class and achievement- external factors Flashcards
(35 cards)
Material Deprivation
living in poverty and lacking the material necessities such as house and income
Housing: overcrowded living conditions
lack of study space, no quiet space to do homework, tiredness due to lack of sleep from sharing beds.- prevents from learning and causes underachievement
Housing: temporary accommodation
frequent home moving results in changes of school and feelings of insecurity leading to low self-esteem and depression- causing underachievement
Housing: cold or damp living conditions
can cause illness leading to frequent absences from school. - leads to difficulties catching up with work - lack of understanding and underachievement
Health: Howard
poorer families have lower intake of vitamins and minerals. - affect energy levels and performance at school- lead to frequent absences from school.
Health: Wilkinson
emotional problems- among 10yrs old-the lower the class the higher rate of anxiety and behavioural disorders- leading to exclusions from class and causing underachievement
Finances: lack of money/Tanner
- no books or PCs and lack of school equipment and uniform. Tanner says many poor families can’t afford this which affects achievement
Finances: Smith and Noble
argues that poorer students miss out because their parents cannot afford private tuition.
Finances: Ridge
many students take on part time jobs which means they have less time to studying.
Finances: Reay
w/c students more likely to apply to local universities to reduce costs but these are less likely to be high status universities
Cultural Deprivation
refers to lack of skills, attitudes and values need for educational achievement such as language and reasoning skills.
(CD) Language: Feinstein
educated parents are more likely to use language that develops cognitive performance such as asking questions that require justification and explanation
(CD) Language: Bereiter and Engelmann
w/c communicate through deficient language such as using gestures and single words so their children do not develop the language skills needed to do well in schools
(CD) Language: Bernstein
argues that there are two different speech codes: elaborate and restricted
Bernstein: Restricted code
used by w/c- limited vocabulary, uses short and grammatically simple sentences. is context bound- the speaker thinks that the listener is familiar with the topic
Berstein: Elaborated code
used by m/c- wide vocabulary and long, complex and grammatically correct sentences.- context free- the speaker assumes that the listener isn’t aware of the topic. the school and teachers use elaborated code but because the w/c children are not familiar with elaborated code, its put them into a disadvantage whereas m/c are advantaged as they are already socialized into it
(CD) Douglas- parent’s education
w/c parents lack interest in education, less ambitious for their children and their education.- illustrated by their infrequent visits to school or contact with teachers-resulting in lower aspirations and motivation
(CD) Feinstein- parenting style
m/c parents parenting style emphasizes discipline and high expectations , while w/c parents are more harsh and apply discipline inconsistently which prevents their children from learning self-control leading to lower motivation at school and problems interacting with teachers
(CD) Young- use of income
m/c parents have the income needed for educational toys and activities such as visits to museums. they are more likely to buy books to help develop their children’s intellect
(CD) Subcultural attitudes and values
w/c parents are less interested in their children’s education because of the working class subculture which gives them different values to the mainstream values. These values are passed onto their children, so the children themselves lack interest in education leading to underachievement.
(CD) Sugarman- w/c subcultural values
Fatalism- beliefs in faith, that individuals have no control over their lives.
Collectivism- being useful to your family and friends is more important than individual success.
Immediate gratification- seeking rewards now rather than working for long term rewards.
Present time orientation- living for today.
Compensatory education
is a government policy designed to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools and communities in deprived areas. aims to compensate w/c children for their lack knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for educational achievement. e.g operation head start in USA-aiming to improve parenting skills and create nursery school places. also education action zones and sure start have been introduced for same purpose- to work with parents to promote physical , intellectual and social development of children.
CRITICISM of cultural deprivation- Keddie
claims that cultural deprivation is a myth because w/c children are culturally different not deprived. schools should stop seeing w/c culture as deficient and instead build on its strengths and challenge teachers’ prejudice against the w/c.
Bernstein can criticised because he implies that restricted code is inferior to elaborated code.
CRITICISM of cultural deprivation- Blackstone and Mortimore
criticise Douglas- w/c parents are interested in their children’s education but cannot attend parents’ meeting because of irregular working shifts and schools puts them off attending by promoting m/c values.
