EDUCATION: Class and education - Internal factors (Subcultures)

Question 1

Define pupil subculture

Answer 1

A group of pupils who have similar values and behaviour patterns

Question 2

Lacey

- How do subcultures develop (2 keywords) and define them

Answer 2

Differentiation: is the process of teachers categorising pupils according to their perceived attitude / ability

Polarisation: The process where the pupil responds to streaming by moving towards one of the appropriate poles or streams

Question 3

What study did Lacey conduct and what two subcultures were formed from this

Answer 3

• From a boys grammar school she found streaming polarised boys into a pro-school and anti-school subcultures

Question 4

Pro-school subcultures

• Where are pupils places
• What status do they gain and how
• Mainly made up of what class

Answer 4

• Pupils placed in higher streams and remain committed to the values of the school
• Gain a high status in approved manner, through academic success and values which mirror the schools
• Mainly made up of MC pupils

Question 5

Anti-school subculture

• Where are pupils places and why
• What status do they gain and what does this cause them to do

Answer 5

• Those in lower streams face a loss of self-esteem due to schools undermining them
• Given an inferior status by the school which pushes them into the direction of gaining a status, and flaunting schools rules instead

Question 6

What problem does joining an anti-school subculture solve, but also arise at the same time

Answer 6

SOLVE: lack of status
ARISE: creates a further problem of self-fulfilling prophecy of educational failure

Question 7

Hargreaves

• What study did he do and how did this impact students
• What was pupils solutions to this

Answer 7

STUDY: Responses to streaming and labelling within a secondary school showed bots in the lower stream were triple failures; they had failed their 11+ exam, were placed in low streams and labelled as ‘worthless louts’
SOLUTION: These pupils sought out other pupils like them, formed a group and gained a high status within the group by flaunting the school rules
- This formed a delinquent subculture which helped guarantee educational failure

Question 8

Abolishing streaming - Ball

• What study did he conduct
• What did he find from this study
• What did he find continued
• What evidence is there proving this
• What does Balls study show as a conclusion

Answer 8

STUDY: studied a comprehensive school Beachride which was in the process of abolishing streaming
WHAT: When the school abolished banding, the basis for pupils to polarise into school subcultures was removed and the influence of anti-school subcultures declined
CONTINUED: Although polarisation disappeared, differentiation continued as teachers still categorised pupils differently and were likely to label MC pupils as able
EVIDENCE: The positive labels on MC students was evident in their high test results, showing that a self-fulfilling prophecy occurred
CONCLUSION: Class inequalities can continue as a result of teachers labelling, even without subcultures or streaming

Question 9

What has the trend toward streaming and marketisation since the ERA mean cause

Answer 9

• Increase differentiation as there are now more opportunities for schools and teachers to differentiate pupils based on their class, ethnicity or gender and treat them equally

Question 10

Pupil responses - Woods

- What are the 4 possible other responses to streaming and labelling other than pro and anti-school subcultures

Answer 10

• Ingratiation: Being the teachers pet
• Ritualism: Staying out of trouble
• Retreatism: Daydreaming and mucking about
• Rebellion: Outright rejection of everything the school stands for

Question 11

Pupil responses - Furlong

- What does he discover about pupils responses

Answer 11

• Pupils responses are not just limited to only one, acting differently in different lessons and with different teachers