Education Flashcards

Question

What does Parson’s believe about role allocation?

Answer 1

The education system is an effective device for sorting people out so they are matched to the correct job for their abilities. Due to role allocation, the most able should reach the top jobs in society. This is seen as fair due to the meritocratic system.

Answer 2

Parsons is accused of not fully considering whose values are being transmitted via the education system. Marxists would argue that it is the bourgeoisie’s values. Questioning the idea that the education system is meritocratic. Feminists argue that gender can influence achievement and subject choice = no equal opportunity. Role allocation is criticised on the basis that those with the best qualifications don’t always get the top jobs and many of the highest financially achieving people in society left school with few qualifications.

Answer 3

They view the education system as reproducing a workforce with the correct characteristics to meet the needs of the capitalist economy. eg hardworking, disciplined and submissive.

Answer 4

Researched 237 ny high school students, as well as using findings of other studies. They found that schools reward students who display the above characteristics (hardworking etc), while students who show greater independence and creative thinking are more likely to gain lower grades.

Answer 5

Another word for close link or equivalent Bowles and Gintis believe there is correspondence between the relationships and interactions expected and values in schools and in the workplace. The correspondence principle operates through the hidden curriculum by teaching capitalist values. It works because: -Students learn to obey rules. -Students learn to accept hierarchy in school, which is similar to the workplace eg manager have authority. -students learn to be motivated by external rewards, in the form of exam results and grades, rather than enjoying the subject. An internal reward would be feeling proud.

Answer 6

Bowles and Gintis argue we are led to believe that every he is treated equally. However, they argue ghat social class background is the main factor affecting someone’s income, not educational achievement or intelligent. Although, we are led to believe that those with the highest income deserve it as a result of their ability. In reality, not everyone has an equal chance to succeed.

Answer 7

It is deterministic - assumes students don’t have free will and passively accept the values of the school. Do all students do this? Not everyone follows the rules. In reality, many students reject values. Does modern society need the passive and unthinking workforce that Bowles and Gintis describe.

Answer 8

Introduction of the tripartite system - a meritocratic system where children would receive an education based on their own academic ability, rather the ability of their parents to pay. Children will go the one of three schools.

Answer 9

11 plus exams. Based on this exam children. Went to one of three schools, each was designed to meet their needs.

Answer 10

General education for less academic (around 75% of children)

Answer 11

Practical education eg craft, skills (around 5%of all students)

Answer 12

Academic education for more academic (around 20% of all students).

Answer 13

To give all students equal chances to develop their talents through free, meritocratic, free education. The result of this meritocratic dea was the tripartite system where a child went to one of three schools based on an 11 plus exam.

Answer 14

The ruling class children got tutors for the 11 plus exam, consequently getting into the grammar schools.

Answer 15

Education so that all students, regardless of academic ability, attended the same type of school. This became known as a comprehensive school (one type of school for everyone).

Answer 16

``` Social barriers such as class are broken Cater for children of all abilities as there is no entrance exam, so no child is labelled as ‘failure’. Therefore, it is seen as fairer. ```

Answer 17

Argued that more academically able students are held back by the less able, particularly in mixed ability groups.

Answer 18

``` Not really mixed class because they are based on local neighbourhood eg suburban comprehensives are usually middle class. Stream students according to ability within the school. ```

Answer 19

Education for children under the age of 5 - day nurseries provided through local authority or voluntary or private means. Usually for working parents. Extended. - playgroups which is care and learning for 3-5 year olds. - nursery education.

Answer 20

Refers to infant and junior schools, which are usually co-educational (boys and girls) and take children from 5-11. Most private education is provided through the public sector.

Answer 21

Schools that take students from 11-16, although may be up to 18 through sixth-form. Many are free as they are provided by the state. However, private, independent faith and grammar schools are also secondary.

Answer 22

Education outside of schools, beyond the compulsory age of 16. From 16-18 students can study a range of qualifications at sixth form colleges or further educational colleges. Now we must remain in Full time education until 18. (Or go to apprenticeships) At age 18 students then may go onto higher education and study at universities.

Answer 23

Refers to schools that charge fees Private = all schools that charge fees. Public = older and more famous independent secondary schools, such as Eaton, Harrow and Rufby. Around 7% of all schoolchildren attend independent schools. 40% of accepted children at Oxford are these 7% of children who had been educated at independent schools.

Answer 24

Factors that affect the demand for, and the availability of a commodity, such as clothing, cars, houses and education.

Answer 25

Refers to the idea that forces of the market such as consumer choice and competition have been introduced to education. We se this in the focus on parental choice, finding based on student numbers, and more freedom for schools.

Answer 26

Some students are excluded because the more able students are focussed on more. The school may focus more on their reputation instead of on the well-being or inclusiveness of students.

Answer 27

``` Introduced: The National Curriculum SATs (standard assessment tasks) League tables Ofted (office for standards in education) ``` These are all intended to raise the standard of education in the UK.

Answer 28

To measure students performance against national target. This is so parents and schools can be informed as to whether a child is performing above or below expected level for their age. Measures ca. Then be take. To help those below the expected level.

Answer 29

By ensuring all students take the same subjects. For example, science was traditional for boys but it is now compulsory for all pupils up to GCSE level.

Answer 30

The national curriculum allows competition to happen because it provides competition.

Answer 31

Subjective judgements based on individual characteristics - people are seen and judged as individuals.

Answer 32

Objective judgements applied equally to all members of society, regardless of who they are.

Answer 33

Within the family people are treated differently - particularistic standards. But society cannot function like this and everyone is treated the same way - universalistic standards. Education teaches universalistic standards and acts as a bridge between family and wider society. School socialises individuals into the shared values of a meritocratic society based on two key values: Individual achievement where the status is achieved Equal opportunities for everyone. School is a miniature version of wider society.

Answer 34

They researched the correspondence principle, the idea that school mirrors work. There are two curriculums in school: Formal curriculum - English, maths Hidden curriculum - rules, obedience, dress code. Hierarchy Competition Discipline.

Answer 35

Teaches methods are not suitable for every child Very little flexibility in schools Formal learning stops a child’s natural curiosity Children are under pressure to pass exams School day is rigid and restrictive.

Answer 36

Special needs Unhappy No places in a preferred school

Answer 37

Smaller class sizes Don’t have to teach the national curriculum Better facilities due to finding from school fees Academic culture where academic achievement is emphasised, leading to good results. Better job perspective in independent schools.

Answer 38

They increase inequalities in society as parents need to pay for these schools. Socially divisive. If everyone had to send their children to a state school. Then everyone would make sure that education was first class.

Answer 39

``` Introduction of the national curriculum League tables OFSTED Parental choice Greater emphasis on exams and testing. ```

Answer 40

Provides competition.

Answer 41

Wanted to: Raise standards of education Reduce inequality Promote diversity and choice

Answer 42

Reduce class sizes Placing failing schools in ‘special measures’ Looking at league tables in terms of ‘value-added’. This is so a child can see progressions, instead of relying on one result.

Answer 43

lower student-teacher ratio than state schools which means students receive more attention. Resources and facilities are often better Academic culture, in which academic achievement is emphasised and examination results tend to be significantly higher than national average. Parental input is high. Independent boarding schools are said to benefit fr om full immersion of staff and students in school life.

Answer 44

Free so are not based on the ability of parents to pay fees of private schools. Some critics argue it is not morally acceptable to have an education system that reinforces inequalities in society based on wealth. State schools are more socially mixed. State schools may provide a route upward social mobility for students from poor families. Students do not have to travel so far on a daily basis if they attend a local state school.

Answer 45

Will lead to a more skilled, better qualified workforce that will allow Britain to be more competitive.

Answer 46

``` Emphasis on skills training disguises the fact that the problem is not that young people lack the necessary skills, but rather there is no work for skilled young people. Marxists argue that the vocational training is viewed s lower status compared to purely academic qualifications and that it is aimed at working-class children to prepare them to be workers for a capitalist society. Seen by critics to be similar to the tripartite system, in that students who are not seen as academic are considered failures and pushed into what some see as lower-status vocational training. ```

Answer 47

Schools are funded based on the number of students they attract. Therefore, popular schools get more funding.

Answer 48

As parents become consumers of education they have greater power. Eg in choosing a school and providing parental feedback.

Answer 49

Parental choice and completion between schools. They found that publication of league tables lead to schools focusing on recruiting more academically able students who could boost their position in league tables. They concluded that marketisation policies made education less equal. They make schools focus on selecting the academically able.

Answer 50

Raising standards Reducing inequality Promoting diversity and choice.

Answer 51

Providing nursery places for all 3 and 4 year olds. Reducing class sizes in primary school. Placing family schools in ‘special measures’ Looking at league tables in ‘value-added terms’.

Answer 52

Payments for children from disadvantaged backgrounds - education maintenance allowances. The Aim Higher programme aimed to raise aspirations for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Answer 53

Academies. These were failing schools that were taken out of local authority control and funded by the government in order to raise achievement levels.

Answer 54

Set up to reinvest in former failing comprehensives, and regenerate education in the local area.

Answer 55

Schools that leave the control of their local authority, with their funding coming directly from the government. They don’t have to follow the National Curriculum, can have more control over their teacher’s pay, term time and the length of the school day.

Answer 56

Lower performing schools before converting to academy status.

Answer 57

High performing schools that have chosen to convert.

Answer 58

Schools funded by the government but can be set up by parents, teachers and companies and religious groups rather than authority. They must submit a business plan, Identify a site for the school, are free from the NC, have control over teacher’s pay and can set their own term times. Built because there is a request.

Answer 59

This funding aims to help disadvantaged pupils or to support children with parents in the Armed Forces. Entitles if: has free schools meals, has local authority care, parents in the armed forces and/or low income families. The money goes to the school.

Answer 60

The failure of people to fulfil their full potential. They do not do as well in education (or other areas) as their talents and abilities suggest they could.

Answer 61

What counts is what we are born with eg intelligence is largely inherited.

Answer 62

It is our environment that counts most eg social facts such as class.

Answer 63

The influence of home environment/background.

Answer 64

The influence of the school environment.

Answer 65

A lack of financial resources or poverty (money).

Answer 66

``` Their sample was 8529 males. The social class was based on the father’s occupation and was divided into three groups: Service class - working as professionals Intermediate class - sale workers or self-employed. Working class - manual workers in the industry. Their key findings showed that a boy from the service class, compared to a boy from the working class, had four times as great chance of being at school at 16. And even more of a chance of goi g to university (11 times). ```

Answer 67

Lack of school uniform/kit (may not value the discipline associated with uniform). Lack of privacy or a quiet place at home. Poor diet eg no breakfast. Poor attendance through illness. Not attending a nursery school.

Answer 68

A theory that suggests that working class and ethnic minorities students lack the ‘correct values’ and attitudes from socialisation to succeed in education.

Answer 69

Living for the moment with little attempt to plan for the future or get a job. (Working class value).

Answer 70

Being perpetrated to make sacrifices now in order to fulfil future ambitions; investing in the future. (Middle class value).

Answer 71

The collective value of social networks and the fact that you will be inclined to do things for each other.

Answer 72

Study small scale interactions between individuals, such as those between teachers and students in the classroom.

Answer 73

The process of attaching a characteristic or definition to an individual or group eg ‘class clown’.

Answer 74

When teachers see certain children as ‘bright’ or ‘clever’.

Answer 75

When a person. Who has been labelled comes to fit the image people have of them. The prediction comes true.

Answer 76

They strides the theory of the self-fulfilling prophecy. They told primary schools teachers that a group of students, the spurters, who were likely to make rapid academic progress. The teachers were lead to believe this was due to a high IQ. In reality, the spurters has been selected randomly and dint display any greater ability than their classmates. However, it became clear that the spurters had in fact made greater progress than the other students. They concluded that their progress was as a result of the teachers expectations of them.

Answer 77

A way of dividing students according to their supposed ability. Some stream students for all subjects.

Answer 78

STREAMING AND BANDING IN SCHOOLS. He examined the internal organisation of a comprehensive school. He found that children from higher social classes were more likely to be placed in the top band. He noticed that students behaviour changed based on the band they were placed in. He linked this to the expectation of the teachers. He noted that labelling was reflected in exam results. He said that even with the introduction of mixed ability classes, teachers continued to label middle-class students as the most able and cooperative.

Answer 79

A way of dividing pupils into groups for particular subjects based on their ability in the subjects.

Answer 80

A group within a school that rejects the values and norms of the school and replaces the with anti-schools values and norms.

Answer 81

One of the effects of streaming is to lead to the development of a counter-school subculture that is opposed to the learning objectives of the school.

Answer 82

``` Material deprivation. Parents’ attitude. Speech patterns. Cultural deprivation. Teacher/pupil interactions. ```

Answer 83

``` Marxist and Interactionst approach to counter school sub-culture. The working class are not indoctrinated into the ruling class values without question. Instead he says they are able to resist these values through a counter school sub-culture. ```

Answer 84

School in the midlands in a working class housing estate. He used PO. He recorded regular group discussions, carried out unstructured interviews and used diaries. He followed a group of boys who he called the lads, in their last 18 months at schools and then their first few months at work. The lads rejected the schools values and felt superior to the teachers. Willis showed that the education does lead to working-class students going into working class jobs, but partially as a result of their own actions and not as a result of the schools socialising.

Answer 85

SCHOOLS don’t create an unimaginative work force, but students being part of a counter school sub culture place themselves in these working-class jobs.

Answer 86

In 1976 girls prioritised love but in 1996 she repeated the study and girls now prioritise their career.

Answer 87

Girls now have greater confidence in their abilities. | It has challenged the idea that women should stay at home and do the housework.

Answer 88

Women are having more job opportunities, with a decrease in traditional ‘male’ jobs.

Answer 89

The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 makes sex discrimination in education illegal. This has raised awareness of equal opportunities. GIST (girls into science and technology) was set up to try to encourage girls participation and success.

Answer 90

It means that boys and girls have equal access to the same subjects and some subjects are compulsory for all students, such as science.

Answer 91

Someone that a person would look up to and try to copy that shows them the behaviour that is considered masculine or feminine.

Answer 92

The idea that buys and girls talk to each other differently. Girls gossip and talk about the world which improves literacy/communication. This helps in education.

Answer 93

The idea that men have lost their identity (and confidence) and so do less well in education.

Answer 94

Researched into attitudes of 16 year old boys from working-class backgrounds found: Boys have low self esteem/motivation Boys are less willing to overcome difficulties. Girls are more willing to do HW Boys are easily distracted and less organised. Girls give more thought to their futures and to the importance of qualifications to achieve what they want.

Answer 95

Schools have become too girl friendly and boys are now forced to learn in ways that don’t suit them. Eg an emphasis on verbal skills and non-competitive environment.

Answer 96

Argues that peer pressure, the fear of ridicule and the need to fit in all contribute to boys not being seen to ‘try’. Low self-esteem may be linked to the image of incompetent men seen in advertising. Eg Homer Simpson.

Answer 97

Women have erased their role in society and recognise that work and a career are important. Bigs are also going through this stage of reassessment of what is masculine. Eg being a ‘geek’ is not part of masculinity which may be a barrier for achievement.

Answer 98

Groups coming to Britain are usually offered working-class jobs so many of them live in deprived areas.

Answer 99

``` Difference in achievement may be due to factors of class combined with ethnicity. Thus, black working class males face the same issues as their white counter parts AND issues associated with being an ethnic minority - a ‘doubling-up’ of factors. ```

Answer 100

Cultural norms and values of some ethnic minorities may clash with ‘main stream values’. This may affect a students achievement because schools values are dominated by white mainstream values.

Answer 101

Some students speak a number of languages already. This may lead to confusion hen learning English but they also have the skills to quickly learn it.

Answer 102

Some argue that parents from ethnic minorities are less interested in their children’s education, however there is plenty of evidence that this is inaccurate. London Education Authority (1987) found Indian families put pressure on their children to achieve and this affected their performance in a positive way.

Answer 103

Afro-Caribbean community in Bristol and other areas established Saturday schools as they were concerned about their children’s performance.

Answer 104

When a schools is based on the view/needs of one ethnicity only.

Answer 105

If certain ethnic minority groups are more likely to live in deprived areas they are then more likely to go to deprived, and perhaps underperforming schools.

Answer 106

Ethnic minority students who went to good schools would do as well as white students in these schools.

Answer 107

Some teachers have stereotypical views of students due to their ethnic origin.

Answer 108

There is evidence that young African-Caribbean girls have a string desire to succeed, which may allow them to reject the negative labels. A positive self-fulfilling prophecy.

Answer 109

Some subjects that students study are biased towards a white, European culture, for example History and English.

Answer 110

In interviews with Asian and African-Caribbean students they found that African-Caribbean students were encouraged to do music and sport, and female Asian students were discouraged to partake in football.

Answer 111

Rules out IQ as a cause of differences in attainment among ethnic minorities.

Answer 112

Differences in achievement among different groups.

Answer 113

``` Material deprivation Cultural deprivation Family structures Labelling Parents education Language barriers. ```

Answer 114

Someone’s cultural background of where they came from. An example of ethnicity is Arab or Indian.

Answer 115

A group within a community which has different national or cultural traditions from the main population.

Answer 116

This occurs when an organisation (such as the police) fails to provide an appropriate service to people because of their ethnic origin, colour or culture. It can be seen in organisational attitudes or behaviour that discriminates, even when individuals themselves act without intending this.