EDUCATION Flashcards
Class Differences in Achievement (External Factors):
BERNSTEIN:
Speech Codes:
Differences in speech codes put working-class children at a disadvantage
Elaborated code is used by teachers, textbooks and exams.
Restricted code used by working class. Informal English.
Class Differences in Achievement (External Factors):
DOUGLAS
Working-class parents place less value on education; they are less ambitious for their children and give them less encouragement to participate in educational activities, such as homework. As a result of this, many working-class parents do not attend parents evening.
Class Differences in Achievement (External Factors)
HOUSING
Overcrowding means there is no room for educational activities, such as homework and reading. It also means disturbed sleep from sharing bedrooms.
Families living in temp accommodation may find themselves having to move frequently, leading to disturbed education
Overcrowded homes mean greater risk of accidents and a higher risk of getting ill. This may lead to absence from school
Class Differences in Achievement (External Factors)
DIET AND HEALTH
HOWARD
Young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals. Poor nutrition affects health, for example, by weakening the child’s immune system- this may result in more absences from school
Class Differences in Achievement (External Factors)
BOURDIEU:
Cultural Capital
Middle-class children with cultural capital are better equipped to meet the demands on the school curriculum. Parents can convert the cultural capital into economic capital, for example, they can send their children to private schools.
Class Differences in Achievement (Internal Factors)
Labelling and its effects
BECKER:
Teachers judge and label pupils according to how closely they fitt the “ideal pupil”. This would therefore dampen the motivation of students who did not suit the ideal pupil, due to how teachers deferred their time away from them and were unwilling to help.
Class Differences in Achievement (Internal Factors)
Labelling and its effects
SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY
ROSENTHAL AND JACOBSON
When students are given a positive label, they react to it by creating a positive self-concept, which means they are motivated to work hard and improve their grades. This also works in reverse, with negative labels leading to negative self-concepts and less motivation.
Rosenthal and Jacobson studied this by informing teachers of students who scored highly on an IQ test and would be a quick learner. The catch was that these test results were fabricated. Teachers treated those who were falsely identified as ‘spurts’ differently. 47% of those who were identified to ‘spurt’ had made significant improvement due to how teachers paid more attention to them by giving them more feedback.
Class Differences in Achievement (Internal Factors)
Labelling and its effects
STREAMING
GILLBORN AND YOUDELL
Gillborn and Youdell found that teachers labelled working-class students as unintelligent, resulting in them being placed in lower streams and sets.
Class Differences in Achievement (Internal Factors)
PUPIL SUBCULTURES
LACEY
Lacey found that there were 2 ways in which pupil subcultures developed: polarisation and differentiation. Polarisation is when pupils respond to streaming by either moving to a pro-school subculture or an anti-school subculture. Differentiation is a form of streaming, those who are placed in higher streams gain a higher status.
Class Differences in Achievement (Internal Factors)
PUPIL IDENTITIES
ARCHER
Archer et al found that working-class pupils invest in ‘nike’ identities, leading to self-exclusion from education because it does not fit their identity and way of life; they see it as unrealistic (it is for richer and cleverer people) and they also see it as undesirable (it does not suit their habitus).
ETHNIC Differences in Achievement (External Factors)
LINGUISTIC SKILLS
Bereiter and Engelmann
Some pupils speak a different language and some pupils speak an informal version of English.
Bereiter and Engelmann state that the black Caribbean language is ungrammatical and disjointed, which means they cannot convey abstract ideas.
ETHNIC Differences in Achievement (External Factors)
FAMILY STRUCTURE
Moynihan
There are higher rates of lone-parent families in black ethnicities. Moynihan found that many black families are headed by a lone mother, leading to lower achievement of black boys due to how they do not have a male role model.
ETHNIC Differences in Achievement (External Factors)
ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Some sociologists argue that some black pupils have a fatalistic outlook on life, meaning they want immediate gratification and have limited motivation to achieve in the long term.
ETHNIC Differences in Achievement (External Factors)
MATERIAL DEPRIVATION
Many minority ethnic groups are victims of racism in wider society, subsequently they face direct or indirect discrimination at work or in the housing market, and in turn, they may be in low paid jobs or unemployed. This impacts upon the children’s educational opportunities.
ETHNIC Differences in Achievement (Internal Factors)
LABELLING
Gillborn and Youdell
Fuller
Mirza
Wright
Gillborn and Youdell found that teachers had racialised expectations of black pupils and expected more discipline problems and saw their behaviour as threatening. Black pupils were more likely than others to be punished for the same behaviour as white pupils.
Fuller found that high achieving black girls maintained a positive self-image by rejecting teachers’ stereotypes. They did not seek teacher approval, but valued education.
Mirza found that black girls’ strategies for dealing with teacher racism still disadvantaged them. For instance, they would not ask for help.
Asian pupils:
Wright found that Asian primary school pupils were stereotyped and treated differently. Teachers used simple language because they assumed they would speak poor English and became frustrated when pupils pronounced their names incorrectly.
ETHNIC Differences in Achievement (Internal Factors)
PUPIL SUBCULTURES
Sewell
Sewell found that black boys developed a range of responses to teachers racist labelling:
Conformists: keen to succeed, accepted the school’s goals.
Innovators: pro-education, but anti-school. Valued success, but not teacher’s approval.
Retreatists: disconnected from the school and black subcultures outside of it.
Rebels: rejected the school’s goals, and conformed to the stereotype of the ‘black macho lad’.
