Class and Education

Question 1

by 1938 in England 88% of children were attending school up to the age of 14 but..

Answer 1

.. class sizes were 50+ and only 1 in 150 would go to university

Question 2

what did Ball say?

Answer 2

only 1 in 7 children remained in school after 14

Question 3

what did the 1944 Butler Act entail?

Answer 3

education from 5-15 became free for all people however this was only extended for severely handicapped children in 1970, it offered support for students from poor families including free milk and dental and health care

Question 4

what happened post 1997 labour government?

Answer 4

specialist schools were introduced allowing for some admission by entrance exams

Question 5

what does Becky Francis argue?

Answer 5

“the relationship between parental wealth and background and children’s educational outcome is particularly strong and deeply problematic.”

Question 6

according to a progress report in 2012 the most advantaged young people are..

Answer 6

.. 7 times more likely to attend the most selective universities than the disadvantaged

Question 7

what did Crozier et al find?

Answer 7

that experiences were shaped by type of institution and expectations of students, subcultures and students own socio-cultural locations (gender, age, ethnicity, class)

Question 8

middles class parents are seen as more able to use their knowledge of the education system to their advantage and are more likely to:

Answer 8

make more active choices when selecting a school and be more influenced by league tables and ofsted reports and to be viewed as an equal when speaking to teachers

Question 9

social class influences parent/ teacher relationships for example..

Answer 9

.. working class women are less confident about their own schooling and are more intimidated by teachers while middle class mothers are more assertive

Question 10

what is parentocracy?

Answer 10

where a child’s education is dependent on the wealth and wishes of the parents rather than the ability of the pupils. the parents ability to make choices arguably depends on the relative amounts of cultural and economic capital

Question 11

who says that cultural capital is not just about having the right knowledge but about knowing how to use it and what example does he use?

Answer 11

Reay
working class parents find it difficult to help their children with homework

Question 12

Schools are not just about formal learning but also..

Answer 12

.. an invisible pedagogy shaping academic performance

Question 13

how may teachers be impartial in their assessments of pupils?

Answer 13

favouring appearance, personality, conformity - not necessarily related to ability

Question 14

According to Bourdieu, education maintains power and privilege of the ruling class and is a site of cultural reproduction transmitting dominant knowledge from one generation to the next. he argues dominant forms of culture are rewarded by the education system with..

Answer 14

.. symbolic violence - where dominant culture is imposed and misrecognised as legitimate

Question 15

what is habitus according to Bourdieu?

Answer 15

the physical embodiment of cultural capital to the deeply ingrained habits, skills and dispositions we posses due to our life experiences.

Question 16

Bourdieu argues that cultural capital is a resource that people can use that is transmitted by the family but can be accumulated and perpetuates social inequality despite..

Answer 16

.. achievement being assumed to be based simply on merit or talent

Question 17

how does Bourdieu argue that children are prepared and unprepared for school?

Answer 17

he argues that with the concept of cultural, social and economic capital, children are prepared and unprepared for school in different ways and their success is based largely on their combination of capitals and schools reproduce class inequality in that they benefit middle and upper class children.

Question 18

what does Bourdieu say success of pupils is based on?

Answer 18

children’s integration into the culture and attitudes of an upper class oriented education - this is cultural capital

Question 19

what does Bottero say?

Answer 19

“class inequalities strongly influenced material life chances” shaping life expectancy, chances of education success and so on

Question 20

who says the british education system arguably reproduces class inequality in the way that middle and upper class children are more likely to succeed in their gcse’s and more likely to go onto higher and further education?

Answer 20

Croxford and Raffe

Question 21

what does Reay argue about how schools benefit upper and middle class children?

Answer 21

schools benefit upper and middle class children by transmitting the dominant culture “in ways that perpetuate social inequalities”

Question 22

who says that working class children feel out of place and get left behind with parents who also feel a lack of confidence in dealing with schools

Answer 22

Goldthorpe

Question 23

what does Bernstein argue?

Answer 23

that middle and upper class children have advantages in that the language used in education is of the elaborated code which they are socialised into. while working class children are familiar with the restricted code which is not used in school. so schools disadvantage children by teaching in a style that they cannot grasp easily

Question 24

explain economic capital

Answer 24

economic capital ensures that even where the education system seems meritocratic, the upper classes attend the best schools with the best teachers and results. it allows that children in richer areas with parents that have a greater social mobility are in catchment for better schools as well as the purchase of equipment and things that may enhance learning, books, stationary, tutors, etc.

Question 25

explain what Reay thinks about the importance of economic and social capital

Answer 25

Real argues that economic capital is important but it is cultural capital that gives parents incentive to prepare and see their children through school. cultural capital can sometimes exist without economic capital and this is how working class children sometimes succeed. e.g. in gifted and talented programmes most working class children feel out of place and drop out. those that stayed he found had parents with cultural capital and characteristics such as university educations

Question 26

what is social capital?

Answer 26

the relationships and social ties that can secure people in certain positions