Class Differences In Achievement- Externql Factors Flashcards
Number one - cultural deprivation
- What is Cultural deprivation?
When you don’t have the cultural equipment to do well in school leading to underachievment
-according to cultural deprivation theorists many w/c children grow up socially deprived.
What are the three main aspects if cultural deprivation
Language
Parents education
Working class subculture
Cultural deprivation -language
The way kids communicate with their parents affect their intellectual development
Hobbs- found parents who challenge their children improves their cognitive performance
Engelmann- language used in lower-class families is deficient so their kids fail to develop the necessary language skills needed for school eg abstract thinking, describing, explaining.
Cultural deprivation- Language
- what are the speech codes
Berstein
- restricted code- w/c limited vocab, short dramatically incorrect simple sentences, speech is predictable, context bond speaker assumes that listener shares the same set of experiences.
Elaborated code- m/c wider vocab, longer grammatically complex sentences.
Context free-speaker doesn’t assume listener shares same experiences so use explicit language to explain what they’re staying
What do speech codes affect
Gives m/c an advantage at school this is because elaborated code is used by teachers, textbooks and exams.
!more efficient for analysing, reasoning, writing and expressing thoughts which is essential in ed.
Early socialisation into elaborated code means m/c kids are already fluent users so they feel at home in school and are more likely to succeed.
Critics of cultural deprivation
❌Children fail not cause theyre culturally deprived but cause the school fails to teach them elaborated code.
❌Too deterministic as suggests all language in w/c homes is inadequate.
❌sociallt sensitive to parents blaming them for kids underachievement.
Cultural deprivation- parents education
Douglas - w/c parents place less value on education therefore have less ambition, encouragement and interest in their ed. Because of this their children have lower motivation and ambition therefore lower achievement
Parents education- factors
Feinstein-
Parenting style
Use of income
Parents’ educational behaviour
How doesnParenting style affect educational achievement
m/c consistent discipline, high expectations and encourage learning.
W/c parents- inconsistent discipline ‘doing as you’re told’, prevents independence, poorer motivation, problems w teachers.
How does Use of income affect educational achievement
m/c parents have higher income - more likely to buy educational toys/books that stimulates intellectual development.
W/c homes lack these resources so start school without the intellectual resources needed.
How does Parents’ educational behaviour affect educational achievement
educated parents more aware of what’s needed for their kids ed. So they read, teach numbers, letters, help w homework and establish good relationships w teachers compared to less educated parents.
Cultural deprivation- working class subculture
4 features of w/c subculture that act as barriers to educational achievement.
Sugarman
1- fatalism
2-Collectivism-
3-Immediate gratification-
4-Present-time orientated-
What is Fatalism
w/c believe in fate whatever will be will be there’s nothing you can do to change your status.
M/c- optimism- you can change your status through your own hard work eg in school
What is Collectivism
W/c -value being part of a group more than succeeding as an individual
M/c- individualism- you should not be held back by group loyalties
What is Immediate gratification
w/c seeker pleasure now rather than making sacrifices for greater future reward.
M/c- differed gratification- make sacrifices for greater later reward
What is Present-time orientated-
Present-time orientated- w/c present more important than future so no long-term goals
Future time orientated- m/c planning for future is important
How do subcultures affect achievement
M/c culture encourages ambition, long term planning and willingness go invest time and effort into school and gaining qualifications. Whilst working class didn’t
What is a subculture
A group whose values beliefs attitudes differ from those of mainstream culture.
Advantages of cultural dedication
✅Education programmes to tackle cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools in deprived areas.
✅- sure start- help w parenting skills
Critics of cultural deprivation
❌-keddie- the myth of cultural deprivation - children can not be deprived of their own culture they’re just culturally diff not deprived.
^ rather than seeing w/c culture as deficient schools should recognise and build on it’s strengths.
❌- the problem is not the w/c kids language but the teachers attitudes towards it
❌- too deterministic that all w/c parents are not interested in their children education.
NUMBER TWO- material deprivation
What is it ?
Refers to poverty and lack of material necessities
Poverty is linked to educational underachievement shown by the following evidence
Kids on fsm do worse in school
Poorer kids more likely to be excluded or leave school early
90% of failing schools are located in deprived areas
What are the three factors under material deprivation
Housing
Diet and health
Financial support and cost of ed
Material deprivation - housing
Overcrowding, noise, damp- I’m health (more days off school), no where to study, disturbed sleep, unstable.
Material deprivation- diet and health
Marilyn howard
Kids from poorer houses have lower intake of vitamin and minerals so less energy, weakened immune system = more days off school and less concentration in class so they fall behind
Material deprivation- financial support and cost of ed
Lack of financial support means kids from poor families don’t have
-books, technology, school trips, tutors
They often have to get part time jobs to help family so they less focus on school
-fear of debt- going to uni is expensive scared they won’t be able to lay it back so don’t go limiting their opportunity
Number 3- cultural capital
What is it and who suggests
Bourdieu
-the knowledge, tastes, language, values, abilities of the middle class
Cultural capitol in the education system
Education favours and therefore rewards middle class cultural traits and devalues working class culture and sees it an inferior.
Working class kids pick up on this and response by not trying, leaving early or misbehaving
Cultural capital- What is social capital
Refers to the social network Around the kids that support and help your child’s education. It’s not what you know it’s who you known
Cultural capital- what is educational capital
Where parents are able to send their children to private schools and pay for extra tuition or afford houses in catchmnet areas of good schools, to give their children an advantage
Culture capital- what is economic capital
Having the money to invest in kids education eg books, school trips, tutors
Cultural capital- what are the 3 types of parents when choosing schools
Gerwirtz
Privileged-skilled choosers- middle class who know how admission works, look at league tables, results, clubs, facilities
Disconnected-local choosers- find admission process difficult, take into account distance and cost, choose school by convenience w/c parents
Semi-skilled choosers- w/c still ambitious for their children but rely on personal opinions of schools eg friends,relatives.
Evaluation ofcultural capitol
❌Marxists- downplays importance of material factors.
❌Too determinstic - doesn’t allow w/c to overcome their cultural start in life.
✅- helps to explain why working class children may under achieve
Positive of research of class underatchievment
- Policies
✅- policies like sure start have been designed to contract the effects of cultural deprivation by providing extra help and resources to poorer kids. Eg head start
Summary of class differences in achievement (external factors)
Three segments
Cultural deprivation
Material delrivation
Cultural capital
3 parts of cultural deprivation
Language - (speech codes- sugarmen)
Parents education
Working class subculture
3 parts of material deprivation
Housing
diet and health - marlin Howard
Financial support and cost of ed
3 parts of cultural capital
Social capital - network support
Educational capital- money for prv school etc
Economic capital- money for tutor, trips etc
