Class differences in attainment - external factors

Question 1

what is cultural deprivation?

Answer 1

working class families fail to socialise their children adequately so they lack the cultural equipment to achieve well in school

Question 2

What does Sugarman believe are the 4 key features of working class subculture?

Answer 2

1) fatalism
2) collectivism
3) immediate gratification
4) present time orientation

Question 3

What do cultural deprivation theorists believe?

Answer 3

large sections of working class have different goals, attitudes and values which is why their children fail at school

Question 4

How does language affect pupils attainment according the Feinstein?

Answer 4

highly qualified parents are more likely to use language that challenges children but parents with fewer qualification use language that doesn’t challenge their children

Question 5

How do Tronya and Williams criticise this?

Answer 5

the problem isn’t the child’s language but the schools attitude towards it as teachers have a speech heirarchy

Question 6

What are speech codes that Bernstein found?

Answer 6

the restricted code and elaborated code

Question 7

What is the restricted speech code?

Answer 7

typically used by working class and is often unfinished, grammatically simple sentences

Question 8

What is the elaborated speech codes?

Answer 8

typically used by middle class an has wider vocabulary with longer, more grammatically complex sentences

Question 9

How does the elaborated speech codes benefit the middle classes?

Answer 9

elaborated codes is the language used by teachers, textbooks and exams

Question 10

How does parents’ education affect attainment?

Answer 10

Douglas found that working class parents placed less value on education so are less involved leading to children having lower motivation and goals

Question 11

How does middle class parents having higher qualifications benefit their children?

Answer 11

by having higher expectations and encouraging their children
they are also more aware of the educational system and can support their children

Question 12

What are compensatory education programmes?

Answer 12

aim to tackle cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools in deprived areas
e.g. Education Action Zones or Sure Start

Question 13

why are compensatory education schemes criticised?

Answer 13

they have little impact as few resources have been allocated to them
also working class children fail due to lack of aspiration, not lack of resources

Question 14

How is the cultural deprivation theory criticised by Nell Keddie?

Answer 14

it is victim blaming and ignores inequalities built into the education system
working class children are culturally different as you can’t be deprived of your own culture

Question 15

What do material deprivation theorists believe?

Answer 15

educational failure is due poverty and lack of material necessities such as adequate housing or income

Question 16

How is poverty linked to educational underachievement?

Answer 16

in 2019, only 51% of pupils eligible for FSM achieved a grade 4 or above in maths or English compared to 77% of all other pupils

Question 17

How does poor housing affect pupils achievement?

Answer 17

-overcrowding can affect pupils ability to study
-development can be impaired if there is a lack of space for safe play
-might have to move frequently
-cold or damp housing affects health

Question 18

How does Howard say diet and health affect attainment?

Answer 18

young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy and vitamins which can weaken immune system causing absences and difficulties to concentrate

Question 19

How does Tanner say the financial cost of education affects attainment?

Answer 19

The cost of items like transport, uniform, equipment, books etc place a heavy burden on poor families

Question 20

How else does lack of funds affect attainment?

Answer 20

children in low income families often need to work

Question 21

How does fear of debt affect working class students?

Answer 21

Callander and Jackson found that working class students are more debt averse and saw more costs than benefits in going to university

Question 22

What is Bourdieu cultural capital theory?

Answer 22

middle class tend to posses cultural, educational and material capital which benefits them

Question 23

What is cultural capital?

Answer 23

the knowledge, attitudes, values, languages and tastes of the middle class
this gives middle class students an advantage in school where such abilities and interests are highly valued