class differences - internal Flashcards
What sociologists are interested in the labelling process?
interactionists
What did BECKER’s chicago high school study find?
interviews with 60 teachers.
they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted the image of an ‘ideal pupil’
work, conduct and appearance influenced teacher judgement.
They saw M/C as closest to the ideal
how does BECKER believe the self-fulfilling happens?
teachers’ interaction with students are based on the labels to do with the ideals.
According to HEMPEL-JORGENSEN, how do the notions of the ideal pupil vary according to the social class make-up of the school?
In the largely W/C primary, where staff said discipline was a major problem, the ideal pupil was defined as quiet, passive and obedient - children defined in terms of behaviour>ability.
in the M/C primary, the ideal pupil was defined in terms of personality and academic ability, rather than as being a ‘non-misbehaving’ pupil.
why does the prediction in a label eventually come true?
the teacher-student interactions are shaped by the label
According to DUNNE and GAZELEY, how do schools persistently produce W/C underachievement?
interviews in 9 English state secondary schools - found teachers ‘normalised’ underachievement of W/C pupils and were unconcerned by it. They believed they could overcome the underachievement of M/C pupils.
They labelled W/C parents as uninterested and M/C as supportive.
Teachers dealt with underachieving pupils differently - extension work for M/C students and entering W/C into easier exams
What did RIST’s study of US kindergarten show?
teacher used info about children’s background and appearance to place them into different groups seated away from each other.
‘tigers’ = M/C. seated close to her and recieved encouragement
‘clowns’/’cardinals’= W/C. seated further away. lower-level books and fewer opportunities to show their abilities.
what is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
a prediction that comes true simply by virtue of it being made
What was ROSENTHAL and JACOBSON’s study called?
Pygmalion in the classroom
What did ROSENTHAL and JACOBSON’s study involve?
they told the teachers they had used an special test designed to identify ‘spurters’. They randomly labelled 20% of the pupils as ‘spurters’. A year later, they found that almost 1/2 of those ‘spurters’ had made significant progress
They argued that teachers’ beliefs about the pupils influenced their interaction with them. e.g. body language, amount of attention/encouragement.
What do interactionalists view streaming as?
a form of institutionalised labelling
How might streaming affect W/C children?
They are least like BECKER’s ‘ideal pupil’ and so are more likely to find themselves in lower stream. They get the message that teachers have ‘written them off’ - it is hard to move up streams. They internalise the low expectations and underachieve.
how does DOUGLAS support the idea that streaming affects achievement?
children in lower stream at 8 suffered a decline in their IQ by age 11.
What did GILLBORN and YOUDELL’s study show?
2 London secondary schools.
teachers used stereotypical notion of ability to stream pupils.
they were less likely to see W/C and black as having ability and they were placed in lower streams and lower tier exams.
According to GILLBORN and YOUDELL, what does marketisation lead to?
A to C economy in schools.They focus on pupils with the ‘potential’ to gain 5 A*-C to improve their position on league table.
What does the A-C economy develop?
educational triage
what is educational triage?
schools categorise pupils:
1 - those who will pass anyway - M/C in top strems
2 - those with potential who will recieve help to get C
3 - hopeless cases - warehoused in bottom streams
why do pupil subcultures emerge?
often a response to the way they have been labelled
What does LACEY’s concept of differentiation mean?
process where teachers categorise pupils according to how they percieve their ability/attitude/behaviour. e.g. streaming
what does LACEY’s concept of polarisation mean?
process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards of two opposite extremes.
what did LACEY’s study of Hightown grammar school find?
those in high stream - M/C - remain committed to values of school and gain status in approved manner.
pro-school subculture
those in lower stream - W/C - suffer loss of self esteem - the school undermined their self-worth by placing them in position of inferior status.
They search for alternative ways to gain status - usually involves inverting the school’s values.
anti-school subculture which involves smoking etc.
how does joining an anti-school subculture create further problems, even if it does solve lack of status?
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of educational failure. He joins because his work is poor and finds the group encourages behaviour that keeps it that way, if not worse.
What did BALL find in his study of Beachside comprehensive?
they abolished banding and the basis for pupils to polarise into subcultures was largely removed and influence of anti-school subculture declined. differentiation continued - teacher's categorised pupils and viewed M/C as more able. the positive labelling was reflected in exam results. shows class inequalities can occue as result of labelling, even without effect of subcultures and streaming.
What other responses to labelling and streaming does WOODS note?
ingratiation - being ‘teacher’s pet’
ritualism - going through motions. staying out of trouble
retreatism - daydreaming/mucking about
rebellion - outright rejection of school’s values.
