Class and Differential Achievement in Education Flashcards
How does social class affect educational achievement?
- U/C backgrounds more likely to enter higher education than W/C backgrounds
- M/C backgrounds more likely to study A–levels, W/C background more likely to take vocational qualifications
- Disadvantage backgrounds are less likely to start school being able to read
- Unskilled backgrounds achieve lower scores on SATs and GCSEs - more likely to be placed in lower streams or sets
- Eysenck (1971) tried to explain social class differences in education based on different socio-economic groups have different relative IQs
What did Becker (1971) and Keddie (1971) find in relation to social class?
Teachers tend to evaluate pupils in comparison to an ideal student by looking at their social class
What did Ball (1981) find in relation to social class?
Found that the pupils in top steams tended to be from higher social classes
What did Woods (1983) argue in relation to social class?
Argued there are lots of different reactions to school but non conformist reactions were more likely to come from working class students
How does material deprivation outside of school affect educational achievement?
- Halsey (1980) found the most important factor preventing working-class students staying on at school was a lack of financial support
- Douglas (1964) found children in unsatisfactory living conditions didnt do well in ability tests compared to those from comfortable backgrounds
- Unemployment
or low income means less money for books, internet access and school trips - Low income families cant afford nurseries and private schools as well as supporting their children through university
- Poverty and unsatisfactory living standards may cause health problems and absence from school
How does cultural deprivation outside of school affect educational achievement?
WISE - Working class subculture, Parental interest, Speech codes, Parental education
- Douglas (1964) thought parental interest was the most important factor in achievement. W/C parents may not be able to attend open evenings as they work inconvenient shifts - not because they’re not interested.
- Parental interest - W/C may not have the knowledge and values that help achievement.
- Some styles of parenting emphasise the importance of education more than others
How does social class affect attitudes towards education?
- Sugarman (1970) found pupils from non-manual backgrounds and manial backgrounds have different outlooks. Manual backgrounds = Immediate gratification. Non-Manual background = ambitious and deferred their gratification
- Feinstein (2003) found redistributive policies should carry on throughout a students entire education rather than restricted too their preschool years
- Hyman (1967) found values of the working class are a self-imposed barrier to improve their position. Said that the W/C tend to place a low value on education
What is a criticism of material and cultural deprivation theories?
- They DONT explain how factors inside school affect achievement
- Cultural deprivation generalises a lot about differences between W/C and M/C. Ignores W/C families who do place a high value on education and assumes they have no culture and that W/C culure cant be relevant to school (ethnocentric)
What did Bernstein (1970) find when investigating differences in educational achievement?
- Bernstein (1970) found W/C pupils in the East End of London were not comfortable with the style of language required by school
- W/C used restricted code (short-forms)
- M/C used elaborate code (Wordy style of speech)
What did Bourdieu (1971,1974) find when investigating differences in educational achievement?
- Bourdieu (1971,1974) reckons M/C are at an advantage because they have the right kind of ‘cultural capital’ (the right language, skills, knowledge and attitudes)
- The more cultural capital you have, the more successful youll be in education
- Believed W/C pupils dont have access to cultural capital
- M/C families pass on cultural capital and expectations from parents to children (cultural reproduction)
What are problems with Bernstein’s theory?
- There are variations within the M/C and W/C, different sections of these groups vary in how they use the elaborate code
- Some sociologists have developed his ideas to say W/C speech patterns are inferior. Labov (1973) thinks the elaborated speech code is just different
What are problems with Bourdieu’s theory?
- Halsey et al (1980) found that material factors are important. Lack of money may stop kids staying on at school or getting to university
- Not all working-class students fail even if they don’t have cultural capital
