Class Differences in Education (3) Flashcards
What does DEA stand for?
Differential Educational Attainment.
What does Differential Educational Attainment mean?
Not all social groups perform equally well in education. Social groups are Social class, gender and ethnicity. These group have variations and differences from each other, but also have differences within a group.
For example, the genders achieve differently, as do the social classes (WC and MC) and ethnic groups (Indian, Chinese, Black, White).
What are the external factors that cause class differences?
- Material deprivation.
- Cultural deprivation.
- Capital (cultural, economic, educational, social).
- Social policies - Marketisation.
What is meant by external factors?
Factors that happen outside the school e.g. the home or wider society.
What is meant by internal factors?
Factors that happen inside the school or the educational system.
What are the internal factors that cause class differences?
- Labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Pupil subcultures and streaming.
- Social policies - Marketisation / selection.
- Pupil class identities.
What does Material Deprivation mean?
Lacking material items / financial support to help with educational success.
What does Cultural Deprivation?
Lacking the attitudes, values and cultures which encourages, educational success.
The ethos of a school refers to the attitude or philosophy of a school, what might this include?
Religion. Morals. How they deal with racism, sexism etc. Parent involvement. Non tolerance of bulling. How students are rewarded and what for. Activities they participate in - visits to partner schools other countries. Enrichment activities. Uniforms. Sport facilities.
How is the ethos of the school reflected in?
The hidden curriculum in addition to the studying of formal subjects.
What do Bowles and Gintis’s view school promote?
Schools promote capitalist values and hierarchies has already been mentioned.
What do interactionaists believe about pupils and the educational system?
Interactionists believe that pupils are not passive victims of the education system but play an active part in their learning.
What do interactionaists argue about the educational achievement?
They argue that educational achievement is dependent on our interaction with others and they way we interpret and define situation.
What does Howard Becker (1971) believe about teachers?
Howard Becker (1971) believed that teachers tend to evaluate pupils in terms of an ideal student, by looking at appearance, personality, speech and class.
What did Howard Becker (1971) find about teachers?
Becker found that teachers saw middle-class children as the closest to the ideal, the lower working-class children were regarded as badly behaved. Teachers stereotype pupils and often label them. The label can be positive or negative. A positive can produce a ‘halo effect’. Both positive and negative labels can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy (pupils conform to the label they have been given and act accordingly). Teachers constantly reinforce their initial positive or negative judgements in all subsequent interactions with students, resulting in the pupil being ‘trapped’ in that perception.
What did Waterhouse (2004) argue about labelling?
Waterhouse (2004) argues that being trapped in a perception that has been created by the self-fulfilling prophecy then becomes a ‘privotel identity’ for the student/teacher relationship. This is a core identity providing a pivot which teachers use to interpret classroom behaviour. For example, if a teacher has labelled a student as deviant he/she will interpret ‘normal or good behaviour’ as a temporary episode.
What did Ray Rist’s (1970) study?
Ray Rist’s (1970) study of an American kindergarten shows how labelling occurs from the start.
What did Ray Rist’s (1970) find in his study?
He found that the teacher used information about children’s home background and appearance to place them in separate groups, seating each group at a different table. Those she decided were fast learners, whom she labeled tigers tended to be middle-class anf of neat and clean appearance. She seated these at the table nearest to her and showed them encouragement. On the other hand, ‘the clowns’ were more likely to be working class. They were given lower level books to read and fewer opportunities to demonstrate their abilities.
Who conducted a field experiment that looked at the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’?
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)
What was the aims of the field experiment that looked at the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’?
There aims were to plant int he minds of the teachers a particular set of expectations about their pupils and, secondly, to see if this had any effects on pupil performance.
What was done in the field experiment that looked at the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’?
They labelled some children ‘spurters’ by administering a fake IQ test. This was to see whether the label given would cause a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’.
What was found a year later in the field experiment that looked at the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’?
On returning to the school a year later they found that almost half of the ‘spurters’ had made significant progress. This was because the teachers had believed what had been told and this influenced how the children were taught.
What did Cicourel and Kitsuse (1971) study?
Cicourel and Kitsuse (1971) studied American high school careers advisers, who directed students towards different courses and career influenced by their social class, demeanour, speech and conduct reports. Students with the same grades were assigned to course of different levels because of labelling.
What are the evaluating points of the labelling theory?
- Critics regard labelling as too deterministic, as students are free agents who can reject labels if determined to do to. Parental support may be more influential.
- Teachers in Britain are now under pressure to achieve the best possible results from all students, so are less likely to neglect groups they think may have less potential.
- Studies such as the ones above have featured in teacher training, so teachers are warned against labelling and this has been reinforced by recent inclusion policies.
- However, researchers such as David Gillborn (1990) have found that well-meaning teachers unknowingly hold expectations of particular ethic groups that can lead to unfair treatment, classroom confrontations and unjustified expulsion.
What is meant by banding, setting and streaming?
A system that organises students into ‘ability’ groups, may by influenced by teachers labelling and have negative effects on the behaviour and performance of those assigned to lower groups.
Who studied into banding, streaming and setting?
David Hargreaves (1967) Nell Keddie (1973) Stephen Ball (1981)
What did David Hargreaves note about a secondary modern school?
Boys were assigned to A or B streams more on the basis of behaviour than ability. Better teachers were assigned to the A stream and expected more of these pupils. Soon pupil attitudes and behaviour patterns became polarised. Lower-stream students were virtually doomed to failure, forming anti-school and delinquent subcultures, while the A stream students felt valued and were more academically successful.
What was Nell Keddie (1973) interested in and how did he observe it?
Nell Keddie (1973) was interested in variations in the curriculum offered to comprehensive students once assigned to different groups. In humanities lessons, lower streams, mainly working class, were occupied with easy, practical activities, while higher streams, mainly middle class, were given higher-level higher streams, mainly middle class, were given higher-level information that was far more useful for passing exams.
What did Stephen Ball (1981) argue about banding, streaming and setting?
Stephen Ball (1981) argued that diving students into broad ability bands when they entered the school was based, to a large extent, on subjective reports from primary schools, so that the bands tended to reflect the pupil’s social origins. The effects of this labelling on the students’ motivation were soon apparent. The enthusiasm of the first term soon evaporated in those assigned to Band 2 and their attendance fell away, while that of Band 1 students remained good. Likewise, Ball observed much worse classroom behaviour and the formation of anti-school subcultures in Band 2.
How can you briefly summaries the studies of Hargreaves, Keddie and Ball?
Hargreaves - Behaviour ‘v’ Ability
Keddie - Curriculum (work level)
Ball - Primary report
What are the evaluating points of banding, streaming and setting studies?
Today teachers may be more determined to achieve better results lower bands. Some of this research may be quite subjective and, though Ball used positivist methods - comparing attendance figures and conducting structured observations with tick charts - it is still difficult to exclude all variables. Band 2 students may have suffered poorer health because they were working class. Their anti-school attitudes may have stemmed from their home background and not been solely a response to banding. The primary teachers’ reports may have been based on genuinely low achievement as a result of anti-school attitudes at an early age.
Peter Wood’s research (1971) can be used as a critique of Hargreaves, Keddie and Ball, as he identifies a much broader range of pupil behaviours in response to streaming.
Conformists, for example, range from unpopular teachers’ pets, through genuinely keen students, to ritualists who are not interested but lack the energy to misbehave. Deviant students include those who are directly confrontational and others who are more quietly rebellious, for example by gossiping instead of doing the task set. In addition, Woods observes that many students may work well with their firmer teachers whose lessons they like, and misbehave in others. This shows that it is too simplistic to suggest that streaming polarises students into ideal pupils and rebels.
Who studied into educational triage?
Gillbourn and Youdell (2000)
What did Gillbourn and Youdell (2000) find about how schools operate an educational triage?
Gillbourn and Youdell (2000) found that schools operate an educational triage. This means dividing students into 3 groups:
1. Students who will gain their GCSE’s without needing help.
2. Students who with a little extra help will gain their GCSE’s.
3. Students who are unlikely to get their GCSE’s no matter how much help they get.
Schools focus their attention on the first two groups in order to boost their league table position and write the last group off as no-hopers who die an educational death.
What does Young (2012) argue about identities?
Young (2012) argues identities are formed and can broadly be explained in two ways:
Structural causes - such as class and gender, that tend to govern our identities from the outset as they exist outside the individual.
Agency-based theories - emphasis the active choice made by individuals to join some social groups and not others.
Why does Young (2012) have his opinion on identity? What was the study he conducted?
Young found in a survey of 22 Scottish schools that working class boys were more likely to identity themselves as NEDS (non-educated delinquents) due to their social class. However, he also found some affluent girls chose to identity themselves as NEDS as they considered it to be ‘cool’. This suggests that both structure and agency play a part.
Who studied into pupil’s identity?
Young (2012)
Hempel-Jorgenson (2009)
What did Hempel-Jorgenson (2009) find out about pupil’s identity?
Hempel-Jorgenson (2009) found that teachers labelling also impacted on pupils learning identities and how they viewed themselves and others in the class e.g. stupid or clever. Banding, streaming and setting can also have the same impact.
What is the explanations for student progress focusing on school organisation, school processes and the teaching and learning context?
- They recognise that educational failure is not always the students fault. Teachers and schools have responsibility too.
- Negative labelling doesn’t always lead to failure and can be reversed.
- They largely ignore what happens outside of school and the impact external factors can have.
- Doesn’t explain why all teachers tend to have the same view of what constitutes an ideal pupil.
What are Children from working class backgrounds more or less likely to be?
Children from working class backgrounds:
~are less likely to be found in nursery schools or pre-School play groups.
~are more likely to start school unable to read.
~are likely to fall behind in reading, writing and number skill.
~are more likely to be placed into lower sets.
~are more likely to get fewer GCSE’s or achieve lower grades.
~are more likely to leave school at the age of 16 and are less likely to go on to sixth form or university.
~are more likely to be hyperactive, suffer anxiety and conduct disorders.
What are the possible reasons why working class children underachieve?
~Labelling and the self fulfilling prophecy.
~Economic capital.
~Cultural capital.
~Parents don’t see the point in education.
~”Immediate Gratification” - as soon as they get money they spend it. They don’t save up for an education.
~External factors - Home life.
What are the internal factors for class differences?
- Labelling/teacher expectations - streaming and setting.
- Pupil subcultures.
- Marketisation and selection policies.
What can negative labelling lead to?
Negative labelling can mean students get put into lower streams.
What did Ball (1981) find in terms of labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy?
Ball (1981) found that the pupils in the in the top bands were from higher social classes. Teachers had higher expectations of them and they were taught in different ways. Ball also found that they were given access to higher levels of knowledge - working class students didn’t get this information. Children in the lower bands ‘get the message’ that their teachers have written the, off as no-hopers.
What are the evaluating points of labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy?
- Labelling theory is rather deterministic suggesting that failure is inevitable for those with negative labels attached to them. For example, Margaret Fuller found that the black girls in her study resisted the attempt to label them as failures by devoting themselves to school work in order to be successful.
- Marxists also criticised labelling theory for ignoring the wider structures of power within which labelling takes place. They argue that labels are not merely the results of teacher’s individual prejudices, but stem from the fact that teachers work in a system that reproduces class divisions.
- Labelling theory tends to blame the teachers for labelling pupils, but fails to explain why they do so.
What is a pupils subculture?
A pupils subculture is a group within a wider culture, which has distinctive attitudes, values, norms or lifestyles from the wider culture from within which it is embedded.
What does Colin Lacey (1970) argue about pupil subcultures?
Colin Lacey (1970) argues that pupil subcultures are largely created by differentiation (teacher labelling or setting/streaming) which categories pupil according to perceived ability. In response to this pupil becomes polarised, which is a process of moving to opposite extremes.
What do pupils who are placed in high streams form?
Pro-school subcultures.
What do pupils who are placed in low streams tend to form?
Anti-school subcultures.
How can the pupils who are placed in high streams be described?
They are largely middle-class and are committed to the values of the school. They gain status in the approved manner, through academic success.
How can the pupils who are placed in low streams be described?
They suffer a loss of self-esteem due to inferior status, and this label of failure pushes them to search for alternative ways of gaining status. Acts of gaining status may include smoking, drinking, cheeking, truancy and not doing homework.
What did David Hargreaves (1967) find in response to labelling and streaming?
Boys in the lower streaks saw themselves as ‘triple failures’; they had failed the 11+ exam; they had been put put into low streams and they had been labelled as ‘worthless louts’ by the teachers. The solution to this was to find similar pupils and forms a group which flouted school in order to gain status.
What evidence did Davies (1995) for anti-school female subcultures.
The girls had an exaggerated sexuality - emphasising boyfriends and prioritising marriage and childbearing over academic success.
What did Stephen Ball (1981) argue maybe the solution to working class underachievement?
To get rid of streaming/setting pupils.
What does Stephen Ball (1981) argue about abolishing streaming?
Stephen Ball (1981) argues that may the solution to working class underachievement is to get rid of streaming/setting pupils. In a study of beachside comprehensive where banding had been abolished, it was found that polarisation disappeared and anti-school subculture started to become a thing of the past. However, teachers continue to label children as either middle class (cooperative and able) or working class (disruptive and unintelligent). This shows that class inequalities can continue to result of teacher labelling, even without the effect of subcultures or streaming.
What did Peter Woods (1979) argue about abolishing streaming?
Peter Woods (1979) argues that there are several respond from some balls to labelling or streaming. Pupils don’t just form pro or anti subcultures, the other responsibilities are possible. These include:
1. Interrogation: teacher’s pet.
2. Ritualism: going through the motions.
3. Retreatism: daydreaming or mucking about.
4. Rebellion: disruptive, reject everything.
Woods also acknowledges that pupils can respond differently according to subject and/or teacher.
How can school policies such as Marketisation affect educational achievement?
Schools are increasingly under pressure to select and stream pupils in order to perform well. By publishing league tables this creates an ‘A to C economy’, meaning that schools concentrate on getting students to pass 5 GCSE’s grade C or above so that they perform well in exam results and therefore league tables. Gilbourn and Youdell call this process ‘educational triage’. Triage literally means ‘sorting’. The A to C economy produces this triage as schools categorise students into three groups. 1. Those that will pass anyway. 2. Those with potential to pass. 3. Hopeless cases. The working class and black black pupils are often labelled as lacking ability and classified as ‘hopeless cases’. The teachers’ efforts are usually geared towards those with potential, who need the help in order to pass. Gilbourn and Youdell’s theory is similar to Lacey’s idea of differentiation. However, whilst Lacey blames the teachers for labelling, Gilbourn and Youdell link it to marketisation policies and the pressure of schools to compete in league tables.
What is marketisation?
The idea that schools are run like businesses. E.g. schools produce prospectuses and try to ‘compete’ for pupils through achieving good results/Ofsted reports.
What did Gewirtz (1995) study into competition and selection?
Gewirtz (1995) studies 14 London schools and interviewed A selection of teachers and parents. She wanted to find out if parental choice of schools had anything to do with cultural capital. Go it’s found its done deed schools documents to see how schools were selling themselves to parents. She found that professional middle-class parents use the economic and cultural capital to get the children to the best school. Where as the working class parents found it difficult to understand the educational system and didn’t have the funds to pay extra travel costs etc.
What does it mean for schools that are high ranking in league tables?
Schools that are high ranking in league tables mean increased funding and more facilities. This makes the school more popular, which means that they can ‘cream-skim’ (selecting pupils for their high ability who gain the best results) and ‘silt shift’ (offloading less able pupils to less able schools who get poor results. This is an obvious disadvantage to working class pupils whose parents don’t have the cultural and economic capital to get them into the best schools. Selective schools often require parents to sign demanding home/school contracts before being offered a place.
Which class do some schools purposefully create a traditional image to attract? How?
Middle class. There is less focus on the vocational subjects and more on the academic such as Latin. These schools are seen as the best alternative to a private school.
What are the internal factors for class differences in education?
Labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecies.
Pupil subcultures.
Marketisation and selection policies.
What is labelling?
The process of attaching a meaning or definition to an individual or group. Often based on stereotypes.
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
When a prediction (label) made about a person or a group comes true. This is because the labels are accepted by the group/individuals and they act in a way that matches the label.
What is the self-negating prophecy?
The label is rejected and the opposite comes true.
Who studied into the key concept of labelling?
Rise (1970).
How did Rist (1970) study into labelling?
Rist (1970): teachers used info on students home backgrounds and appearance to place them in separate groups. The m/c students were labelled as Tigers and sat at the front. The Clowns were mainly w/c and sat at the back. Case study of an American Kindergarten- observation.
Who studied into the ideal student?
Becker (1971)
What did Becker (1971) find about the ideal student?
Becker (1971)found that teachers judged pupils by now they fitted the image of an “ideal student”. Pupils work, conduct and appearance were key factors in influencing their decisions. m/c were closest to ideal while w/c were furthest away.
Interviews with 60 teachers.
Who studied into the self-fulfilling prophecy?
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968).
How did Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) study into the self-fulfilling prophecy?
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) conducted a false test and how teachers that a selection of students were ‘spurters’ and had high potential. To see if a self-fulfilling prophecy took effect. All the students selected achieved higher grades when the researchers returned.
Field experiment.
Who studied into streaming and notions of ability?
Gilborn and Youdell (2001).
How did Gilborn and Youdell (2001) study into streaming and notions of ability?
Gilborn and Youdell (2001): schools use teachers ‘notions of ability’ to decide how to set/stream students, and which level of GCSE to enter then for/ teachers are more likely to perceive working class and black students as being low ability. Being in a low set/stream means these students never have the chance to get good grades, as they’re taught at a lower level and entered for only foundation level at GCSEs.
What are the are the problems of the labelling theory?
- Determinism: labelling is accused of being too deterministic. Suggesting that if a student is labelled they will just have to accept the label. However Fuller suggested that even if a student is labelled, they can reject/ignore the label given to them.
- Marxist Perspective: Marxist criticise labelling theory for ignoring the wider structures of power. Most labelling theory blames the teacher for labelling. However Marxists question why teacher label in the first place and blame a society that creates class divisions.
What is meant by Pupil subculture?
A group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns. These groups often emerge as a response to teaching labelling and streaming.
How do pupil subcultures develop? What is the example?
Lacey (1970) suggested that subcultures are created via a 2-stage process:
1. Differentiation - meaning separating students into groups: teachers categorise students according to perceived ability or behaviour e.g. streaming.
2. Polarisation - the process of moving towards one of two opposite ‘poles’ (extremes): the students in the top sets become better behaved/more ambitious due to positive labelling, whereas the lower set students behaviour is likely to get worse as they are surrounded by other students with the same ability.
Therefore, those in top sets on likely to form a pro-school subculture, where as those at bottom sets form/join at anti-school subculture.
What are the characteristics of pro-school subcultures?
Gain their status though academic success.
Values similar to school - home mirrors school.
Placed in high stream sets - get positively labelled.
What are the characteristics of anti-school subcultures?
Alternative ways of gaining status - though smoking, drinking, burning etc.
Values go against schools - reject the values of a system that undermines them.
Placed in lower stream sets - made to feel inferior to school.
Do all students follow these subcultures?
Ball (1981) studied the Beachside school - Thai school abolished streaming/banding and replaced it with mixed groups in an attempt to remove polarisation and subcultures. While this was successful, it did not completely removed polarisation as teachers continued to differentiate students through labelling. m/c students received more positive labelling and so continued to succeed in education
What are the external factors that effect class differences in education?
Material deprivation
Cultural deprivation
Capital
What is meant by material deprivation?
Lacking material items/financial support to help with educational success.
What are the factors that can effect children’s education to do with material deprivation?
Housing
Diet and health
Cost of education
Catchment area
How does housing effect class differences in education?
Overcrowding can make it harder to study and do homework. It may also lead to disturbed sleep from sharing beds or bedrooms. Families living in temporary accommodation may have to more frequently resulting in constant changes of school and disrupted education. Cold or damp housing can also lead to ill health which means more absences from school.
Who studied into how does housing effect class differences in education?
Waldfogel and Washbrook (2010) points out overcrowding means it is harder to study in a lack of space. While frequently moving house can also cause a disruption to a child’s education as they are not based in one place long enough to make connections. As well as this, poor housing conditions can lead to greater chances of accidents, increased cold/damp causes illness leading to absence from schools effecting grades.
How does diet and health effect class differences in education?
Poor nutrition affects health by weakening the immune system and lowering children’s energy levels. This may result in more absences from school due to illness, and difficulties concentrating in class. Children from poorer homes are also more likely to have emotional or behavioural problems.
W/c would have a poorer diet and therefore poorer health whereas m/c would be able to afford a variety of food and eat a balanced diet. This would improve their health and therefore their achievement.
Who studied into how does diet and health effect class differences in education?
Howard (2001) notes that young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals. This weakens the immune system causing students to be tired, lack concentration, and increases illness and absence.
How does the cost of education effect class differences in education?
Children from poor families have to do with equipment and miss out on experiences that would enhance their educational achievement. David Bull (1980) refers to this as ‘the cost of free schooling’. Children from low-income families also often need to work to help ease the financial burdens. Working class children are also less likely to attend nursery/pre-school due to cost. The w/c have financial difficulties when it comes to education whereas m/c have the economic wealth (economic capital).
Who studied into how does the cost of education effect class differences in education?
Tanner (2003) found these extra costs puts pressure on poorer families.
Flaherty (2006) found 20% of those eligible for free school meals do not accept.
How does catchment area effect class differences in education?
Working class family are more likely to live in a catchment area that has poor schooling and they can’t afford to move to a better catchment area.
That are the criticisms of material factors that effect class differences in education?
- Many w/c children do achieve academically despite coming poor backgrounds.
- Many schools now offer facilities such as computers outside of normal school time to children can catch-up.
- Government initiatives such as the EMA have sought to compensate for any material deprivation as well as Sure Start programmes to provide pre-school and nursery places in poorer districts.
What is meant by cultural deprivation?
The idea that a student may be inadequately socialised and therefore lack the norms, values, tastes and attitudes needed for educational success.
What are the factors that can effect children’s education to do with cultural deprivation?
Intellectual development
Language
Attitudes and values
What is meant by intellectual development?
This is the development of thinking and reasoning skills, such as the ability to solve problems and use ideas and concepts to express yourself.
Who studied into how intellectual development effect class differences in education?
•Douglas (1964) found that w/c scored lower on tests if ability that m/c children. w/c parents provide less educational support at home than m/c parents - m/c parents provide support l. Douglas (1970) followed the careers of over 5000 children through the education system. •Douglas found that working class parents showed less interest in their children’s education that middle class parent. For example, w/c parents visited schools less to discuss their child’s progress and were less keen than the m/c parents for their children to stay on at school after the minimum leaving age. He also found that working class parents gave their children less attention and stimulation during the early years. He therefore believes that a difference in primary socialisation between classes explains the educational failure of the working classes.
Who studied into how language and speech codes effect class differences in education?
Bernstein (1972) believes that a particular aspect of culture - speech shapes educational achievement. He distinguished two types of speech patterns: restricted codes and elaborate codes.
What are restricted speech codes?
A type of shorthand speech in which meaning are not made fully explicit. They are characterised by short, simple and often unfinished sentences. Conversations are often ‘context bound’ which means that there is an assumption that the listener shares the same understanding. Restricted codes are used by the w/c a d can often involve just gestures and not speech.
What are elaborate speech codes?
A more analytical speech, with a wide vocabulary and complex sentences. It is context free as speakers spell out the meanings explicitly and don’t assume the listener shares them. This code is used by the middle classes.
Who and how criticised Bernstein?
Gains and George (1999) criticised Bernstein for the following:
- Bernstein oversimplifies the differences between m/c and w/c speech patterns.
- Many other factors apart from speech affect educational attainment.
- Class differences in speech patterns have declined since Bernstein did his research (outdated).
- Implies that the restricted code is inferior to the elaborate code but some sociologists just say they are different.
What did Douglas find out about w/c parents?
- Placed less value on educational success.
- Were less ambitious for their children.
- Gave less encouragement to their children.
- Took less interest in education and visited schools less often (e.g parents’ evenings).
As a result, w/c children has a lower level of motivation achievement.
What are the 4 subcultural values that the w/c hold that were identified by Sugarman and what do they mean?
Fatalsim - belief in fate - what will be will be and there is nothing you can do to change your life/status.
Collectivism - valuing being a part of a group more than succeeding as an individual (this is the opposite to the m/c attitude - who believe that an individual should not be held back by a group).
Immediate gratification - seeking pleasure now - living for the moment.
Present time orientation - seeing the present as more important than the future - not having long term goals or plans. m/c people on the other hand see future planning as very important.
What are the three types of capital that Bourdieu (1984) identified?
- Cultural capital - refers to the knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities of the middle class.
- Economic capital - refers to wealth.
- Education capital - refers to qualifications.
What are the criticisms of cultural deprivation?
- Keddie describes this cultural deprivation as a myth and sees it as a victim-blaming explanation. She argues that working class kids are culturally different not culturally deprived. They fail because they are disadvantaged by an education system that is dominated by m/c values.
- It also ignores the role played by schools themselves i.e. labelling, educational triage etc.
- Many working class parents are very concerned and ambitious for their children’s success in education but just confidence I approaching teachers etc.
What does Bourdieu (1984) argue about the middle class and the types of capital?
Bourdieu argues that the middle class generally posses more of all three types of capital, and that they can be converted into one another. For example, m/c children with cultural capital are better equipped to meet the demand of the school curriculum and gain qualifications. Similarly, wealthier parents can convert their economic capital into educational capital by sending their children to private schools and paying for extra tuition.
What did Gewirtz (1995) find out about class differences in parental choice of secondary school?
Gewirtz (1995) uses Bourdieu's ideas to explain her findings in her study of class differences in parental choice of secondary school. She found that differences in economic and cultural capital lead to class differences in how far parents can exercise choice. She identifies three main types of parents: Privilaged skilled choosers - professional, m/c parents who used their economic and cultural capital to gain educational capital for their children. Disconnected local - w/c parents whose choices were restricted by their lack of economic and cultural capital. Semi skilled choosers - also w/c parents, but unlike the disconnected local choosers, they were ambitious for their children and often frustrated at their inability to get their children into the schools they wanted.
What are the criticism of the different types of capital?
- However, not all working class students fail, even if they don’t have cultural capital.
- It can be argued that material factors (lack of money) have more of an impact than cultural ones.
- What about teacher labelling?
What do cultural deprivation theorists argue about attitudes and values?
Cultural deprivation theorists argue that parents’ attitudes and values have a significant influence on an child’s success in education. They argue that these cultural factors have a greater impact than financial hardship or factors within schools.
What is meant by compensatory education?
Educational programs intended to make up for experiences (such as cultural experiences) lacked by disadvantaged children.
It offers supplementary programs or services designed to help children at risk of cognitive impairment and low education achievement succeed.
