class difference in achivement

Question 1

2 patterns in achievement

Answer 1

internal and external or home background factors

Question 2

how can home background be grouped into two things

Answer 2

cultural and material factors

Question 3

what are cultural factors?

Answer 3

class difference in norms and values acquired through socialisation, attitudes to education, speech codes etc.

Question 4

what are material factors?

Answer 4

physical necessities of life, such as adequate housing, diet and income

Question 5

what is cultural deprivation theory?

Answer 5

the main cultural explanation for class differences in achievement

Question 6

what does culture refer to?

Answer 6

all norms, values and beliefs and knowledge that a society or group regard important. Transferred through socialisation

Question 7

according to cultural deprivation theory, what do some w/c parents fail to do?

Answer 7

transmit the appropriate norms, values, attitudes, knowledge, skills etc - that is the ‘right’ culture needed for educational success

Question 8

what do cultural deprivation theorists see 3 factors as responsible for w/c underachievement?

Answer 8

language, parent’s education and working class subculture

Question 9

intellectual stimulation

Answer 9

w/c parents are less likely to give their children educational toys and activities that will stimulate their thinking and reasoning - this affects their intectual development

Question 10

what two language codes does Bernstein (1975) distinguish between?

Answer 10

Restricted code - w/c
Elaborated code - m/c

Question 11

What does Feinstein (2008) argue?

Answer 11

that parents education is the most important factor affecting children’s achievement. since m/c parents tend to be better educated, their children gain an advantage

Question 12

what 4 factors does Feinstein consider?

Answer 12

parenting style, parents’ educational behaviours, language, use of income

Question 13

what does cultural deprivation theorist identify as three aspects if w/c subculture contributing to under achievement - sugarman

Answer 13

immediate gratification, fatalism and low value on education

Question 14

criticisms of cultural deprivation theory

Answer 14

• ignores the importance of material factors such as poverty
• ignores the impact of school factors e.g. negative labelling
• victim blaming - w/c are not culturally deprived just different

Question 15

what factors can cause material deprivation?

Answer 15

poor housing and poor diet caused by low income

Question 16

Callender and Jackson (2005)

Answer 16

found w/c students more debt averse - saw more costs than benefits of going to uni and this influenced their decisions - less financial support

Question 17

what does Bourdieu argue?

Answer 17

cultural capital theory - m/c pupils are more successful that w/c bc of their parents possess more capital or assets

Question 18

what does Bourdieu say capitals 2 forms are?

Answer 18

economic capital and cultural capital

Question 19

what is educational capital?

Answer 19

m/c use their greater economic and cultural capital to give their children an advantage by using it to obtain educational capital - qualification. Allow children to get m/c jobs and more economic capital - reproducing advantages of m/c

Question 20

school factors and under achievement

Answer 20

labelling, self fulfilling prophecy, streaming and pupil subcultures

Question 21

Lacey (1970) - streaming

Answer 21

differentiation - a way of separating the sheep from the goats and then education them differently

Question 22

what does streaming often create?

Answer 22

self fulfilling prophecy

Question 23

what is streaming?

Answer 23

extreme and institutionalised form of labelling - putting all pupils of similar ability together into the same class or stream for all subjects

Question 24

what is anti school subcultures?

Answer 24

usually formed by those in lower streams - reject the schools values and often invert them

Question 25

pro school subcultures

Answer 25

usually formed by pupils in higher streams - accept schools values and goals of hard work, regular attendance, respect for teachers .