Class differences in attainment - internal factors Flashcards
What did Becker’s study on labelling find?
found teachers judged pupils on how closely they fitted the image of an ‘ideal’ pupil
middle class students were seen as closest to the ideal and working class pupils furthest
What was found about labelling in secondary schools?
teachers normalised underachievement of working class pupils as they believed they couldn’t overcome it but believed middle class pupils could overcome underachievement
What is the reason for the difference?
teachers labelled working class parents as uninterested in their child’s education
What did Rist’s study on an American kindergarten find?
teacher used information about the child’s home background and appearance to separate them into different groups
those two were deemed ‘fast learners’ tended to be middle class and she gave them the most support
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?
a prediction that comes true just because it has been made
How does labelling create a self-fulfilling prophecy
1) teacher labels the pupil then makes predictions about them based off this label
2)the teacher treats the pupil accordingly as if the prediction has already came true
3)the pupil internalises the teachers expectation so it becomes part of their self image
What was Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study?
they tested pupils and randomly selected 20% who they labelled as ‘spurters’
they returned to the school 1/2 a year later and retested the pupils and found that the ones who had been labelled as ‘spurters’ had made the greatest amount of progress
What is streaming?
separating pupils into different groups or classes based off ability
How does streaming negatively affect working class pupils?
as teachers don’t see working class pupils as the ‘ideal pupils’ they are more likely to be in lower streams
once streamed it is more difficult to move up to a higher stream
this creates a self-fulfilling prophecy
What did Gillbourn and Youdell find?
teachersare less likely to see working class pupils as having ability so they are in lower streams and entered into lower tier GCSE’s which denies them the opportunity and knowledge to gain good grades
What is the ‘A-to-C economy’?
publishing league tables rank schools based on exam performance
so the schools focus time, effort and resources on the pupils they see as potential to get five grade Cs and boost the schools league table
What is educational triage?
schools categorise pupils into:
-those who will pass anyway so can be left
-those with potential so will be helped to get grade Cs
-hopeless cases who are doomed to fail
What is a pupil subculture?
a group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns
