EDUCATION Flashcards
state education began in
1870
middle class
include professionals such as doctors or teachers, together with
managers and other ‘white collar’ office workers and owners of businesses.
Working-class
skilled workers such as plumbers, semi-skilled workers such as lorry
drivers, and unskilled or routine workers such as cleaners.
internal factors
factors within schools and the education system, such as interactions between pupils and teachers, and inequalities between schools.
external factors
are factors outside the education system, such as the influence of home and family background and wider society.
cultural deprivation
refers to the lack of cultural resources, knowledge, or experiences (like language, values, or education) that are needed for success, often affecting disadvantaged groups.
Carl Bereiter and Siegfried Engelmann (1966)
claim that the language used in lower-class homes is deficient.
elaborated code
refers to a way of speaking or writing that is detailed, formal, and clear, often used in more complex or formal social settings used by middle-class students.(context-free)
restricted code
refers to a way of speaking that uses simple, shorthand language and assumes shared understanding, often found in working-class communities used by working-class students.(context bound)
bernstein (1975)
identifies differences between
working-class and middle-class language that influence
achievement. He distinguishes between two types of
speech code. Bernstein recognises that the school – and not just the
home – influences children’s achievement. He argues that
working-class pupils fail not because they are culturally
deprived, but because schools fail to teach them how to use
the elaborated code.
Douglas (1964)
found that working-class parents placed less value on education. As a result, they were less ambitious for their children, gave them less encouragement and took less interest in their education.
feinstein (2008)
argues that parents’ own education is the most important factor
affecting children’s achievement and, since middle-class
parents tend to be better educated, they are able to give
their children an advantage by how they socialise them.
parenting style
Educated parents’ parenting style emphasises consistent
discipline and high expectations of their children, and
this supports achievement by encouraging active learning
and exploration.
By contrast, less educated parents’ parenting style is marked
by harsh or inconsistent discipline.This prevents the
child from learning independence and self-control, leading
to poorer motivation at school and problems interacting
with teachers.
assist their children’s educational progress.
“reading to their children, teaching them letters,
numbers, songs, poems and nursery rhymes, painting
and drawing, helping with homework and being actively
involved in their schooling.”
Bernstein and Young (1967)
found, middle-class mothers
are more likely to buy educational toys, books and activities
that encourage reasoning skills and stimulate intellectual
development.
class, income and parental education
While better-paid, middle-class parents tend to be better
educated than lower-paid, working-class parents, Feinstein
notes that parental education has an influence on children’s
achievement in its own right, regardless of class or income.
working class subculture
Cultural deprivation theorists argue that lack of parental
interest in their children’s education reflects the subcultural
values of the working class.
Barry Sugarman (1970)
Barry Sugarman (1970) takes this view. He argues that
working-class subculture has four key features that act as a
barrier to educational achievement
1) sugarman feature as a barrier to educational achievement
Fatalism: a belief in fate – that ‘whatever will be, will be’
and there is nothing you can do to change your status. This
contrasts with middle-class values, which emphasise that
you can change your position through your own efforts.
2) sugarman feature as a barrier to educational achievement
Collectivism: valuing being part of a group more than
succeeding as an individual. This contrasts with the
middle-class view that an individual should not be held
back by group loyalties.
3)sugarman feature as a barrier to educational achievement
Immediate gratification: seeking pleasure now rather
than making sacrifices in order to get rewards in the
future. By contrast, middle-class values emphasise
deferred gratification, making sacrifices now for
greater rewards later.
4)sugarman feature as a barrier to educational achievement
Present-time orientation: seeing the present as more
important than the future and so not having long-term goal or plans. By contrast, middle-class culture has a future-time
orientation that sees planning for the future as important.
compensatory education
programmes aim to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools and communities in deprived areas. They intervene early in the socialisation process to compensate
children for the deprivation they experience at home.e.g operation headstart sesame street tv show,sure start in the uk.
myth of cultural deprivation
Nell Keddie (1973) describes cultural deprivation as a ‘myth’ and sees it as a victim-blaming explanation. She dismisses the idea that failure at school can be blamed on a culturally
deprived home background. She points out that a child cannot
be deprived of its own culture and argues that working-class
children are simply culturally different, not culturally deprived.
Barry Troyna and Jenny Williams (1986)
argue that the problem is not the child’s language but the school’s
attitude towards it. Teachers have a ‘speech hierarchy’: they
label middle-class speech highest, followed by working-class
speech and finally black speech.
material deprivation
refers to poverty and a lack of material necessities such as
adequate housing and income.
Jan Flaherty (2004)
money problems in the
family are a significant factor in younger children’s non-
attendance at school.
1)factors of material deprivation
HOUSING -Poor housing can affect pupils’ achievement both directly
and indirectly. For example, overcrowding can have a
direct effect by making it harder for the child to study.
Overcrowding means less room for educational activities, nowhere to do homework, disturbed sleep from sharing
beds or bedrooms and so on.
2) factors of material deprivation
DIET- Marilyn Howard (2001) notes that young people from
poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins and
minerals. Poor nutrition affects health, for example by
weakening the immune system and lowering children’s
energy levels. This may result in more absences from school
due to illness, and difficulties concentrating in class.
3) factors of material deprivation
FINANCIAL SUPPORT- Lack of financial support means that children from poor
families have to do without equipment and miss out
on experiences that would enhance their educational
achievement. David Bull (1980) refers to this as ‘the costs of
free schooling’. A study in the Oxford area by Emily Tanner
et al (2003) found that the cost of items such as transport,
uniforms, books, computers, calculators, and sports, music
and art equipment, places a heavy burden on poor families.Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) was abolished in
England by the Coalition government in 2011.
4)factors of material deprivation
FEAR OF DEBT- Going to university usually involves getting into debt to
cover the cost of tuition fees, books and living expenses.
Attitudes towards debt may deter working-class studentsto local universities so they could live at home and save on
travel costs, but that this gave them less opportunity to go
to the highest status universities.
cultural or material factors?
While material factors clearly play a part in achievement, the
fact that some children from poor families do succeed suggests
that material deprivation is only part of the explanation.
however, Peter Mortimore and Geoff Whitty (1997)
argue that material inequalities have the greatest effect on
achievement.
Bourdieu 1984
argues that both cultural and material factors contribute to educational achievement and are not separate but interrelated. He uses the concept of ‘capital’ to explain why the middle class are more successful.
cultural capital
to refer to the knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities
of the middle class. He sees middle-class culture as a type of capital because, like wealth, it gives an advantage to those who possess it.
sullivan 2001
used questionnaires to conduct a
survey of 465 pupils in four schools.She found that those who read complex fiction and
watched serious TV documentaries developed a wider
vocabulary and greater cultural knowledge, indicating
greater cultural capital.
educational and economic capital
wealthier
parents can convert their economic capital into educational
capital by sending their children to private schools and
paying for extra tuition.
