Education Flashcards
Define formal education
Takes place in educational establishments such as schools and unis, where people learn knowledge and skills across a range of subjects.
Define informal education
Takes place when people develop knowledge and skills by observing what is happening around them in everyday life.
Define the national curriculum
The subject content to be taught in state schools as decided by the government.
Define formal curriculum
The subjects taught and learning that takes place during lessons at school
Define hidden curriculum
Things that are implicitly learnt in school, in and outside lessons, such as competition and obedience.
Define ethnocentric curriculum
A type of curriculum based on the cultural values and perspectives of one particular ethnic group
Downsides of ethnocentric curriculum
Can be biased as it often excludes other cultures which can make students from different cultures feel under-valued - Institutional racism.
Define de-schooling
The idea that the current form of education should be abolished, so people can be encouraged to learn in different ways, e.g. home-schooling.
Define main-stream education
General educational classes, as opposed to specialised ones.
Define marketisation
The policy of bringing market forces, such as competiton (e.g. league tables) and choice into education.
Types of schools
State school
Funded by the government and teach the national curriculum.
Academy
Funded directly by the government and don’t have to follow the national curriculum.
Comprehensive school
Local shools where pupils are not picked based on ability.
Grammar school
Students are picked based on ability and have to pass the 11+ exam.
Free school
All ability schools set up by charities, universities, communities,etc. Don’t have to follow the national curriculum.
Private school
Privately funded by parents and donors. Don’t have to teach the national curriculum.
Special schools
For kids with special educational needs.
Faith schools
Religious schools
Determine the in-school factors affecting achievement
Setting, streaming, teacher expectations, labelling and mixed-ability teaching.
Define setting
Students are placed in different sets across all subjects.
Define streaming
Splitting people into groups based on their ability, which they stay in across all subjects - often linked to social class.
How do labelling and teacher expectations affect achievement?
For instance, if a teacher sets a low standard for a pupil and label them as ‘lazy’, the student may begin to see themselves that way and act accordingly (self-fulfilling prophecy).
How does mixed-ability teaching affect achievement?
It improves achievement because of its basis of equality - pupils are taught in classes that aren’t based on ability, setting and streaming.
Determine the out of school factors affecting achievement.
Material deprivation, cultural deprivation, parental values/expectations, cultural capital and social capital.
Define cultural deprivation
Theory: Working-class students and minoric ethnic students lack the ‘correct’ values, behaviours and attitudes from socialisation to succeed in school.
Define cultural capital
The knowledge, the attitudes, values and resources that the middle-class parents provide for their children that give them an advantage in the education system. (e.g. helping out with hw, reading to them and trips to the theatre)
Define social capital
The networks of contacts that middle class parents have to help their kids succeed.
Break down the education system structure
Early years education
Primary education
Secondary education
Further education (16+)
Higher education (unis)
Which type of students are more likely to suffer from material and cultural deprivation, effects of ethnocentric curriculum and teacher labelling?
Some students from minority ethnic groups (black carribean) as opposed to chinese pupils.
Gender and achievement
Determine some patterns of gender performance in schools
By the 2000s girls began to outperform boys in GCSEs and A-levels, still do.
Girls typically pick english and art whereas boys typically pick maths and physics- GENDERED CURRICULUM.
What is gendered curriculum?
Some high status subjects such as physics and maths are associateed with masculinity; whereas subjects such as languages and humanities are associated with femininity.
Identify the reasons for girls’ improvements
- Today, girls are more focused on paid employment and financial independence rather than being a housewife
- Laws such as the Equality Act and Sex Discriination Act have made gender discrimination in education illegal
-The National Curriculum provides equal access to subjects to all
Identify reasons for boys’ underachievement
-Some teachers may have lower expectations of male students who they tend to see lacking in motiavtion (self-fulfilling prophecy)
- ‘Laddish’ cultures may promote that it’s ‘uncool’ to work hard and encourage anti-learning attitudes
- Feminisation of primary schools: most teachers are female, not enough male ones to act as role models and reduce macho behaviour
Identify reasons for gender differences in subject choice
HOME-BASED: primary gender socialisation
SCHOOl-BASED: gender stereotyping in textbooks, teacher attitudes to gender, gendered curriculum and secondary socialisation
Determine the functions of the education system - Functionalist perspective
Serving the economy, facilitating social mobility, fostering social cohesion and role allocation
Determine the role of education - Marxist perspetive
Serving the interests of the ruling class, reproduces the class structure, breeds competition and secondary socialisation.
What is the functionalist view of education? Parsons
Funtionalists see society as based on MERITOCRACY, therefore, the education system provides equal opportunities for all to succeed in society given they work hard and with integrity. Schools also encourage pupils to value making an effort as it’s rewarded (achieved status) and facilitate role allocation.
What is the functionalist view of education? Parsons
Education serves as the main agent of SECONDARY SOCIALISATION. Teach norms and values using universalistic standards (applies to all). Helps individuals to become fully-functional and know how to behave.
What is the functionalist view on education? Durkheim
Main function of education is the transmission of norms and values 9secondary socialisation) in order to make society into a united whole. This could be done by instilling social solidarity so children see themselves as a bigger picture and people should work together and get on with others of different backgrounds. (social cohesion). School help pupils develop specialised skills and knowledge, so they can play their role in the division of labour.
What is the marxist view on education?
They argue that education aims to reproduce and legitimise class inequalities and to create a subservient workforce in order to serve capitalism.
Describe Bowles and Gintis’ perspective
They created the CORRESPONDENCE PRINCIPLE and argue that meritocracy is a myth because success is based on class background (ascribed status) and not hard work.
What is the correspondence principle?
When schools mirror the workplace by socialising kids in a way that will facilitate their future capitalist employers to take advantage of their hard work and obedience. This is done through the hidden curriculum. Links to false consciousness.
Describe Willis’ perspective
Did a case study on a group of working-class boys that can see through the ruling class ideology and resisted from being indoctrinated. They formed a counter-culture that oppsed the values of school, were disobedient and hated being controlled. Saw manual work as real work and white-collar work as ‘effeminate’.
What is Willis’ opinion on Bowles and Gintis’ view?
He disagrees with them because his study shows that education isn’t necessarily a good agent of socialisation for capitalism.
Describe the radical feminists view on education
-Education reinforces patriarchal norms/values, gender roles and favours male achievement. Therefore, its main role is to maintain gender inequality.
-Teaches women to accept their position in society (housewife).
-Boys’ underachievement, moral panic
Describe the liberal feminists view on education
-There has been a steady improvement in girls’ achievement and now they outperform boys in almost everything.
-Now, girls prioritise their careers due to: changed ambition, impact of feminism, changes in law and changes in women’s employment.
-Sue Sharpe: 70s ambitions were to marry in the 90s they seeked independence.
Describe Ball’s perspective (intercationist) on education
Researched the effects of setting.
Pupils in lower sets were more likely to be WC, not given much support and were labelled as ,e.g difficult, led to them mirroring their teacher’s expectations.
Describe Halsey, Heath and Ridge’s perspective on education
Examined the social class origins and educational destinations of a large sample of men based on their father’s occupation.
Divided into 3 groups:
-The service class, e.g manager
-The intermediate class, e.g sales
-The working class, e.g manual worker
For example, a boy from the service class is 4x more likely to be at skl at 16
Describe Ball, Bowe and Gerwitz’s perspective on education
They argue that marketisation and educational reform reinforce the advantages of middle class parents and make education less equal. Schools aren’t concerned with disadvantaged kids and want to attract advantaged ones.
