Cultural Capital

Question 1

Pierre Bourdieu (1984)

Answer 1

Cultural Capital:(knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities of the MC)

• He see’s MC culture as a type of capital because, like wealth, it gives an advantage to those who possess it.
• Argues that through primary socialisation, MC pupils learn to grasp, analyse and express abstract ideas. Hi

Question 2

Educational and Economic Capital

Answer 2

• MC pupils with CC are better equipped to meet the demands of the education system and gain qualifications.
• Wealthy MC parents can convert their economic capital into educational capital through private schools/ tuition.

Question 3

Leech + Campos (2003)

Answer 3

• Their study showed that MC parents are more likely to be able to afford a house in the catchment area of schools high up on league tables.
• “Selection by Mortgage:” raiding costs of houses near successful schools which exclude the WC.

Question 4

Alice Sullivan (2001)

Answer 4

• Used questionnaires on pupils to assess their CC.
• Pupils with greatest CC were children of graduates and were more likely to be successful at GCSE.
• Concluded that the greater resources and aspirations of the MC explain the class gap in achievement.