cultural deprivation in education

Question 1

why do m/c have the upper hand with their children before education even starts according to Bernstein?

Answer 1

• m/c mothers are able to provide environments that stimulate thinking and reasoning to prepare them for school

Question 2

why are w/c culturally deprived in terms of their parenting style/ involvement in child’s education?

Answer 2

• parents not showing enough interest
• anti-education - education won’t get you anywhere
• m/c parents invested in what children do and their achievements
• self-impose a barrier that they’re not cut out to do well in school

Question 3

what did Hyman and Sugarman say about w/c subculture?

Answer 3

• w/c is fatalistic - don’t think can make a difference or change their circumstances
• w/c kids are more collectivist - believe in group more than individual - don’t prioritise own individuality
• w/c want immediate gratification - not prepared to work hard for a while to get GCSE results
• w/c have present time orientation - no real goals/ambitions

Question 4

what was Connor et al 2001’s study?

Answer 4

• conducted focus group interviews with 230 students from 4 diff FE colleges from a range of class backgrounds, some of who had chosen to go to uni and some who hadn’t

Question 5

what were the findings of Connor et al’s study?

Answer 5

• main findings were that w/c pupils were discouraged from going to uni for 3 main reasons:
  1 - such candidates want ‘immediate gratification’ - want to earn money and be independent at earlier age because they are aware of parents having struggled for money and wish to avoid debt themselves
  2 - realise their parents cannot afford to support them during higher education and did not like the possibility of them getting into debt
  3 - have less confidence in their ability to succeed in HE

Question 6

what did Feinstein argue about m/c parents 2008?

Answer 6

• m/c parents are more child-centred which is reflected in greater personal investment in their children

Question 7

what was Forsyth and Furlong’s study 2000?

Answer 7

• used qualitive and quantitative research methods to research why bright w/c students were less likely to go to uni
• around 500 students in a secondary school completed a questionnaire and a follow up postal questionnaire 9months later
• next 44 unstructured interviews w students identified as coming from poorer backgrounds
• finally a postal questionnaire was sent to a sample of the parents of those who took part in the follow-up questionnaire

Question 8

what did Forsyth and Furlong conclude in their study?

Answer 8

• concluded that w/c students experienced a number of barriers to HE success
• these included lack of familiarity w HE, lack of funds, fear of debt and a fear of cultural isolation

Question 9

what does Bernstein argue w/c pupils have?

Answer 9

• a restricted speech code
• teachers speak in elaborated speech code in which m/c are familiar with
• textbooks and resources written in elaborated code as well

Question 10

how can Bernstein’s claims be criticised?

Answer 10

• outdated - teachers adapt and use simplified language to meet needs of pupils
• generalising of w/c
• in reality there are huge variations in how people speak, beyond their social class