Education- Class differences in achievement (internal factors) Flashcards
What are internal factors?
processes in school which cause differences in achievement between different classes.
Define Labelling
teachers may attach meanings (labels) to pupils, regardless of their actual ability or attitude.
stereotypical assumptions means the mc are labelled positively and the wc negatively.
What did Becker find about labelling?
he found teachers attach labels to pupils depending on how close they match the ideal pupil.
judgements were made using pupils work conduct and appearance.
teachers saw mc pupil as closest to the ideal pupil, and saw we pupil as badly behaved.
What is the ideal pupil?
wc- quiet, obedient and passive, defining them by behaviour, instead of ability
mc- personality and academic ability, instead of just a non misbehaving pupil
Labelling in primary schools- Rist
teacher used info about children’s home background and appearance to sort them into groups.
tigers- mc ‘fast learners’ with clean appearance, they received the most help and attention
clowns and cardinals- we groups were given lower level books and ability work. they received less help/ attention and were seated further away from the teacher.
Labelling in secondary schools
Dunne and Gazeley found teachers ‘normalised’ the underachievement of wc pupils, and felt they could do nothing about it.
however they would overcome the underachievement of mc pupils,
as they labelled wc parents as uninterested in their children’s education, but labelled mc parents as supportive.
this led to the teachers setting extension tasks for underachieving mc pupils but entering working-class pupils for easier exams.
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
This is a prediction that comes true simply by you living up to the label given to you. . Interactionists argue that labelling can affect pupils’ achievement by creating a self-fulfilling prophecy;
What are the steps of the SFP?
- teacher labels a pupil (e.g. intelligent) and on the basis of the label, makes predictions about him (e.g. he will make outstanding academic progress)
- teacher treats pupil like the label and acts like the prediction is already true (e.g. give him more attention, expecting a higher standard of work)
- pupil internalises the teachers’ expectation, which becomes part of their self-image. (see themselves as intelligent.
The prediction is fulfilled.
Teacher’s expectations study-Rosenthal and Jacobson
Their experiment made pupils do an IQ test, but told teachers the ‘special’ test had identified ‘spurters’.
year later- the randomly picked pupils had improved academically.
this is because the teachers labelled the pupils as achievers giving them more support than other pupils.
this led to a sfp where the pupils succeed academically.
What is streaming?
separating children into different ability groups ‘streams’.
each ability group is then taught differently from the other.
wc children tend to be streamed into lower ability classes, mc children tend to be streamed into higher ability classes as seen as the ideal pupil.
a sfp then arises and those in low-ability classes (often wc) will underachieve and those in higher ability classes (often mc) will do well.
How does the publishing of exam league tables lead to the A-to-C economy?
Gillborn and Youdell showed that teachers use stereotypes of ‘ability’ to stream pupils.
wc and black pupil- seen as having low ability, so are more placed into low streams and entered for foundation papers.
This streaming was linked to exam league tables- schools need a good position to attract pupils and funding, which is based on how many A-C grades pupils get.
schools focus on those pupils that have the potential to get 5 grade Cs or more so the table position is boosted.
What is the educational triage?
pupils are sorted into:
- those who will pass anyway and can be left to get on with it
- those with potential, who will be helped to get a grade C or better
- hopeless cases, Who are doomed to fail
teacher’s beliefs about the lack of ability of wc pupils are used to put them into lower streams receiving less attention, support and resources. this results in sfp where these pupils fail.
What are pupil subcultures?
a group sharing similar values and behaviours.
these subcultures emerge in response to labelling and streaming.
Explain how pupil subcultures develop?
differentiation- the process of teachers categorising pupils based on how they see their behaviour e.g. streaming
polarisation- process of pupils responding to streaming by moving to one ‘pole or extreme’ anti school or pro school
What is the pro-school subculture?
pupils in high streams (mainly mc) remain committed to the values of the school.
they gain status through academic success.
