Differential Educational achievement Class (internal Factors)

Question 1

What are the five main internal factors for differential education achievement?

Answer 1

1. Labelling
2. Self fulfilling Prophecy
3. Setting/streaming
4. Pupil subcultures
5. Pupil’s class identity

Question 2

Labelling

Answer 2

The labelling theory suggests that teachers often attach a label to a pupil that has little to do with their actual ability. Instead they form an opinion of the student based on how close the students fit the ideal pupil.

Becker–> labels can lead to the self fulfilling prophecy where a student internalises the label and acts accordingly.

IMPACT: Self fulfilling prophecy RIST–> Clowns and Tigers

Question 3

Labelling evaluation

Answer 3

• DETERMINISTIC
• Focuses on the negative effects
• Labelling theory attributes too much importance to ‘teacher agency’ (The autonomous power of teachers to influence and affect pupils) however it can be argued that schools themselves encourage teachers to label students
• Teacher training

Question 4

Self fulfilling prophecy

Answer 4

When students take on the label that is attributed to them by the teacher or school. This can either be a positive or negative label.

IMPACT: A negative label placed on W/C students can lead to students forming an anti-school subculture and underachieve at school

–> A positive label usually applied to a M/C students due to ideal pupil characteristics can lead to a pro-school subculture and help students to achieve at school

Question 5

Self fulfilling prophecy evaluation

Answer 5

• Deterministic
• Rejection of the label: Fuller’s research on black girls in a London comprehensive school. Found black girls she researched were labelled as low-achievers, but their response was to knuckle down and study hard to prove their teachers and the school and wrong.

Question 6

Setting/ Streaming

Answer 6

• Setting is the placement of students into ability classes within individual subjects
• Streaming is the placement of students into ability groups going across all subjects

IMPACT–> W/C students are usually placed in the lower streams/sets which can lead to lower self esteem therefore under achieve
–> Limits student potential by not allowing them access to opportunities to achieve

Question 7

Setting and Streaming evaluation

Answer 7

• Setting and streaming allow for higher ability students to be stretched out the lower ability students to be supported which can lead to higher achievement

Question 8

Pupil Subculture

Answer 8

Anti school subculture:
- lower streams
- Rejection of school
- Values
- Truanting
- Disruption
- Not doing homework

Pro school subculture
- Committed to school values
- Gain approval/ status through academic success

IMPACT: W/C are more likely to be apart of an anti school subculture whereby status is not achieved through educational achievement but through distruptive behaviour and therefore unlikely to achieve at school

Question 9

Pupil Subculture evaluation

Answer 9

Not all students become part of a pro or anti school subculture

Question 10

Pupil’s class identity

Answer 10

• Habitus: Learned or taken for granted ways of thinking, being or acting that are shared by a particular social class (Bourdieu)
• It includes their taste, outlook on life, expectations and what is normal or realistic for people ‘like us’

IMPACT: M/C have power to set the habitus of the school giving M/C students an advantage
- W/C habitus is devalued by schools and W/C students felt that they had to change who they are in order to be academically successful –> W/C sees HE as undesriable and unrealistic

Question 11

Pupil’s class identity evaluation

Answer 11

Postmodernists argue that class doesn’t have as much of an impact on student identity anymore due to the pick and mix culture