class differences in achievement -internal factors Flashcards
What are the internal factors?
Labelling
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Pupil subcultures
Pupils identities
What is labelling?
Example
To attach a meaning to someone
E.g. teachers labelling a student as a troublemaker or hard worker
What are labels based on?
Example
Stereotyped assumptions about their class background
E.g. middle class positively vv
What happened in Becker’s study on labelling?
What did he find?
Interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers
Found that they judged pupils based on how well they fit the ‘ideal pupil’
Middle class=closest to the ideal pupil, regarding them as well behaved vv
What did Dunne and Gazely argue?
What did they find about labelling in secondary schools?
Argue ‘schools produce working class underachievement’ because of labels from teachers
Interviewed 9 state secondary schools
Found that teachers normalised the underachievement in working class pupils and felt like they could do nothing about it vv
In Dunne’s and Gazeley’s study on labelling in secondary schools, why was there a difference in teachers attitudes? Example
What does this lead to? Example
Teachers belief in the role of pupils home backgrounds
Labelled WC parents as uninterested in their childs education vv
E.g. attending parents evenings
Difference in how teachers dealt with students underachieving
E.g. MC get extentions for hw, WC gets entered into easier exams
What did Rist’s find about labelling in primary schools (kindergarten)
Found that teachers used info about childrens home background and appearance to place them into different seating plans/groups
‘tigers’ (label)=fast learners, MC, clean appearance, sat at the front=attention
‘clowns (label)=lower level books, WC, sat furthest away
What is a limitation of labelling?
What did Fuller find?
Does this support the self-fulfilling prophecy?
Deterministic, assumes all students will become the label their teacher gives them
Black females in London were labelled as low achievers
Instead of accepting the label, they studied hard to prove the teachers wrong
No, negative labelling had a positive effect on the development of students
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
A prediction that comes true, because it was made in the first place
In 3 steps, how can labelling affect pupils achievement>self-fulfilling prophecy?
Step 1: teacher labels pupil>makes predictions
Step 2: teacher treats pupil accordingly
Step 3 pupil internalises teachers expectation, becomes the the pupil the teacher predicts in the first place
What happened in Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study about the self-fulfilling prophecy?
What did they find?
Told a school in California they had a test to identify who would ‘spurt ahead’, LIE, it was a simply IQ test
Researchers tested all pupils, then randomly picked 20% and said they were ‘spurters’ LIE
1 year later, found that 47% of the 20% had made significant progress
Teachers had been influenced by ‘spurt’ test e.g. giving ‘spurters’ more attention
What are streams?
What does streaming lead to?
Separating children into different ability groups
Self fulfilling prophecy
Why are WC children more likely to be found in a lower stream?
Becker (labelling): teachers don’t see WC as ‘ideal pupil’
Sees them as lacking abilities, low expectations
Difficult to move up a higher stream>children are locked in a low stream
What are the 4 problems with streams?
Students ‘get the message’>self fulfilling prophecy
Teachers prepare poor, unchallenging lessons
Students are entered into lower exams
No chance being successful in lower streams
3 features of the pro-school subculture
Pupils in high streams>committed to school values
Status is gained through academic success
Their values are those of the school
