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A Level Sociology (AQA) > Education > Flashcards

Education Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Define hidden curriculum

A

The informal learning process that occurs in schools. It is a side effect that serves to transmit values.

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2
Q

What is the correspondence principles?

A

The Marxist view that education corresponds to work in order to prepare working class children for their future as exploited manual workers.

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3
Q

Define legitimation

A

The process of justifying and gaining support for an idea.

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4
Q

Define reproduction

A

Passing on from one generation to the next, ensuring that children end up in the same social class as their parents.

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5
Q

Define false class consciousness

A

The failure of a social class to recognise their real interests or their exploitation

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6
Q

Define ideological state apparatus

A

Neo-Marxist Althusser’s idea of The agencies which serve to spread the capitalist ideology and justify the power of the bourgeoisie

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7
Q

Define repressive state apparatus

A

Neo-Marxist Althusser’s idea of the agencies that operates primarily by means of physical coercion and violence.

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8
Q

Define cultural capital

A

Refers to the knowledge, customs, values and behaviours transmitted by the bourgeoisie which gives them an advantage.

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9
Q

Define educational capital

A

Middle class parents give their children more educational advantages due to their own educational achievements.

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10
Q

Define economic capital

A

Middle class parents have the economic wealth to be able to give their children more advantages in education

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11
Q

Define social capital

A

The social contacts and network that middle class parents have that bring benefits.

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12
Q

Define hegemony

A

Refers to the dominance in society of the ruling class’ set of ideas over others and acceptance of and consent to them by the rest of society.

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13
Q

What is hegemonic control?

A

The control of the working class is mainly achieved through the hegemony and acceptance of the ruling class ideas

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14
Q

Define hierarchy

A

A system in which society is ranked according to relative status and authority.

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15
Q

What is Bourdieu’s (Marxist) theory of cultural capital?

A

The dominant class has the power to impose its own ideology on the education system. Those from the middle class have the cultural capital (values) to be successful. Therefore, the education system is failing the working class.

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16
Q

What is Bowles and Gintis’ (Marxist) correspondence theory?

A

The education system socialises the working class to accept their position of exploitation, students accept hierarchy. Employment is hierarchal and exploitative. The hidden curriculum teaches punctuality and time management, these skills are required for many types of employment.

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17
Q

What is Illich’s (Marxist) theory of hegemony and hegemonic control?

A

The education system is repressive which promotes conformity and encourages passive acceptance of existing inequalities. Schools do this by rewarding those who accept the school regime with qualifications, but those who question the authority of teachers are punished (excluded, isolated, etc..).

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18
Q

What is Freire’s (Marxist) theory of hegemony?

A

Education conditions children to accept domination and subordination convincing society to accept the truth and superiority of the ruling class’ set of ideas and values.

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19
Q

What are the strengths of the Marxist approach in education?

A

Identifies the economies influence on education.
Recognises the importance of ideology.
Identifies the myth of meritocracy.

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20
Q

What was Willis’ (Marxist) 12 ‘lad’ study?

A

Willis interviewed and observed 12 ‘lads’ finding that they formed an anti-school subculture. Willis concluded that children do not mindlessly follow the education system. Although the ‘lads’ rejected the ruling class ideology, their rebellion against schools reproduced inequality since they still moved onto working class jobs.

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21
Q

What are the criticisms of the Marxist approach?

A

Ignores gender/ethnic inequalities.
Assumes all children are passive and underestimates the resistance of children.
Deterministic, ignores free will.

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23
Q

What is the social democratic approach to education?

A

State education is failing the working class. Social democrats argue the redistribution of wealth and spending it on state education will allow those from working class backgrounds a good chance to succeed by promoting equality of opportunity in a meritocracy.

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24
Q

What do feminists believe the role of education is?

A

Reproduces patriarchal power in society through the hidden curriculum reinforcing gender differences.

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25
Q

What is Heaton & Lawton (feminist) theory of how the hidden curriculum operates?

A

Through books (depictions of women), students (large male groups in certain subjects make girls feel uncomfortable), teachers expectations (sexist ideas about certain tasks within the classroom), curriculum(gender specific subjects), lack of positive role models (men dominating top positions in schools).

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26
Q

What are the evaluations of the feminist approach?

A

+identifies the education system as an agency of gender socialisation
+ identifies gender inequality
-ignores class and ethnic inequalities (liberal and radical)
- historically bound (textbooks are old, etc…)

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27
Q

What is the neoliberal (New Right) perspective on education?

A

State schools are a drain on a country’s resources. By funding state schools, taxes must be raised, but high taxation makes companies less competitive. This prevents economic growth because the free market needs competition in order for companies to improve their products and services.

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28
Q

What is Chubb and Moe’s (neoliberal) theory on private education?

A

Private education has constant pressure to improve because if it is part of the free market it must compete with other schools for students and therefore money. As a result private education becomes responsive to the needs of pupils unlike state education.

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29
Q

What is the evaluation for the neoliberal view?

A

-favours the rich and ignores the talents of the working class and therefore harm the economy.

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30
Q

What is the postmodern approach to education?

A

Education needs to become more responsive to the increasing diversity in pupils and their abilities and skills.

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31
Q

Define anti-racists

A

Individuals that claim racism is still significant in Britain and emphasise the importance of challenging racism in all its forms.

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32
Q

Define labelling

A

The process whereby agents of social control attach a negative stereotype to less powerful groups.

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33
Q

What is self fulfilling prophecy?

A

When a label becomes fixed and internalised as a part of someone’s self concept leading to the conformity to the label.

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34
Q

Define subculture

A

Groups within wider society who share an identity/lifestyle that may be different to mainstream social groups.

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35
Q

Define identity

A

How we see ourselves and how we are seen by others.

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36
Q

What is streaming?

A

Splitting pupils into several different hierarchy groups which would stay together for all lessons.

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37
Q

What is setting?

A

Putting pupils of similar ability together for certain lessons.

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38
Q

Define homogeneous

A

Similar or of the same kind.

39
Q

What is elaborated code?

A

Used in formal/educational situations, permitting people to be reasonably creative in their expression and to use a range of linguistic alternatives.

40
Q

Define polarisation

A

Division into two contrasting groups of opinions/beliefs. In the context of education the division is between pro and anti school subcultures and high and low ability groupings.

41
Q

Define stereotype

A

A widely held fixed, oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person.

42
Q

What are typifications?

A

Social constructions based on standard assumptions.

43
Q

What is the halo effect (in the context of education)?

A

When pupils become stereotyped either favourably or unfavourably on the basis of impressions.

44
Q

What male subcultures did Mac an Ghaill discover?

A

‘Macho lads’ (hostile to school authority)
Academic achievers (believed in social mobility, pro school as a means to improve)
‘New enterprisers’ (embraced vocationalism and rejected traditional academic route to success)
‘Real Englishmen’ (middle class who rejected the teachers knowledge viewing their own culture as superior)
Gay students (experienced homophobic and heterosexist teaching and treatment from peers)

45
Q

what was Hargreaves, Hestor and Mellors 3 phases of labelling?

A

Speculation (teachers make assumptions based on appearance, enthusiasm, speech, etc)
Elaboration (teachers test their assumption through setting tests & homework by checking standards, labels become confirmed or contradicted)
Stabilisation (the assumptions are solidified/fixed and become difficult to remove)

46
Q

What is Lacey’s (interactionist) view of education?

A

Schools differentiate pupils according to the criteria of an ‘ideal pupil’ such as effort, good behaviour, etc. This is done by setting or streaming. One of the consequences of differentiation is polarisation in which pupils are divided into two groups ‘good’ and ‘bad’. This shapes pupils identities and have an important effect on their educational success.

47
Q

What is Swell’s view of ethnic subcultures in education?

A

Swell found that black male pupils were excessively disciplined by teachers who held stereotypical views of black masculinity. Swell argued black pupils felt that their culture and identity received no positive recognition/labelling.

48
Q

What were the 4 responses Swell found with black pupils negative labelling?

A

4 responses:
rebels(rejected school values)
conformist(accepted mainstream school values)
retreatists (disconnected from the school and other black cultures)
innovators (pro education, anti school)

49
Q

What were the findings of Fuller’s study of Black girls rejecting negative labels?

A

Fuller studied a group of black females in year 11. Instead of accepting the negative labels, the girls channeled their anger into pursuing educational success. They did not seek teacher approval and only conformed as far as school work went and rejected the school. Fuller concluded that negative labelling does not always lead to failure.

50
Q

What was Mirza’s 3 types of racist teacher?

A

The colour blind: believe all pupils are equal, but does not challenge racism.
The liberal chauvinist: believe black pupils are culturally deprived and have low expectations of them.
The overt racists: believe black pupils are inferior and actively discriminate against them.

51
Q

What was Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study on labelling?

A

R&J examined a group of students with standard IQ tests. The researchers then identified a number of students who they said would likely show an increase in ability. They informed the teachers of the results and asked them to see if this increase occurred. When the researchers repeated the IQ tests at the end of the year, the students identified did indeed show higher IQ scores.

52
Q

What were the findings of Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study?

A

The researchers had randomly selected the students identified to show an increase in ability. Therefore, the teachers treated the students differently after they had been labelled positively and in turn this made them become high achievers. This supports the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy.

53
Q

What are the criticisms of labelling theory?

A

Assumes student are passive and accept the labels given to them.
Explains the outcome of labelling but does not offer solutions to the problem.
Focuses on micro relationships between student and pupils and ignores structural influences on achievement.

54
Q

What is Becker’s labelling theory?

A

Teachers label pupils on the basis of stereotyped assumptions about their social class, gender or ethnicity. Becker argues a key factor in labelling a pupil is there work, appearance, conduct, etc. From that the teacher judges them in how close they are to the ‘ideal’ pupil which have white,middle class characteristics.

55
Q

What is the process of in school factors affecting academic achievement?

A

Teachers label, pupils respond, leads to self fulfilling prophecy. The pupils are differentiated based on label and polarised. This leads to pro-school and anti-school subcultures leading to academic success or failure.

56
Q

Define material deprivation

A

Refers to a lack of resources to help pupils to be able to study

57
Q

Define cultural deprivation

A

Lack of cultural attributes necessary for educational success

58
Q

What is Bernstein’s theory of cultural factors affecting educational success?

A

The middle class are socialised into learning elaborated code (more complex language). The working class use restricted code (simple language). Elaborated code is used in schools (used by teachers and in textbooks).

59
Q

What is Sugarman’s theory of cultural factors effecting educational success?

A

Middle class pupils are socialised into deferred gratification (more willing to put off pleasure now in order to achieve rewards later). Working class are socialised into immediate gratification, so they are more likely to miss school.

60
Q

What is Webber and Butler’s theory of neighbourhood effecting educational success?

A

Wealthier neighbourhoods generally had better schools, libraries and museums, and therefore have better exam results. Poorer neighbourhoods generally had worse exam results. They concluded that without class advantages, talent is often not enough to succeed.

61
Q

What is Douglas theory of cultural deprivation?

A

Middle class parents tend to attend more parents evenings, more likely to read to their children and be actively interested in their education. Whilst working class parents have a lack of interest in education because of their own limited education. This creates a ‘self- imposed barrier’ in which working class pupils believe they have less opportunity and see no point in long term goals in education.

62
Q

What are the 4 key features of the working class subculture identifies by Sugarman?

A

Fatalism(nothing you can do will change your status,it is up to fate)
Immediate gratification
Collectivism (value being part of a group)
Present time orientation (having no long term goals, seeing the future as no important)

63
Q

How does Keddie criticise the concept of cultural deprivation?

A

Keddie argues that the working class are not culturally deprived, they are put at a disadvantage in a middle class dominated education system. Cultural deprivation theorists ignore the structure of education and how it is biased in favour of the middle class.

64
Q

What is Gillborn and Youdell’s theory of A*-C economy and educational triage?

A

Marketisation causes teachers to focus on the top students that are often from middle class backgrounds.

65
Q

What is Leech and Campos’ theory of ‘selection by mortgage’?

A

The middle class can afford to move and buy houses in the areas of the high league table schools.

66
Q

What is Smith and Nobles theory of material deprivation?

A

Poverty acts as a barrier to learning. Pupils can not afford transport, uniform, textbooks. Pupils from low income families may not have internet access or space to study(overcrowding). This can also lead to being stigmatised/bullied for being poor which can lead to joining anti-school subcultures.

67
Q

Define hegemonic masculinity

A

The dominance of men through masculinity based on heterosexuality, competitiveness, sexism, and a dominance over others.

68
Q

What is the crisis of masculinity?

A

Limited job opportunities in the traditional ‘masculine jobs’ has reduced boys sense of identity.

69
Q

What are the social policies introduced by New Labour to tackle material deprivation?

A

Education action zones - in low income areas, schools received extra funding to improve standards.
Education maintenance allowance - families on lower incomes could receive an allowance of up to £30 a week if their child aged 16-19 was in full time education.

69
Q

What are the social policies introduced by New Labour to tackle cultural deprivation?

A

Sure start schemes

70
Q

What 4 External factors affect girls improvement in achievement?

A

Feminism in the media
Changes in family
Changing ambitions
Women’s employment

71
Q

How has feminism and the media affected girls improvement in achievement?

A

Media images/messages have raised the expectations of women. McRobbie’s magazine comparison found 1970’s magazines focused on marriage, 1990’s emphasises careers and independence

72
Q

How do changes in the family affect girls improvement in achievement?

A

Increase in lone parent families headed by females and increased divorce rates mean more women are the major income earner role of their household. This creates career-minded role models for girls, with education acting as a medium for girls to achieve these careers.

73
Q

How do women’s employment affect improvement in achievement?

A

Equality legislation such as Equal Pay Act & Sex Discrimination Act allowed women to break through the ‘glass ceiling’ (an invisible barrier to the high level professions). The greater employment opportunities provide incentive for girls to take education seriously.

74
Q

How has changing ambitions affected girls improvement in achievement?

A

Research evidence by Sharpe showed that in the 1970’s girls had low aspirations a gave priority to love, marriage and children. In the 1990’s girls were more likely to see their future as independent women with a career.

75
Q

How can Sharpe’s research be criticised?

A

Used self report methods (questionnaire & interview) which are vulnerable to social desirability bias which can mean it lacks validity

76
Q

What 5 internal factors affect girls improvement in achievement?

A 
Equal opportunity policies
Positive role models
Coursework
Teacher attention 
Selection/league tables
77
Q

How did equal opportunity policies improve girls achievement?

A

GIST & WISE encourage girls to pursue careers in non-traditional areas that needed qualifications and so educational achievement is a motivator. Boaler argues that these policies make education more meritocratic so girls, who generally work harder than boys, achieve more

78
Q

How do positive role models in schools affect improvement of girls in achievement?

A

The proportion of female (head)teachers has increased, with women in positions of power/authority, they act as role models showing them that important positions are possible to achieve, reinforcing the importance of education in order to achieve these important positions.

79
Q

How does coursework affect improvement of girls in achievement?

A

Mitsos & Brown argue that girls are better organised and take more care on presentation because early gender role socialisation in the family as they are more likely to be encouraged to keep their bedroom neat and tidy.

80
Q

How does teacher attention affect girls improvement in achievement?

A

Swann found gender differences in communication styles. Girls are more cooperative, with better listening and turn taking skills. This may explain why teachers respond more positively to girls which leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy in which successful interactions with teachers promote girls’ self esteem and subsequently raise achievement levels.

81
Q

What external factors affect underachievement of boys?

A

The decline of traditional male jobs

Unrealistic expectations

82
Q

How does decline in traditional male jobs affect boys underachievement?

A

Mitsos & Browne argues that the decline in manual work result in working class boys lack motivation, thus there is a crisis of masculinity as boys now believe they have little chance for a proper job and so they give up trying to gain qualifications.

83
Q

How does unrealistic expectations affect boys underachievement?

A

Francis points out that boys often have likely to have career aspirations that require few qualifications, such as profession footballer.

84
Q

What are the internal factors affecting boys underachievement?

A

Feminisation of education
Teacher interaction
Laddish subcultures

85
Q

How does feminisation of education affect boys underachievement?

A

Sewell found that schools tend to emphasise feminine traits such as coursework which disadvantage boys as they have not been socialised to develop verbal and organisational skills.

86
Q

How does teacher interaction affect boys underachievement?

A

Negative teacher labelling for some boys undermined their confidence and interest in school.

87
Q

How do laddish subcultures affect boys underachievement?

A

Mac an Ghaill examines the relationship between schooling and masculinity/sexuality. He identified the ‘macho lads’ that were hostile towards school authority and learning which demotivates boys to gain qualifications.

88
Q

What factors affect gender differences in subject choice?

A

Early socialisation
Gendered subject images
Peer pressure

89
Q

How does early socialisation affect gender differences in subject choice?

A

Elwood argues that gender socialisation provides advantages for girls by developing verbal skills which can explain why they choose essay based subjects such as English and sociology

90
Q

How do gendered subject images affect gender differences in subject choice?

A

Kelly identifies 2 reasons why science tends to be seen as masculine, textbook images (men as doctors, women as nurses), and student contribution in which boys dominate class discussions and grab apparatus first.

91
Q

How does peer pressure affect gender differences in subject choice?

A

Paetcher points out that pupils see sports as being firmly inside the male gender domain

A Level Sociology (AQA) (6 decks)

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