class differences in achievement - external factors - cultural deprivation

Question 1

what is an external factor?

Answer 1

factors outside the education system, such as the influence of home and family background and wider society.

Question 2

working class underachievement

Answer 2

lack of ‘cultural capital’

parents attitude towards education and lower levels of parents’ education

‘problem’ schools in deprived areas

use of restricted code

cultural deprivation and culture clash between home and school

teacher’s evaluation - stereotypes, self fulfilling prophecy

working class subculture

material factors

Question 3

working class children

Answer 3

more likely to be poorer readers when they start school

more likely to be in lower sets

more likely to be excluded/suspended

more likely to underachieve at gcse and a levels

less likely to go to university

Question 4

barry sugarman (1970)

Answer 4

argues that the working class subculture has 4 key features which act as a barrier to educational achievement

Question 5

working class subculture:

fatalism

how does this contrast with middle class values?

Answer 5

a belief in fate, that whatever will be, will be and there is nothing you can do to change your status

emphasises that you can change your position through your own efforts

Question 6

working class subculture:

collectivism

how does this contrast with middle class values?

Answer 6

valuing being part of a group more than succeeding as an individual

an individual should not be held back by group loyalties

Question 7

working class subculture:

immediate gratification

how does this contrast with middle class values?

Answer 7

seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices to in order to get rewards in the future

emphasise deferred gratification, making sacrifices now for greater rewards later

Question 8

working class subculture:

present time orientation

how does this contrast with middle class values?

Answer 8

seeing the present as more important than the future, so not having long term goals or plans

future time orientation that sees planning for the future as important

Question 9

why do these differences in values exist?

Answer 9

sugarman argues that they stem from the fact that middle-class jobs are secure careers offering prospects for continuous individual advancement.

encourages ambition, long term planning and a willingness to invest time and effort in gaining qualifications.

in contrast, working-class jobs are less secure and have no career structure through which individuals can advance. There are few promotion opportunities and earnings peak at an early age

Question 10

what is cultural deprivation?

Answer 10

the lack of appropriate socialisation, attitudes and values

Question 11

cultural deprivation theorists claim…

Answer 11

working class families fail to adequately socialise their children

the working class are culturally deprived - they lack the equipment needed to do well so underachieve

three aspects - language, parents education and working class subculture

Question 12

speech codes - basil bernstein

the restricted code

Answer 12

basil bernstein believes there are two different types of speech codes

the restricted code - typically used by the working class.

it has a limited vocabulary and is based on the use of short, often unfinished, grammatically simple sentences.

speech is predictable and may involve only a single word, or even just a gesture instead.

the restricted code is context- bound: that is, the speaker assumes that the listener shares the same set of experiences

Question 13

speech codes - basil bernstein - the elaborate code

Answer 13

typically used by the middle class.

it has a wider vocabulary and is based on longer, grammatically more complex sentences.

speech is more varied and communicates abstract ideas.

context-free: the speaker does not assume that the listener shares the same experiences, and so they use language to spell out their meanings explicitly for the listener.

Question 14

why do differences in speech codes put middle class children at an advantage?

Answer 14

the elaborated code is the used by teachers, textbooks and exams.

taken as the correct way to speak and write but in bernstein’s view it is also a more effective tool for analysing and reasoning, and for expressing thoughts clearly and effectively - essential skills in education

early socialisation into the elaborated code means that middle-class children are already fluent users of the code when they start school so they feel ‘at home’ in school and are more likely to succeed.

working-class children, lacking the code in which schooling takes place, are likely to feel excluded and to be less successful.

Question 15

criticisms of language

Answer 15

gaine and george (1999) criticise bernstein for exaggerating and
over simplifying the differences between working-class and middle-class speech patterns, which have also probably reduced further since he conducted his research

Question 16

parents’ attitudes to education - douglas (1964)

Answer 16

parents’ attitudes to education are a key factor affecting children’s achievement

concluded that working-class parents placed less value on education- less ambitious for their children, gave them less encouragement and took less interest in their education and visited the school less often

Question 17

feinstein

Answer 17

parents education is the most important factor

since middle class parents tend to be better educated, they are able to give their children and advantage by how they socialise them

this occurs in a number of ways - use of income, parenting style, parents educational behaviour

Question 18

criticisms of the cultural deprivation theory

Answer 18

victim blaming- takes a ‘deficit’ view that blames victims for their own failure, it sees working-class students as lacking the cultural qualities needed for educational success. ignores the inequalities built into the education system and wider society which are to blame for underachievement.

keddie - dismisses the idea that failure at school can be blamed on a culturally deprived home background. a child cannot be deprived of its own culture and argues that working-class children are simply culturally different, and fail because they are put at a disadvantage by an education system that is dominated by middle-class values

troyna and williams - teachers have a speech hierarchy and negatively label students at the bottom of it

blackstone and mortimore (1994) - working-class parents are interested in their child’s education but are intimidated by the school system and offered inadequate communication

Question 19

parental influences over children

Answer 19

parenting style - extent of consistency and discipline

educational behaviours - amount of help with homework, use of resources such as book and educational trips

use of income - do parents spend money on things which will benefit their child academically?

level of education - how far the parents’ own education was pursued - this is often regardless of class or income

Question 20

why is compensatory education put into place?

Answer 20

to replace the culture that the working class are lacking