Education - class differences in achievement (1) external factors Flashcards
middle class profession examples
doctors
teachers
managers
business owners
white collar office workers
working class professions examples
manual occupation
semi skilled workers
plumbers
lorry drivers
cleaners
explaining class difference (3 key features)
Children from middle class families on average perform better than wc children
Children from middle class do better in their gcse
Children from middle class stay longer in full time education eg university
One popular explanation for class differences in achievement
Better-off parents can afford to send their children to provide schools which may provide a higher level of education
internal factors =
interactions between pupils and teachers and inequalities between schools
external factors =
influence of home and family background and wider society
the three main aspects of cultural deprivation
language
parents education
working class subculture
3 main features of cultural deprivation
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are up to one year behind those from more privileged homes.
Basic values, attitudes and skills are needed for educational success through primary socialization in the family.
Working class families fail to socialise their children which means they grow up culturally deprived that leads to underachievement.
language key features
Educated parents use language that challenges their children to evaluate their own understanding or abilities.
Educated parents use praise which encourages children to develop a sense of their own competence.
Less educated parents use language in way that require children to make simple descriptive statements resulting in lower performance.
Less educated parents communicate through gestures, single words and disjointed phrases which means they grow up incapable of complex abstract thinking.
restricted code =
used by working class
limited vocabulary
short, unfinished sentences
grammatically simple words
context bound
descriptive not analytic
speech is predictable
elaborated code=
used by middle class
wider vocabulary
complex sentences
communicates abstract ideas
elaborate code is context free
effects of speech codes according to Bernstein
Elaborate code is the language used by teachers, textbooks and exams.
Elaborate code is an effective tool for analyzing, reasoning and expressing thoughts clearly and effectively.
Middle class feel “at home” when at school using elaborate code so they are more likely succeed.
Working class children lack in elaborate code so they feel less excluded and tend to be less successful
criticisms of speech codes
working class pupils fail not because they are culturally deprived but because schools fail to teach them how to use elaborate code
what does Douglas say about parents education which leads children to have lowered levels of motivation and achievement
Wc parents place less value on education which leads them to be less ambitious, give less encouragement, take less interest in education, visit school less often and are less likely to discuss children’s progress with teachers
educated parenting style =
consistent discipline
high expectations of children
active learning
exploration
less educated parenting style =
harsh and inconsistent discipline
“doing as your told”
lack of learning independence
lack of self control
poor motivation at school
problems interacting with teachers
parents educational behavior (middle class)
reading to their children
painting and drawings
teaching them letters, numbers songs & poems etc
helping with homework
getting expert advice on child-rearing
establishing good relationship with teachers
visits to museums and libraries
use of income (Bernstein and Young)
middle class parents are more likely to buy educational toys, books and activities that encourage reasoning sills and stimulate intellectual development
educated parents have better understanding on nutrition and its importance to child development so they buy more nutritious food
class, income and parental education criticism (Feinstein)
not all children of working class parents do equally bad an not all middle class families are equally successful
4 features of working class subculture that act as an educational barrier (Barry Sugerman)
fatalism- belief in fate, “whatever will be will be” and there is nothing you can do that will change your status
collectivism- value being part of a group more than succeeding as an individual
immediate gratification- seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices in order to get reward in the future
present time orientation- not having long term goals or plans
why do differencerence in sibculture values exists?
middle class jobs are secure careers that that offer prospects for continuous individual advancement, which encourages ambition, long term planning and qualifications in comparison to working class jobs
what is compensatory education?
programmes that aim to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation
provides extra resources to schools and communities in deprived areas
improving parental skills
setting up nursery classes
setting up home visits by educational psychologists
examples include “operation head start”
myth of cultural deprivation (criticisms)
cultural deprivation = victim blaming
children are not culturally deprived but culturally different
children fail because schools are dominated by middle class values
schools don’t challenge teachers anti-working class prejudice
teachers have speech hierarchy which puts wc children at a disadvantage
wc parents attend fewer parents evenings because of working long hours and the schools middle class atmosphere
material deprivation =
poverty and a lack of material necessities such as adequate housing and income.
How is poverty linked to educational underachievement? (4 examples)
free school meals is a widely used measure of child poverty
money problem in the family are a factor in younger children’s non-attendance at school
exclusion and truancy are more likely from children from poorer families
nearly 90% of falling schools are located in deprived areas
how does housing affect pupils achievement
overcrowding = harder to study, less room for activites, disturbed sleep, no where to do homework, greater risk of accidents
temporary accommodation = constant changes of school and disturbed education, psychological distress
cold or damp housing= ill health which means more absences in school
how does diet and health affect pupils achievement
young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals= weakening the immune system
the lower the social class= emotional and behavior problems such as hyperactivity, anxiety and conduct disorder
children from low income homes= engaged in externalizing behavior such as fighting and temper tantrums
how does support and the cost of education affect pupils achievement
lack of financial support = children from poor families have to do without equipment and miss out on experiences. inability to afford private schooling and tuition
burden on poor families= transport, uniforms, books, computers, calculators, sport and art equipment
poor families having to result to hand me downs = being isolated,stigmatized and bullied by peers
children in poverty take on jobs such as babysitting, cleaning and paper rounds which has a negative impact on schoolwork
what % of children entitled to free school meals do not take up their entitlement in school
20% according to Flaherty
how does fear of debt affect pupils achievement
wc students are more debt averse (saw debt negatively) = something that needs to be avoided and has a lot of costs
wc students were over five times less likely to apply to university than most middle class pupils
wc students who do go to uni are likely to receive less financial support from their families
wc pupils are more likely to apply to local universities so they can live at home and save money
poor students are more likely to dropout of university
what is cultural capital
knowledge, values, attitudes, language, tastes and abilities of the middle class
how does culturual capital place middle class students at an advantage
through socialisation middle class students acquire abstract ideas and they develop an understanding of what the educational system requires for success
how does cultural capital place wc students at a disadvantage
school deviates wc culture as rough and inferior
lack of cultural capital = exam failure
wc pupils get the message that school is “not for them” so they respond by truanting and leaving early
how can educational, economic and cultural capital be converted into one another (Bourdieu)
mc children with cultural capital are better equipped to meet demands of school curriculum and gain qualifications
wealthier parents can convert their economic capital into educational capital by sending their children to private schools and paying for extra tuition
