cultural deprivation Flashcards
Pierre Bordieu (1979) main points
• main role of education is to provide cultural capital for those who need it
• children from wealthier family backgrounds are socialised in terms of higher class habitus, which gives them a headstart in cultural capital and is labelled as intelligence
• there are 4 types of capital
what is cultural capital?
a person’s education (knowledge and intellectual skills) that provides advantages
economic capital
the possession of wealth in various forms
cultural capital (Bordieu)- what does it include
• educational qualifications, knowledge and understanding of creative and artistic aspects of culture
• consumption associated with different lifestyles (habitus) and the tastes of different classes
social capital
social connections which allow one to mix in the right circles for success
symbolic capital
a reputation for respectability and competence
how are the forms of capital linked?
one form of capital can be used to increase another, for example:
- cultural capital allows one to have the taste to mix in the right circles for increasing other forms of capital such as social
- having money allows you to increase cultural capital as it can be spent on education
- forms of capital can help increase economic capital as you can impress at jobs or interviews
Bordieu on social reproduction
• the wealthiest get the best qualifications and the most well paid jobs as a result
• education legitimises social reproduction because children’s cultural capital from wealthy families is interpreted as intelligence by teachers, making it seem as though they are hardworking ans therefore deserving of this process
• he argues that this is an invisible process
evaluating Bordieu- why is his work deterministic?
• the idea of habitus implies a high dregree of genreational reproduction of class cultures
• the welfare state’s influence on class culture, especially among professionals is ignored
• social institutions have importance in shaping class structures
• assumes his study of france can be generalised to fit other countries
• many teachers enter the profession to challenge class culture and inequality, which subverts his point
cultural deprivation
lacking the appropriate attitudes, values, language and knowledge for success
what are some cultural deprivation factors that affect education (WISE)
W orking class subcultures
I nterest in education (parental)
S peech patterns
E ducation and attitude (parental)
attainment
progress made
achievement
grade achieved
W of WISE: Hyman and Sugarman- summary
Hyman (1967):
- different values between the classes, less chance for advancement + less motivation
Sugarman (1970):
- fatalism
- immediate gratification
- collectivism
Used: interviews, opinion polls, and survey data
Hyman (1967)
- different values between the classes
- w/c place less value on education+achieving a good job
- believe there is less chance they will have an opportunity to advance, so they have less motivation to do this
Sugarman (1970)- fatalism
- fatalism: accepting a situation rather than trying to improve it (discourages hard work)
- immediate gratification- they want instant rewards
- collectivism: group loyalty is valued rather than individual achievement (less likely to focus on personal success)
attitudes not liked/supported by education system, therefore can cause underachievement
I of WISE: parental Interest- Douglas and Feinstein summary
Douglas (1964)
- variations in attainment- students of similar ability+ different social classes
- parental interest most important factor-m/c parents more interest
- early school years usually reflect performance throughout secondary school
- m/c kids more attention as children, basis for good attainment in later life
Feinstein (2003):
- saw that class differences in parental support accounted for class differences in educational attainment
- supports w more recent data such as 1970 british cohort study
Douglas (1964)
- testing students = large variation in attainment (students of similar ability+ different social class)
- found parental interest was most important factor-m/c parents most interested (indicated by visits to school frequently)
- performance in early school years usually reflected performance throughout secondary school
- suggested that in primary socialisation, m/c children get greater attention + stimulus from parents, which encouraged them + formed a basis for higher achievement
Feinstein (2003)
Feinstein (2003):
- feinstein saw that class differences in parental support accounted for class differences in educational attainment
- data used was National Child Development Study (development/ all childrn born in 1 week of March 1958)
- also used recent data → British cohort study(1970 born children)
S of WISE: speech patterns- Bernstein (1972)
- 18 months fieldwork in a w/c council estate in Bermondsey, Southeast London
- elaborated code = wide range of lexical choices in speech
- restricted code = use of colooquialisms/abbreviations
- w/c tend to use restricted code, has particularistic meanings which means they cannot communicate properly with those who don’t understand
- m/c tend to use elaborated codes, more able to communicate bc their speech is universalistic
E of WISE: parental Education: Evans (2007)
- used fieldwork
- m/c children experience formal learning type skills in an informal+ play-based way such as counting and speaking, which can help with formal education (from mothers!)
- social relationships in w/c fams are substandard in comparison to those within m/c fams
- rejects idea of cultural deprivation theories
how do marketisation policies help the middle class according to Ball?
- the m/c has largely benefitted from policies of choice and competition because they can use their superior social capital to use their networks for support
