth
Statistic which show the people of higher classes get the best jobs
- 3/4 judges went to private school
- 1 in 3 politicians went to private school
- 2 in 3 of house of Lords went to it
- more than 1/2 of top doctors went to it
- medical courses take in 2x as many wealthy people as others
- only 1/7 of those accepted on medical courses are from lowest 50% of wealth
How does Reay suggest cultural capital is affecting working class educational achievement?
- MC mothers have the knowledge and skills to help their children more effectively with homework & challenging/negotiating with the school
- MC mothers can afford domestic help (freeing up more time for their children) and pay for tutors
- WC kids don’t have this advantage as their mothers have less cultural capital
Which research method did Reay use?
+ Strengths and weaknesses of her view?
Interviewed mothers of 33 children at two primary schools in London
+ provides empirical support for Bourdieu’s theory
- London has high wealth inequality, increased choice & more common hiring of domestic help so does not represent the rest of England
- Small sample size
How do Ball, Bowe & Gerwitz suggest cultural capital is affecting working class educational achievement?
+ what research method did they use?
Wrote Competitive Advantage & Parental Choice
- 1988 Education Reform Act led to schools focusing more on performance than student well-being
- shift in values from comprehensive & social justice to market values, money & reputation
- suspicion and hostility between schools
- found parental choice was limited by availability of schools & capital of parents
(3 types of chooser)
+ conducted surveys of 15 schools in 3 neighbouring LEAs
+ attended meetings and interviewed people
+ varied school types and interviewees
(methodological plurality)
What are some critiques of Material/ Cultural Deprivation Theories?
(include sociologists)
1) Compensatory Education & Positive Discrimination
- designed to counteract effects
- e.g Aim Higher, Pupil Premium & National Literacy and Numeracy
2) Myth of Cultural Deprivation
+ (Keddie) - way of blaming victims. WC culture is different not deficient & focus should be on challenging teachers’ anti-WC prejudices
(cultural pluralism)
+ (Tryna & Williams) - teachers’ reactions to diff language styles are to blame
+ (Blackstone & Mortimore)- WC parents are not disinterested on their children’s education. Often unable to attend parents evenings due to transport issues or work commitments (semi-skilled choosers)
How does the gap widen between WC & MC children in education?
+ statistic
WC children are continually disadvantaged throughout their childhood & school life
e.g - mothers more likely to experience stressful pregnancies
- weak home learning environment
- less able to benefit from education system (higher teacher turnover & stereotype threat)
+ 18.1 month gap at GCSE between FSM/PP children & others
What was Rutter’s study of class & educational achievement?
+ what were his findings?
Looked at 12 schools in London where the intake was very similar (same catchment), but results were very different. Interviewed students.
+ quality of schools are key to success or failure of pupils
+ certain characteristics made schools more effective:
- teachers being well prepared for lessons
- teachers having high expectations of pupils
- teachers place more emphasis on praise & reward than punishment or blame
- teachers lead by example
- teachers treat pupils as responsible
- mixed ability classes
- teachers should generate a good ethos
- teachers show a genuine interest
What is labelling?
What was Becker’s study of labelling?
+ what were his findings?
Attaching a meaning to someone based on stereotypes
- Interviews of 60 high school teachers (controversial manner)
+ teachers stereotyped students based on their work, conduct & appearance
+ teachers saw MC children as closest to ‘ideal pupil’ & WC children as furthest away
What was Cicourel & Kitsuse’s study of counsellors & labelling?
+ what were their findings?
Observation of counsellors meeting with students
+ careers counsellors assesses students largely on social class and/or race
+ they would judge students ‘suitability’ for courses
+ MC students tended to be referred to higher ability courses & academic subjects
What was Rist’s study of labelling in primary schools?
+ what were his findings?
Observation of Kindergarten in USA
+ teachers use information about their pupils’ home backgrounds (as well as judging appearance) to place them into separate groups
+ each group asked to sit at diff tables. ‘Fast Learners’ labelled as ‘Tigers’, seated nearer to the teacher & given more encouragement (usually MC kids)
+ other groups were ‘Cardinals & Clowns” and had opposite (usually WC kids)
