Class differences in achievement (1) external factors Flashcards
Define external factors
factors outside school and the education system
Define cultural deprivation
Where a pupil lacks the basic ‘cultural equipment’ gained through primary socialisation- language, self-discipline and skills.
State the three main aspects of cultural deprivation
Language, parents’ education and working class sub culture
How does the way in whch parents communciate affect children
the way in which parents communicate with their children affects their cognitive development
Language: Hubbs-Tait et al (2002)
Found children’s cognitive ability improved when parents used challenging language such as ‘what do you think?’
- helps children evaluate their own understanding/ability
Language: Bereiter and Engelmann (1966)
Say language used in lower class homes is ‘deficient’.
Describe communication in these homes as using: gestures, single words or disjointed phrases.
Language: as a result of Bereiter and Engelmann’s ideas what does it mean for children?
WC children don’t develop the necessary language skills = unable to take advantage of opportunities school offers
language (criticism): Bernstein (1975)
Identifies differences in WC and MC pupil’s language.
WC don’t fail because they’re culturally deprived, but because school fails to teach them the elaborated code
language (criticism): Bernstein (1975) - state the difference between elaborated code and restricted code
Restricted code (WC):
- Limited vocabulary- short, descriptive, unfinished and grammatically simple sentences.
- Predictable speech- involves single words or gestures.
- Context-bound- speaker assumes listener shares same experiences.
Elaborated code (MC):
- Wider vocabulary- long and grammatically complex sentences.
- More varied speech- expresses abstract ideas.
- Context-free- speaker doesn’t assume listener has same experiences, so they use language to clearly spell out meanings.
language (criticism): Troyna & Williams (1986)
Teacher’s speech hierarchy of MC speech, WC speech and black speech is the problem, not the pupil’s language.
language: Feinstein (2008)
WC language was more simple/descriptive
parents’ education: Douglas (1964)
WC parents placed less value on education.
- less ambitious for their children
- taking less interest in their education
- giving less encouragement.
Resulted in children with low levels of motivation and achievement.
parents’ education: Feinstein (2008)
parent’s own education is the most important factor that affects student’s achievement
- MC parents have better education, they are able to give their children an advantage by how they socialise them
parents’ education: Feinstein (2008) - state the 3 ways in which MC parents are able to give their children an advantage
- Parenting style
- Parents’ educational behaviours
- Use of income
parents’ education: Feinstein (2008) - parenting style
Educated parents: Emphasise consistent discipline and high expectations of children - supports achievement by encouraging active learning and exploration.
Less educated parents: Harsh/inconsistent discipline, emphasis on ‘behaving yourself’ and ‘doing as you’re told’ - prevents children from learning independence and self control, which leads to poor motivation and problems interacting with teachers
parents’ education: Feinstein (2008) - parents’ educational behaviours
Educated parents are more aware of what their child needs to help their educational progress, so they’ll engage in behaviours like- reading to children, teaching letters/numbers, help with homework and be actively involved in schooling + recognise the educational value of museum trips, libraries, etc.
WC families may not know what will help their child to succeed in education, so they won’t engage in activities like this = less successful at
school.
parents’ education: Feinstein (2008) - use of income
Better educated parents have higher incomes, they spend on their child’s educational success + funds/knowledge about nutrition to support the child’s development.
parents’ education: Feinstein (2008) - use of income - what does Bernstein and Young (1967) say?
MC mothers are more likely to buy educational toys, books and more.
This encourages reasoning skills and stimulates intellectual development.
- WC homes are more likely to lack these resources = start school with educational skills that need progress.
parents’ education: criticism/evaluation - do all MC children succeed
not all WC students do equally bad, and not all MC students are successful.
define subculture
Group in society whose attitudes and values differ from mainstream culture.
working class subcultures: according to cultural deprivation theorists, why do children underachieve
large sections of the WC have different goals, values, attitudes and beliefs from the rest of society
Working-class subculture: Sugarman (1970)
- Different values exist because MC jobs are secure and offer prospects for continuous individual advancement. This encourages ambition, long-term planning and a willingness to make sacrifices.
- WC jobs are less secure, with no career structure where you can advance, as well as few promotional opportunities and earnings peaking at an early age.
- Parents pass the views of their class to their children
Working-class subculture: according to Sugarman (1970), what 4 key features of WC subculture act as a barrier to educational achievement
- Fatalism
- Collectivism
- Immediate gratification
- Present-time orientation
Sugarman (1970) - what is Fatalism
MC VS WC VIEW
WC: A belief in fate, ‘what will be, will be’
- nothing can be done to change your status.
MC: meritocracy- you change your position through your own efforts.
Sugarman (1970): what is Collectivism
MC. VS WC VIEW
WC: Valuing being part of a group over succeeding as an individual.
MC contrast: an individual shouldn’t be held back by group loyalties.
Sugarman (1970): what is Immediate gratification
MC VS WC VIEW
WC: Seek pleasure now, no making sacrifices for future rewards.
MC contrast: emphasis on deferred gratification, sacrifices now for rewards later
Sugarman (1970): what is Present-time orientation
MC VS WC VIEW
WCSeeing now as more important than the future, therefore having no long-term goals/plans.
MC contrast: Have a future-time orientation- seeing planning for the future as more important.
what are Compensatory education programs?
aim to tackle CD by giving extra resources to schools in deprived areas. They intervene early in the child’s socialisation to minimise CD as much as possible.
state two samples of Compensatory education programs
- Sure Start - for 2 to 3 years old/ helps children to learn new skills and support their social and emotional development = more ready for school
- Educational Priority Areas - additional financial resources designed to “raise the educational performance of children
Define material deprivation
Refers to poverty and a lack of resources
Poverty and educational underachievement: Department for education (2017)
Barely 1/3 of pupils eligible for FSM got 5 or more GCSEs at A* to C, compared to 2/3 of pupils who did and aren’t FSM
Poverty and educational underachievement: Exclusion & truancy
- more likely in children from poor families
- 1/3 of persistent truants leave with no qualifications, and many of those excluded don’t return to mainstream.
Poverty and educational underachievement: Flaherty (2004)
family’s money problems are a huge factor in young pupils’ poor attendance.
Material deprivation: State the 4 factors affecting children’s educational achievement
- housing
- diet & health
- financial support & costs of education
- fear of debt
Material deprivation(housing): how does poor housing affect pupils education
- Overcrowding stopping them from having a place to focus and study, or having disrupted sleep from shared rooms
. Children’s development is impaired through lack of space = performance in class is affected - Pupils can become ill frequently
. Affects attendance and learning quality
Material deprivation (diet & health): Howard (2001)
young people from poor homes have lower intakes of vitamins/minerals - weakening their immune system = low attendance
Material deprivation (diet & health): Wilkinson (1996)
children from poor homes are more likely to have emotional/behaviour problems
- e.g. anxiety/ hyperactivity
= negatively impacts their educational achievement.
Material deprivation ( financial support & costs of education): how does lack of financial support impact children’s educational opportunities
lack of financial support in poorer families means children go without equipment and miss educational opportunities that raise achievement.
Material deprivation ( financial support & costs of education): Tanner et al (2003)
found costs of books, transport, uniform, etc put a heavy burden on poor families.
Material deprivation ( financial support & costs of education): what reason does Flaherty say is why 20% of those eligible for FSM don’t take them.
Hand-me downs/cheaper items can result in children being bullied/isolated/stigmatised by peers
Material deprivation (fear of debt): Callendar & Jackson (2005)
WC pupils are averse to going to university because of the debt that comes with it- they saw debt as something negative and to be avoided.
Material deprivation (fear of debt): Callendar & Jackson - MC view
found MC pupils are without this attitude to debt, making them 5x more likely to apply to uni than WC pupils.
Material deprivation (fear of debt) - what does UCAS (2012) say about tutition and UCAS application
when tuition fees rose in 2012, the number of UK applicants fell by 8.6%.
Material deprivation: what 3 things does Bourdieu (1984) focuses on, state those 3 things?
focusses on three types of capital:
- Cultural capital
- Educational capital
- economic capital
define cultural capital
the knowledge, skills, values, abilities and tastes of the MC.
Is MC culture a form of cultural capital
yes
why is Mc culture described as a form of cultural capital and WC not
because their abilities and interests are an advantage in school as they’re valued
HOWEVER:
WC culture is seen a rough/inferior by schools, which devalues pupils from this background.
why is having a cultural Capital equal success
Having cultural capital often equals success in education as it’s a MC habitus
- WC pupils are left to underachieve
what does Bourdieu (1984) say about economic and education capital
says cultural, educational and economic capital can all be converted into one another
how can cultural capital be converted into educational capital
MC pupils with cultural capital are more equipped to meet the demands of the school curriculum and get qualifications, giving them educational capital
how can economic capital be converted into educational capital
wealthy parents can convert economic capital into educational capital by sending their children to the best private schools on the league table
what did Sullivan (2011) do to test Bourdieu’s ideas
used questionnaires to survey 465 pupils in 4 schools
- asked them about a range of activities such as reading and Tv viewing habits to assess their cultural capital.
what did Sullivan (2011) find in her study
those who read complex fiction and watched serious documentaries had more cultural capital due to having a wider vocabulary and cultural knowledge.
+
MC pupils still performed better, which could be because they have economic, educational/cultural capital.
