Class differences in achievement (internal) Flashcards
What is labelling?
Attach a meaning or definition or definition to a pupil
Who developed the idea of labelling?
Howard Becker
What was Beckers study?
-Based on interviews with 60 Chicago high school teachers
-Found teachers judged people in according to how closely they fitted into the image of the ‘ideal pupil’
What did Ray Rist find in his study of American kindergarten shows?
The teacher used information about children’s home background and appearance to quickly decide who would be the fast learners - typically the middle class who then received more encouragement. Working class typically labelled ‘clowns’ and discouraged from trying.
What is the self fulfilling prophecy?
Is a prediction that comes true simply by the virtue of it having been made
-Teacher labels pupils
-Treats pupil according to label
-Pupil internalises teachers label and become it
Who tested teacher expectations?
Rosenthal and Jacobson
(told teachers the children who would ‘spurt’ ahead (actually random), 47% of these children significantly improved due to teachers beliefs in them)
What is streaming?
Separating children into different ability groups or classes called streams
What did Becker find about streaming?
Teachers do not see WC as the ideal pupil (see them as lacking and have low expectations of them) - put them in lower streams = self-fullfilling prophecy
What did Douglas find about streaming?
Children placed in lower streams at age of 8 had suffered a decline in their IQ score by age 11 (MC who are placed in top streams experience the opposite)
In their study of two London secondary schools what did Gillborn and Youdell find?
Teachers use stereotypical notions of ‘ability’ to stream pupils - teachers less likely to see WC + black pupils as having ability = being placed in lower steams + entered for lower tier exams
What do Gillborn and Youdell argue the publishing of league tables lead to?
“A-C economy” where schools focus their time, effort and resources on those pupils they see as having potential to boost the schools position in the league table
How does the A-C economy create an education triage according to Gillborn and Youdell?
Schools categorise pupils into 3 types:
Those who will pass anyway and can be left to get on with it
Those with potential, who will be helped to get a grade C or better
Hopeless cases who are doomed to fail (due to labels this is typically WC and black pupils)
How do Lacey’s concepts of differentiation and polarisation explain how pupil subcultures develop?
- Differentiation: process of teachers categorising pupils on their perceived ability i.e. streaming
- Polarisation: process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite ‘poles’
What two subcultures form as a result of polarisation?
Pro-school subcultures
Anti-school subcultures
What did Ball find about abolishing streaming?
(study of comprehensive school Beachside in process of abolish9ing streaming) - after removal of banding the basis for pupils to polarise was largely removed
