class differences internal Flashcards
what does it mean to label someone?
to attach a meaning or definition to them
what kind of theory is labelling theory?
- bottom up
- micro approach
- from an interactionalist perspective
what type of label is typically attached to a working class student?
negative
how might a teacher treat a student based on the label of being intelligent?
- give the student more independence, praise, positive reinforcement, more extending opportunities
how might a teacher treat a student based on the label of being low ability?
not pushing them, differentiation in work, lower expectations
what sociologists have studied labelling theory?
- Becker (1971)
- Jorgensen (2009)
- Dunne and Gazeley (2008)
describe Howard Beckers (1971) study on labelling
and streaming
- interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers and found they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted an image of the ‘ideal pupil’
- children from middle class backgrounds were often closest to the ideal
according to Howard Beckers (1971) study on labelling, what key factors influenced teachers judgement?
pupils work, conduct and appearance
describe Amelia Jorgensen’s study on labelling
- in largely working class primary school, where discipline was a major problem, the ideal pupil was defined as quiet, passive and obedient
- thus judges on behaviour not ability
- in a middle class primary school with few disciplinary problems, the ideal pupil was defined by personality and academic ability
what does Amelia Jorgensen’s study tell us about teacher labels?
- labels are not fixed and can be context bound
- there are different expectations
what is the self fulfilling prophecy?
when a person internalises a label attached o them and the label becomes true
the SFP is a prediction that comes true by virtue of it being made
according to Dunne and Gazeley (2008) how might teachers treat underachieving students from middle class backgrounds in comparison to students from a working class background?
MC - set them extra work
WC - entered in easier exams
what impact will the teacher treatment found by Duune and Gazeley (2008) have on the students involved?
MC will feel more support
WC may feel like they cant achieve much
according to Rist, what influenced the group placement of students?
based on childrens background and appearance
based on perception
in Rist’s study, what were the groups labelled as, and how were they treated ?
- ‘tigers’ - fast learners, seated near the teacher, were showed greater encouragement
- ‘cardinals and clowns’ - seated further away, given lower level books, few chances to show ability
what sociologist studied the self fulfilling prophecy?
Rosenthal and Jacobson
what was Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study of the self fulfilling prophecy called?
Pygmalion in the Classroom
what type of method did Rosenthal and Jacobson use in their Pygmalion in the Classroom study?
field experiments
what were Rosenthal and Jacobson trying to test in their Pygmalion in the Classroom study?
whether teachers expectations of children’s ability affect their progress
how did Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study illustrate the self fulfilling prophecy?
those ‘spurters’ did better and progressed more
shows that if teachers believe a pupil to be a certain type, they can actually make them that type
what case study can be used to evaluate Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study about the SFP?
Mary fullers study of black girls in a London comprehensive school rejecting their labels
define streaming
splitting pupils as young as six into into classes based on ability
what did Douglas find when observing the impact of streaming?
children placed in a lower stream at the age of 8 had suffered a decline in their IQ by the age of 11
why might streaming be a negative influence on disadvantaged students?
they’re given lower status knowledge
what is attainment 8?
the average of 8 gcse’s including maths, english and science
what can result from labelling?
pupil subcultures
when looking at league tables, progress 8 is…
value added
what are pupil subcultures?
a group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns
what does Colin Lacey use to explain how pupil subcultures emerge?
concepts of differentiation and polarisation
what sociologist uses the concepts of differentiation and polarisation to explain how pupil subcultures emerge?
Colin Lacey
what is differentiation?
the process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability and treating them accordingly
what is polarisation?
student responses to differentiation by moving to either end of the opposite ‘poles’ in terms of behaviour and attitude
what sociologist identified various types of subcultures?
Peter Woods
what four main types of subcultures did Peter Woods identify?
ingratiation
ritualism
retreatism
rebellion
describe Peter Wood’s ingratiation subculture
pro-school subculture
eagerness to please teachers
describe Peter Wood’s ritualism subculture
lack of interest and engagement with schooling, but appearing to conform by going through the motion and avoiding trouble
describe Peter Wood’s retreatism subculture
indifferent to school values and exam success
dropping out from involvement in school including subcultures
describe Peter Wood’s rebellion subculture
rejection of schooling
involvement in anti school activity
what features might a pro school pupil have?
- middle class
- high streams
- gain status through academic success
what features might an anti school pupil have?
- working class
- low streams
- gain status through alternative means
what sociologist studied ‘delinquent’ subcultures?
Hargreaves
what subculture did Hargreaves study?
delinquent subcultures
what sociologist evaluated subcultures?
John Furlong (1984)
how did John Furlong (1984) evaluate pupil subcultures?
pupils are not committed to any one response, but may move between different types for eg different teachers
what is the process of joining a subculture?
1.
- students try to gain status in school through legitimate means
what is the process of joining a subculture?
1. students try to gain status in school through legitimate means
2.
- despite their attempts, WC students are labelled negatively by teachers are treated accordingly
what is the process of joining a subculture?
1. students try to gain status in school through legitimate means
2. despite their attempts, WC students are labelled negatively by teachers are treated accordingly
3.
- WC students then give up trying to succeed through legitimate means, they seek out other students like them
what is the process of joining a subculture?
1. students try to gain status in school through legitimate means
2. despite their attempts, WC students are labelled negatively by teachers are treated accordingly
3. WC students then give up trying to succeed through legitimate means, they seek out other students like them
4.
- students find similar minded people who underachieve
what is the process of joining a subculture?
3. WC students then give up trying to succeed through legitimate means, they seek out other students like them
4. students find similar minded people who underachieve
5.
- students try to gain status in new ways by inverting the norms and values of education
what is the process of joining a subculture?
4. students find similar minded people who underachieve
5. students try to gain status in new ways by inverting the norms and values of education
6.
- WC students find new, deviant means of gaining status - as a result an anti school subculture has formed
what is the process of joining a subculture?
5. students try to gain status in new ways by inverting the norms and values of education
6. WC students find new, deviant means of gaining status - as a result an anti school subculture has formed
7.
- they are further labelled as negative - pushing the students further into their subcultures
other than John Furlong, what other evaluations are there of labelling, streaming and subcultures?
Marxists
this theory is deterministic
it isnt a true ‘micro’ perspective
explain the Marxist evaluation of labelling, streaming and subcultures
capitalist systems want the WC to fail in order to fill up the lower paid roles within society
labelling is a process that helps this happen
explain the fact this theory is deterministic as an evaluation of labelling, streaming and subcultures
it assumes a general response
ignores free will
explain the fact this isnt a true ‘micro’ perspective as an evaluation of labelling, streaming and subcultures
we have free will and we must therefore research how our free will impacts us
what type of habitus does the education system have?
middle class
what sociologist recognised symbolic violence?
Bourdieu (marxist)
what does Bourdieu suggest about the WC habitius?
by deeming it a inferior, symbolic violence reproduces class structures and keeps the WC in their place
how does symbolic violence link to the self fulfilling prophecy?
WC pushed more away from MC habitus
pushed into subculture groups
negative labelling
self fulfilling prophecy
what did Archers study on working class identity show?
many WC students feel they would need to change to fit into the education system
instead young people find their own solution to symbolic violence - seek to generate worth through their investments in style
explain the links between nike identities and labelling / self fulfilling prophecy
style regarded as tasteless by the MC, leads to the rejection of higher education, leads to negative teacher labelling, leads to SFP
WC get message education is ‘not for the likes of them’
why are nike identities a reaction against school habitus?
promotes WC preference for a particular lifestyle as a means of gaining their own status
summarise Ingram’s (2009) study on identity and success
relationship between WC identity and educational failure
however some WC do succeed
2 groups of WC catholic boys from the same area, one in grammar school one not
what does Ingram’s (2009) study on identity and success tell us about WC values?
they value community and it strongly influences who they are
what is the impact of the working classes tendency to value community and let it strongly influences who they are?
choosing to remain with their community rather than pursuing higher education and leaving
pressure to fit in
what sociologist studies a group of 21 WC girls form a south London comprehensive school?
Sarah Evans (2009)
what did Evans find in her study of WC girls form a south London comprehensive school?
WC may not go to Russel groups out of fear of not fitting in or their WC locality
self exclusion ultimately narrows their options
describe the features of Oxford university?
the best
capital
traditional / historical
describe the features of London Met university?
diverse
accessible
variety
what type of theory is labelling?
bottom up
interactionalist
What is Streaming?
involves separating children into different ability groups
What sociologists showed how teachers use stereotypical notions of ‘ability’ to stream pupils in their study of two London secondary schools?
Gillborn and Youdell (2001)
Streaming
Describe Gillborn and Youdells findings in their study of two secondary school
- Teachers less likley to see WC and black pupils as having ability
- these pupils are put in lower sets and entered in lower tier exams
What do Gillborn and Youdell link streaming to?
The publication of league tables
What are league tables?
these rank schools according to its exam performance
Why would schools want to achieve a good league table position?
to attract pupils and funding
What to Gillborn and Youdell say the publication of league tables creates?
and A-C economy in schools
Gillborn and Youdell
What is an A-C economy?
a system in which schools focus their time, efforts and resources on those pupils they see as having the potential to achieve 5 grade A-Cs
Gillborn and Youdell
What is an educational triage?
the rationing of educational opportunity
Gillborn and Youdell
What are the categories in the educational triage?
- Those who will pass anyway and can be left to get on with it
- those with potential
- Hopeless cases - doomed to fail
Describe Hargreaves (1967) findings in his study on pupil subcultures
The formation of delinquent subcultures as a soultion to boys being labelled as ‘worthless louts’
helped to guarantee their educational failure
Describe Balls study of Beachside (a comprehensive school)
- they were in the process of abolishing banding (a type of streaming) in favour of teaching mixed ability groups
What did Ball find that banding produced, in his study of Beachside?
The kind of polarisation described by Lacey
What did Ball find happened when the school abolished banding (a type of streaming)?
- The baisis for pupils to polarise into subcultures was largey removed
- And the influence of anti school subcultures declined
- However differentiation continued
What did Ball find teachers continues to do?
Categories pupils differently and were more likely to labell MC pupils as cooperative and able
- positive labelling was refelcted in kids exam results - shows SFP
What did Balls study show?
that class inequalities can continue as a result of teachers labelling, even without the effect of subcultures or streaming
What has there been a trend towards since Balls study and the Educational Reform Act (1998)?
Towards more streaming and towards a variety of types of school, some of which having a more academic curriculum than others
What did Reay et al (2005) point out in relation to class identity and self exclusion?
Self exclusion from elite or distant universities narrows the options of many working class pupils and limit their success
Which sociologist look into class identity and self exclusion?
- Evans
- Bourdieu
- Archer and Ingram
- Reay et al
What did Bourdieu Say about class identity and self exclusion?
Many working class people think of places like Oxbridge as “not being for the likes of us”
What do studies like those of Evans Ingram and archer show relating to class identity and self exclusion?
Consistent pattern of middle class education system that values the experiences and choices of working class people as worthless or inappropriate
how do Dunne and Gazeley show the relationship between internal and external factors?
An internal factor - what teachers believe
about a working class pupils home background - an external factor actually produces underachievement
How does poverty show the relationship between internal and external factors?
Poverty - an external material factor may lead to bullying and stigmatisation by peer groups - an internal process within school
This may intern lead to truanting and failure
