Class - Ext factors (cultural)

Question 1

Cultural deprivation

Answer 1

refers to lacking the right norms and values for educational success

Question 2

Parental interest AO1

Answer 2

Douglas- main reason for underachievement is lack of parental interest
Longitudinal study of over 5000 British children and found MC parents expressed greater interest as indicated by more frequent school visits
More likely to want and encourage their children to stay at school beyond minimum leaving age

Question 3

Parental interest AO3

Answer 3

Douglas bases his theory on parents evening attendance, there could be a number of reasons why WC parents couldn’t attend:
-some WC parents might have to work shifts and not be available
-perhaps they show interest more at home than school
-some WC parents may feel uncomfortable in a MC environment

Question 4

Parents education AO1

Answer 4

Feinstein- parents own education affects ch8ildrens achievement as it can give them an advantage based on how they are socialised
-parenting style differs between WC and MC
-educated parents emphasis consistent discipline and high expectations for their children
-less educated parents are harsh and inconsistent with their discipline meaning a child is prevented from learning independence

Question 5

Parents education AO3

Answer 5

Compensatory education programme eg Sure Start aimed to help those who may be culturally deprived by helping them improve their skills and help transmit values and attitudes needed for educational success

Question 6

Attitudes and values AO1

Answer 6

Sugarman argued the attitudes of WC and MC subcultures were directly linked to achievement
-attitudes result from different nature of manual and non manual jobs
eg MC occupations provide opportunities for continuous advancement up the career ladder, leading to greater income and status
-encouraged planning for the future
-delayed or deferred gratification
WC occupations reach full earning capacity very quicklyand there are fewer opportunities for promotion
-tend to be less secure
-attitude of future planning not fostered
–results of questionnaires from 540 4th year boys in 4 London secondary schools

Question 7

Attitudes and values AO3

Answer 7

Sugarman’s conclusions are drawn from questionnaire data, but just because someone answers a certain way in a questionnaire does not necessarily give an accurate indication of how they behaviour
-sample is not representative
-Postmods would argue there are no longer clear cut differences between WC and MC attitudes, class is no longer an issue

Question 8

Language AO1

Answer 8

Bernstein distinguishes between elaborated and restricted code
WC-restricted- short, grammatically simple, unfinished, context bound
MC-elaborated- fills in detail
Bernstein- two 5 year old boys, one MC one WC, 4 photos and asked to describe the events
Different speech codes amount for educational differences, education is conducted in terms of elaborated code - placing WC at a disadvantage

Question 9

Language AO3

Answer 9

Bernstein studied only 2 boys
-small sample, cannot generalise to all WC and MC children
-not representative
:)- recognises that the school, not just home influences childs achievement as they are failing to teach them how to use the elaborated code

Question 10

Linguistic development AO1

Answer 10

Hubbs Tait et al- where parents use language that challenges their children to evaluate their own understanding or abilities, their cognitive performance improves
Feinstein- supports this, he found that educated families are more likely to use this language in the same way and praise more
-encourages children to develop a sense of their own competence

Question 11

Linguistic development AO3

Answer 11

Williams and Troyna- educational underachievement is most likely not due to a childs language, but schools attitude as teachers have a speech hierarchy

Question 12

Cultural capital AO1

Answer 12

Bourdieu- uses cultural capital to explain why MC students are more successful
cultural capital refers to the knowledge, attitude, values, language, tastes and abilities of the middle class that can be exchanged for educational success
-both material and cultural factors contribute to achievement
-MC have better CC
MC can afford private school/tutoring
-if parents have both cultural and economic capital their child will have more educational capital

Question 13

Cultural capital AO3

Answer 13

Keddie- cultural deprivation is a myth, sees it as victim blaming
WC children are culturally different, not deprived
-they fail because they are disadvantaged by an education system that is dominated by MC values