Education (AS) Flashcards
which class achieves the highest in education?
middle class
what are internal factors?
factors within schools and the education system
what are external factors?
factors outside the education system, such as influence of home, family background and wider society
what are the external factors?
cultural deprivation and material deprivation
what is cultural deprivation?
the theory that working class families fail to socialise their children adequately, resulting in them growing up ‘culturally deprived’
what are the three main aspects of cultural deprivation?
language, parent’s education and working class subculture
what do cultural deprivation theorists say about the language used by the working class?
Bereiter and Engelmann say that language used in lower class homes is deficient (gestures, poor grammar, single words) and means that children grow up incapable of abstract thinking and explanation.
What did Fernstein find about educated parents and how they speak to their children?
educated parents are more likely to use language that challenges their children’s understanding - for example “what do you think?”. educated parents are also more likely to use praise, which encourages their children.
which sociologist talks about speech codes?
Basil Bernstein
what are the two different speech codes?
elaborated code and the restricted code
what is the restricted code?
typically used by the working class, limited vocabulary, context bound, short sentences, grammatical errors
what is the elaborated code?
typically used by the middle class, wide vocabulary, longer sentences, context free, communicates abstract ideas
why do the differences in speech code give middle class children an advantage at school?
the elaborated code is used by teachers, textbooks and exams, viewed as the correct way of speaking and writing. because middle class children are socialised into the code early, they are already fluent by the time they start school. therefore they feel at home and are more likely to succeed, whereas working class children feel excluded.
what does Douglas say about working class parents’ attitude to education?
He says that working class parents place less value on education, and are less ambitious for their children. they give their children less encouragement and take less interest in their education so their children have lower levels of motivation and achievement
how does a parents education affect the educational achievement of their child?
- parenting style - educated parents have high expectations and encourage active learning whereas working class parents use inconsistent discipline which prevents the child from learning independence and self control, leading to lack of motivation at school
- parents educational behaviours - educated parents are more aware of what is needed to assist their children’s education so they’re more likely to read to their children, teach them letters and numbers and help them with their homework. educated parents more successfully build good relationships with teachers and recognise the educational value of trips to museums and libraries.
- use of income - better educated parents more likely to have higher incomes, spend their income in ways helpful to their child’s achievement. Bernstein and Young found middle class mothers more likely to buy educational toys and books that encouraged intellectual development. educated parents also have a better understanding of nutrition and high incomes with which to buy nutritional food.
which sociologist describes the 4 aspects of the working class subculture?
Barry Sugarman
what are the 4 aspects of the working class subculture?
- fatalism
- collectivism
- immediate gratification
- present-time orientation
fatalism?
belief in fate and that there is nothing you can do to change your status, contrasts with the middle class value that you can change your position through hard work
collectivism?
placing more value on being part of a group rather than individual success, contrasts with middle class idea that individuals shouldn’t be held back by group loyalties
immediate gratification?
seeking pleasure now instead of sacrificing for future rewards, contrasts with the middle class value of deferred gratification
present-time orientation?
no long term goals; seeing the present as more important than the future, whereas the middle class have future time orientation
what does Sugarman suggest is the reason for the differences in middle class and working class subcultures?
middle class jobs are secure careers with opportunities for advancement. this encourages ambition and a willingness to invest time and effort in gaining qualifications but working class jobs are less secure with few promotion opportunities.
how does the working class subculture hold the working class back?
working class children internalise the beliefs and values of their subculture through socialisation and this results in them underachieving at school - middle class values equip children for success but working class values fail to do so
what is compensatory education?
aims to reduce cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools and communities in deprived areas and intervening early in the socialisation process
what are some examples of compensatory education?
- operation head start (usa) via nursery classes and home visits by educational psychologists. sesame street tv show part of this - way to transmit values, attitudes and skills needed for success like the importance of punctuality, literacy and numeracy
- education action zones
- sure start via both young children and their parents
4, educational priority areas
what does Nell Keddie say about cultural deprivation?
she calls cultural deprivation a myth and describes it as victim-blaming, arguing that working class children are culturally different not culturally deprived. they fail due to being put at a disadvantage by an education system dominated by middle class values
what do Blackstone and Mortimore say?
they reject the view that working class parents are uninterested in their children’s education, arguing they attend fewer parents evenings because they work longer or less regular hours. they might want to help their children to progress but lack the knowledge to do so
what is material deprivation?
a lack of material necessities
what is the link between free school meals and gcse grades?
Department for Education - only 1/3 of pupils eligible for free school meals achieve 5 or more gases at A*-C
what are the main factors of material deprivation?
housing, diet and health, the costs of education, fear of debt
how does housing affect educational achievement?
overcrowding makes it harder for the child to study, nowhere to do homework, disturbed sleep from sharing bedrooms. families in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation move frequently, leasing to constant changes of school and disrupted education.
