Education - Class Differences in Achievement (External Factors)

Question 1

What would be deemed a “middle class” occupation

Answer 1

Middle class or non manual occupations would include professionals such as doctors or teachers, together with managers and other “white collar” office workers and owners of businesses

Question 2

What would be deemed a “working class” occupation

Answer 2

Working class or manual occupations include skilled workers such as plumbers , semi skilled workers such as lorry drivers, and unskilled or routine workers such as cleaners

Question 3

What are Internal Factors

Answer 3

These are factors within schools and the education system, such as interactions between pupils and teachers, and inequalities between schools

Question 4

What are External Factors

Answer 4

These are factors outside the education system, such as the influence of the home background and wider society

Question 5

What is Cultural Deprivation

Answer 5

The absence of an adequate socialisation which prepares a child with skills for primary education, including language, self-discipline and reasoning skills

Question 6

What link is there between economic deprivation and cultural deprivation?

Answer 6

The Centre for Longitudinal Studies (2007) found that by the age of three , children from disadvantaged backgrounds are already up to one year behind those from privileged backgrounds.

Question 7

What did Leo Feinstein (2008) find about parents using language with their kids?

Answer 7

He found that educated parents are more likely to use language which challenges their children which helps improve their cognitive performance. Whereas non-educated parents tend to use language which only require their kids to make simple descriptions, resulting in lower performance

Question 8

What is “Restricted Code”?

Answer 8

The speech code typically used by the working class, which has limited vocabulary and is based on the use of short, unfinished, grammatically simple sentences. Speech is predictable and may involve only a word or gesture instead. It is descriptive not analytic. It is deprived of context : the speaker assumes that the listener shares the same set of experiences.

Question 9

What is “Elaborated Code”?

Answer 9

The speech code used by the middle and upper class. Used in Education and any formal institution. Often referred to as the “Queens English”. Speech is more varied, has wider vocabulary, longer sentences, and communicates more abstract ideas. This speech code is context free, meaning the speaker doesn’t assume the listener shares the same experiences, so they use language to spell out their meanings explicitly for them.

Question 10

How does Speech code advantage/disadvantage children in education.

Answer 10

If a child is speaking in elaborated code to their teacher and using complex vocabulary from a young age, they will assume they are smart more than likely, and will treat them that way. The teacher may equally assume a child is intellectually challenged if they speak in restricted code, as education favours elaborated code and “proper English”.

Question 11

Which Cultural Deprivation theorist identified the difference between Working Class and Middle Class speech codes?

Answer 11

Basil Bernstein (1975)

Question 12

What did Douglas (1964) find about Parent’s Education?

Answer 12

They found that working-class parents places less value on education - as a result, they were less ambitious for their children, took minimal interest, and gave little encouragement for their kids. As a result their children had low levels of motivation and achievement.

Question 13

How do parents educational behaviour affect their children’s achievement?

Answer 13

Middle class parents have generally not only high ambitions and discipline for their children academically, but the knowledge and resources to facilitate their ambitions. E.g. reading to their kids, taking them to museums, building relationships with teachers, and spending money on supplements to their education like educational books, toys and activities etc.

Question 14

How does class and income of parents affect their child’s achievement and future?

Answer 14

Since the higher classes can afford to put a high value on their kids education, they are more likely to succeed academically and therefore get a high paying job, inheriting the class of their parents. The same goes for working class, as typically working class parents don’t value education as much, meaning their child likely won’t either, and get a job which doesn’t require much qualification, likely a manual one. This solidifies the socioeconomic divide through education.

Question 15

What is “Working Class Subculture”?

Answer 15

A subculture which takes on the beliefs and attitudes of the working class, which cultural deprivation theorists like Barry Sugarman (1970) believe children adopt from their parents, later leading to failure at school.

Question 16

What does Barry Sugarman (1970) believe about Working class Subculture?

Answer 16

That it has 4 key ideologies

Question 17

Name Barry Sugarman’s 4 key features of Working Class Subculture

Answer 17

Fatalism, Collectivism, Immediate Gratification, Present-time orientation

Question 18

What is Fatalism?

Answer 18

A belief in fate - that “whatever will be will be” , meaning there is nothing you can do to change your status in life. This belief encourages a sense of hopelessness which manifests in the idea that there is no point in working hard as there isn’t going to be a satisfying result or change. This contrasts middle class beliefs.

Question 19

What is Collectivism?

Answer 19

Valuing community success as appose to individual success. This contrasts middle class ideology that an individual should not be held back by group loyalties.

Question 20

What is Immediate Gratification?

Answer 20

Seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices in order to get rewards in the future. By contrast, middle class values emphasise deferred gratification, making sacrifices now for greater rewards later.

Question 21

What is Present-time orientation?

Answer 21

Seeing the present as more important than the future and so not having long term goals or plans.

Question 22

What are Compensatory education programmes?

Answer 22

Programmes which aim to tackle the problem cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools and communities in deprived areas

Question 23

Example of Compensatory education programme?

Answer 23

Operation Head Start (USA, 1960s) which was a multi-billion dollar scheme to enrich pre-school education deprived areas. It included improving parental skills, setting up nursery classes, and home visits by educational psychologists.

Question 24

What does Nell Keddie (1973) take of the Cultural Deprivation theory?

Answer 24

Keddie describes cultural deprivation as a “myth”, and sees it as a victim blaming situation. Keddie argues working class culture is not deficient, just different, and the education system is what puts working class kids at a disadvantage, and that the system should work on removing these prejudices.

Question 25

Define “Material Deprivation”

Answer 25

Material Deprivation refers to poverty and a lack of material necessities such as adequate housing and income.

Question 26

What is a common way for identifying poverty in school pupils

Answer 26

If a child is eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) , however this is not fullproof as being financially troubled is not the only way to be eligible for FSM.

Question 27

What did the Department for Education (2012) conclude about children who are eligible for FSM?

Answer 27

Barely a third of children eligible for FSM achieve a five or more GCSES at A* - C including English and Maths , as against nearly two thirds of other pupils

Question 28

What is the link between ‘failing schools’ and deprived areas

Answer 28

Almost 90% of ‘failing schools’ are located in deprived areas

Question 29

How can poor housing as a result of Material deprivation affect a child’s academic achievement?

Answer 29

Small / inadequate housing could may cause for:
- a child not having an appropriate area to study/work
- greater risk of accidents with a small area to play
-ill health due to cold or damp conditions
-sleep deprivation from sharing rooms or beds
-greater risk of suffering from pyschological distress
All of which would have a negative impact on a child’s education wether its attendance, grades, or concentration.

Question 30

How can diet and health as a result of Material Deprivation a Childs affect academic achievement?

Answer 30

Material Deprivation and an absence of necessities for good health may lead to an imbalanced diet. With the absence of essential nutrients, poor health comes due to a weakened immune system. With a flimsy ability to fend off common colds, flu or viruses, it will take a toll on a child’s attendance.

Question 31

What link did Richard Wilkinson (1996) discover about Social Class and Education?

Answer 31

He found that among ten year olds, the lower the social class , the higher rate of hyperactivity, anxiety, and conduct disorders which will ultimately effect their education

Question 32

What did Jo Blanden and Stephen Machin (2007) find about lower class children in school.

Answer 32

They found that children from lower income families were more likely to engage in ‘externalising’ behaviour like fighting and temper tantrums, which will likely disrupt their schooling

Question 33

What did Emily Tanner et al (2003) find about cost of items for education?

Answer 33

She found that the cost of all these items like uniform, stationary , sports music or art equipment place a heavy burden on poor families.

Question 34

How does the extensive cost for education affect students of poorer families?

Answer 34

The student may have to settle for hand me down items, cheap alternatives, or second hand or unfashionable equipment. This may result in being isolated, stigmatised, or bullied by peers.

Question 35

What does Jan Flaherty (2004) say about the 20% of kids eligible for FSM who don’t claim them

Answer 35

It may be a result of fear of being stigmatised or bullied for their sitaution

Question 36

What did Callender and Jackson (2005) find about working class students applying to university?

Answer 36

They found that working class students were over five times less likely to apply to university than others, due to them being debt averse. This shows they saw the money being too much of a burden that it outweighs the benefits of education.

Question 37

How big was the fall in percentage of applications to universities after UCAS increased the max tuition to £9000 p/year in 2012

Answer 37

8.6%

Question 38

What did the National Union of Students (2010) find about working class students attending uni?

Answer 38

Only 43% of them would receive financial help from home, whereas 81% of the upper classes would receive help from home.

Question 39

What does Bourdeiu (1984) mean by “Cultural Capital” ?

Answer 39

Cultural Capital refers to the knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities of the middle class. He sees it as a form of capital, because similarly to wealth, it gives an advantage to whoever possesses it.

Question 40

What are Bordieu’s three types of capital which he believes advantage the middle class?

Answer 40

Economic, Educational and Cultural Capital

Question 41

Why does Bordieu see middle class values as an advantage?

Answer 41

He argues their socialisation gives middle class kids an advantage to grasp, analyse and express abstract ideas, and are therefore more likely to develop intellectual interests and understand how to succeed in the education system.

Question 42

What values are valued by the education system?

Answer 42

In almost every case, middle class values. This makes it hard for working class children to thrive educationally, as the school devalues their culture as “rough” and “inferior” , and their lack of cultural capital leads to exam failure.

Question 43

What does Bordieu say about educational and economic capital being convertible?

Answer 43

He argues that middle class children with cultural capital are more likely to meet the demands of the education system and attain educational capital. Whereas parents with economic capital can send their kids to private education where they will receive educational capital.

Question 44

What did Sullivan do to (2001) assess cultural capital?

Answer 44

Her questionnaires intended to assess a child’s cultural capital via a range of activities which they may or may not do like reading, watching TV, going to museums etc. She also tested their vocabulary and knowledge of cultural figures.

Question 45

What did Sullivan (2001) find about Cultural Capital?

Answer 45

She found that those who read complex fiction and watched serious TV documentaries developed a wider vocabulary and greater cultural knowledge, indicating a greater cultural capital - these kids were mostly children of graduates, and therefore more likely to succeed at GCSE. Even when two kids of different classes had similar cultural capital, the middle class child was still more likely to perform better.