Differences in educational achievements (social class) Flashcards
What are material out of school factors that can affect educational achievement?
- Smith and Noble (1995) - “Barriers to learning”:
Isolation and stigmatising that can come from no access to uniforms, trips and equipment. - No equipment → will fall behind in learning.
- Low incomes lead to less room to learn
- Marketisation of schools has led to high price houses near “good” schools.
- Older students may have to provide or care for younger siblings.
→ Washbrook and Waldfogel (2010) : 31% of the difference in scores of five year olds in vocab tests can be explained by material disadvantage. E.G. less books in the house / not read to.
→ Hirsch (2007) - “variety of advantages for the better off”:
- Out of school activities lead to confidence & cultural literacy
- More space at home and overall more likely to benefit from the specific privilege of Private Education.
(63% of those in Private School see themselves as Middle Class, 24% do so in State Schools).
What are cultural out of school factors that can affect educational achievement?
- Sugarman (1970)
Instant gratification vs. delayed gratification. - Fatalism of the working class means they do not believe they can improve their prospects through hard work.
- Lockwood (1966)
Middle class is likely to buy into the mantra of meritocracy whereas the working class is more likely to think it’s all down to luck.
→ Feinstein (2003) and Goodman and Gregg (2010) - “material factors matter but culture is more important.”
The quality of mother / child time.
- How often children are read to.
- Attitudes to the education system of the parent.
→ Bernstein (1972)
Speech shapes educational achievement. Restricted codes vs. Elaborated codes
What action has been taken to try and improve the quality of education provided to students from predominantly working class areas?
Emphasis on OFSTED to improve failing schools, particularly in working class areas.
The Academisation of schools began with failing schools being taken over by businesses and school leaders
Why can working class students in predominantly rich areas still be “left behind”?
A-C economy meant students that were not expected to get a C were given up on
What do interactionists claim about how social class background affects the way teachers label pupils?
Hargreaves, Hester and Mellor (1975):
Pupils’ appearance, discipline and likeability means they are grouped into “good” and “bad” by teachers
Middle Class behaviour is more likely to fulfill “ideal” pupil expectation
What did Hargreaves, Hestor and Mellor (1975) conclude about the negative impact labelling can have on the progress of pupils in education?
A pupil’s course of action will change based on a
“prophecy” of events.
What were the findings of the Rosenthal and Jackson (1968) study on teacher expectation and its impact?
After giving false information to primary teachers in the USA about the IQ of pupils. Researchers found that pupils who were “told” they had a higher IQ / were believed to have a higher IQ did better.
What are the conclusions of the research into streaming and setting
Ball (1981)
Working class children were more likely to be in lower sets even if of the same attainment data than their middle class peers.
→ Hallam (2009)
Children in higher sets have a higher sense of esteem.
Dunne et. al (2011)
Students in receipt of FSM likely to be in lower sets.
→ Willis (1977)
Class divisions in school
What is the Marxist argument regarding elaborated and restricted codes / cultural capital?
Bernstein (1972)
Speech shapes educational achievement. Restricted codes vs. Elaborated codes which are used in schooling and professional settings.
A fundamental problem for the working class is that the education system operates in terms of the culture of the middle and upper classes.
self-
→ Bourdieu (1984)
The possession or lack of possession of different types of capital shapes your opportunity in society.
→ Evans (2007)
Middle-class mothers were able to give their children a head start using their cultural capital.
→ Ball et al. (2004)
Middle-class parents can use their cultural capital to “play” the system.
