Class Differences In Achievement - Internal Factors Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the internal factors that cause class differences in achievement?

A
  1. Labelling.
  2. Self-fulfilling prophecy.
  3. Streaming.
  4. Pupil subcultures.
  5. Pupils’ identity and the school.
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2
Q

Which theory is dominant in internal factors?

A

Interactionists =

they focus of interactions between teachers and pupils, and identify factors that cause underachievement.

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3
Q

What are labels?

A

Meanings or definitions we attach to someone/something to make sense of them.

  • e.g. m/c pupils are labelled as ‘bright, motivated, cooperative, etc’.
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4
Q

Who are the 3 sociologists that discussed labelling as causing class underachievement?

A
  1. Becker.
  2. Jorgensen.
  3. Dunne and Gazely.
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5
Q

What did Becker study about labelling in schools?

A
  1. Interviewed 60 Chicago teachers.
  2. Found they judged pupils on how closely they fitted the ideal pupil.
  3. m/c closest to ideal pupil, and w/c furthest from it.
  4. This lead to w/c feeling marginalised –> less successful because teachers were more likely to send them out of class, etc.
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6
Q

What did Jogensen find about labelling in schools?

A
  1. Study of 2 English primary schools in 2009.
  2. Found the ideal pupil varied depending on the social class make-up of the school.
  3. In the w/c school; quiet, passive and obedient were closest to ideal pupil.

4 In the m/c school; personality and academic abilities defined ideal pupil as behaviour wasn’t much of an issue.

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7
Q

What did Dunne and Gazely find about labelling and underachievement?

A
  1. Interviews in 9 English secondary schools.
  2. Found teachers ‘normalised’ w/c under-achievement because they labelled w/c parents as uninterested in their child’s education.
  3. However, m/c underachievement was dealt with extended work as teachers labelled their parents as supportive.
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8
Q

What did Dunne and Gazely conclude about teachers’ labelling?

A

The way teachers dealt with underachievement lead to w/c underachievement as they were negatively labelled and weren’t given help.

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9
Q

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

A

A prediction that comes true simply because it has been made.

  • e.g. “he’s stupid - he’s bound to fail” = he goes on to fail.
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10
Q

Who demonstrates a self-fulfilling prophecy in a primary school?

A

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968).

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11
Q

What did Rosenthal and Jacobson do?

A

Gave an IQ test to all pupils and said 20% of them were intellectual ‘bloomers’ (randomly selected)

  • Upon returning 1 year later, they found 47% of the ‘bloomers’ made significant improvements.
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12
Q

What did Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study show about self-fulfilling prophecies in schools?

A

Their study illustrates an important interaction principle:

  • What people believe to be true, will in fact become true.
  • However, this self-fulfilling prophecy can be negative.
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13
Q

How is the interactionists approach to self-fulfilling prophecies criticised?

A

Too deterministic =

not all pupils who are labelled as failures fulfil the prophecy; some reject the label and succeed (self-refuting prophecy).

  • Not all teachers label w/c pupils negatively.
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14
Q

How are self-fulfilling prophecies and streaming linked, use Becker’s ideas?

A

As w/c pupils aren’t ‘ideal’, they are placed in lower streams, therefore, living up to the teachers low expectations.

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15
Q

What did Douglas find about pupils placed in a high stream?

A

Children that were placed in a high stream at age 8 had improved their IQ score by age 11.

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16
Q

What did Gillborn and Youdell find about streaming in their study.

A
  • Study of 2 London secondary schools.

- Teachers are more likely to place w/c (black) pupils in lower streams as they view them as having less ability.

17
Q

According to Gillborn and Youdell, what is the A-to-C economy?

A

A system where schools focus on pupils who have the potential to get 5 C grades and improving league tables - so streaming is involved.

18
Q

What is the educational triage?

A

The way schools decide whether a pupils is unable to get 5 GCSE (C), so they will produce a self-fulfilling prophecy by placing them into lower streams.

19
Q

What are the 3 categories of the educational triage?

A

1) . Those who will pass (left alone).
2) . Those who have potential (with help).
3) . Those with no hope, they will fail.

20
Q

What is the decision of the teachers based on in the educational triage?

A

Pupils’ social class = w/c (black) lack ability.

21
Q

Who uses the concept of ‘differentiation’ and ‘polarisation’ to explain how pupil subcultures develop?

A

Lacey (1970).

22
Q

What is differentiation?

A

Streaming =

categorising pupils based on stereotypes differentiates them from the rest of the school.

23
Q

How does differentiation lead to w/c subcultures?

A

Anti-school subculture =

  • have low self-worth, so they invert school values to achieve status elsewhere (their peers).
24
Q

What is an example of the values of an anti-school subculture?

A

Truancy, being cheeky to the teacher.

25
Q

What is polarisation?

A

Streaming polarised boys to ‘pro-school’ and ‘anti-school’.

26
Q

What is the difference between a pro-school subculture and an anti-school subculture?

A
  • Pro-school usually affects the higher stream (m/c), where they gain status legitimately.
  • Pro-school = their values correspond with school, anti-school subcultures invert them.
27
Q

What is an issue of anti-school subcultures?

A

Pupils have a self-fulfilling prophecy of educational failure.

28
Q

What does Hargreaves find about anti-school subcultures?

A

Secondary modern schools =

boys in lower streams were triple failures;

  • failed 11+ exam.
  • placed in low streams.
  • been labelled ‘worthless louts’.
29
Q

What did Stephen Ball (1981) find about abolishing streaming?

A
  • Studied a comprehensive that was abolishing streaming.
  • Polarisation had decreased - anti-school subcultures declined.
  • Differentiation continued - teachers still labelled pupils.
30
Q

What are the other responses to labelling and streaming, according to Peter Woods (1979)?

A

1) . Ingratiation = ‘teachers pet’.
2) . Ritualism = staying out of trouble.
3) . Retreatism = daydreaming, pissing about.
4) . Rebellion = rejection of everything the school stands for.

31
Q

What are the criticisms of labelling theory?

A

1). Too deterministic =

assumes those labelled have no choice to fulfil the prophecy.

2). Marxists =

they ignore wider structures within which labelling takes place. Labels are a result of teachers being in a capitalist system, creating class division.

3). Fail to explain why teachers label pupils.