Education - class differences in achievement (external)

Question 1

What is cultural deprivation theory?

Answer 1

Where children (mainly working-class) aren’t adequately socialised and therefore they grow up ‘culturally deprived’ and therefore lack the cultural equipment needed to succeed in school

Question 2

What are the 3 main aspects of cultural deprivation?

Answer 2

(1) language
(2) parents education
(3) working-class subculture

Question 3

What language did Feinstein say was common among less educated parents?

Answer 3

Less educated parents tend to use language in ways that only require children to make simple descriptive statements and this results in lower performance in school

Question 4

What language did Feinstein say was common among more educated parents?

Answer 4

More educated parents are likely to use language that challenges their children to evaluate their own understanding and abilities and therefore their performance improves

They are also more likely to use praise which encourages their children to develop a sense of their own competence

Question 5

Which sociologists came up with the idea of speech codes?

Answer 5

Basil Bernstein

Question 6

What class tends to use the restricted code?

Answer 6

The working class

Question 7

What class tends to use the elaborated code?

Answer 7

The middle class

Question 8

What is the restricted code?

Answer 8

It is a speech code which is characterised by limited vocabulary, the use of short, grammatically simple sentences and it is context-bound

Question 9

What is the elaborated code?

Answer 9

It is a speech code which is characterised by a wider vocabulary, the use of longer, grammatically more complex sentences and it is context-free

Question 10

What does context-bound mean?

Answer 10

The speaker assumes that the listener shares the same set of experiences

Question 11

What does context-free mean?

Answer 11

The speaker does not assume that the listener shared the same experiences and so they use their language to communicate their experiences

Question 12

What effect does the differences in speech codes have on children’s education?

Answer 12

Working class children are put at a disadvantage because the elaborated code is the language used by teachers, textbooks and exams as they are unable to analyse, reason and express their thoughts clearly and effectively

Question 13

What is a strength of Bernstein’s speech codes?

Answer 13

He recognises that the school and not just the home influences achievement and that working class pupils also fail because schools don’t teach them how to use the elaborated code

Question 14

What did Douglas find in his study of parents education and achievement?

Answer 14

He found that working class parents placed less value on education and therefore they were less ambitious for their children, gave them less encouragement and visited schools less often and as a result their children had lower levels of motivation and achievement

Question 15

What did Feinstein say about middle class parents education?

Answer 15

That the middle class tend to be better educated and and therefore are able to give their children an advantage through how they socialise them

Question 16

In what ways can middle class parents socialise their children to give them an advantage in education?

Answer 16

(1) parenting style
(2) parents educational behaviours
(3) use of income

Question 17

What is the parenting style of more educated parents?

Answer 17

Emphasises consistent discipline and high expectations of their children, and supports their achievement by encouraging active learning and exploration

Question 18

What is the parenting style of less educated parents?

Answer 18

Characterised by harsh and inconsistent discipline and this prevents the child from learning independence and self-control which results in underachievement

Question 19

What are the behaviours demonstrated by more educated parents?

Answer 19

(1) they are better able to get expert advice on child rearing
(2) more successful in establishing good relationships with teachers
(3) activities such as reading to their children and teaching them letters
(4) they visit museums and libraries because they recognise the educational value

Question 20

How do better educated parents use their income to benefit their children’s educational achievement?

Answer 20

They spend it in ways to promote their children’s educational success such as through buying them educational toys, books and activities that encourage reasoning skills and stimulate intellectual development

Question 21

How does income affect working class children?

Answer 21

Working class parents tend to earn lower incomes and therefore they lack educational resources and therefore they start school without the intellectual skills needed to succeed

Question 22

What is a subculture?

Answer 22

A group whose attitudes and values differ from those of the mainstream culture

Question 23

How does the working class subculture affects children’s educational success

Answer 23

Working class subcultures have different goals, beliefs, attitudes and values from the rest of society and this is why their children underachieve

Question 24

What sociologist developed the 4 barriers to educational achievement?

Answer 24

Barry Sugarman

Question 25

What are the 4 barriers to educational achievement?

Answer 25

(1) fatalism
(2) collectivism
(3) immediate gratification
(4) present-time orientation

Question 26

What is fatalism?

Answer 26

It is the belief in fate and that there is nothing you can do to change your status

Question 27

What is collectivism?

Answer 27

Valuing being part of a group more than succeeding as an individual

Question 28

What is immediate gratification?

Answer 28

Seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices in order to get the rewards in the future

Question 29

What is present-time orientation?

Answer 29

Seeing the present as more important than the future and therefore not having any long-term goals or plans

Question 30

How do working class children internalise the beliefs and values of their subculture?

Answer 30

Through the socialisation process

Question 31

Why does a difference in values exist?

Answer 31

Middle-class jobs are secure careers which is based on individual achievement and they also encourage ambition, long-term planning and willingness to invest time and effort

Working-class jobs are less secure and there is no structure through which individuals can advance

Question 32

What is compensatory education?

Answer 32

They are programmes that aim to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools and communities in deprived areas

Question 33

What are two examples of compensatory education?

Answer 33

(1) Operation Head Start - it was a multi-billion dollar scheme of pre-school education in poorer areas which was introduced in the 1960s
(2) Sure Start

Question 34

What does Keddie say about cultural deprivation?

Answer 34

She describes cultural deprivation as a myth and sees it as a victim-blaming explanation

She also points out that a child cannot be deprived of its own culture and argue that the working class are just cultural different.

They fail because they are put at a disadvantage by an education system that is dominated by middle class values

Question 35

What are some other criticisms of cultural deprivation theory?

Answer 35

(1) Troyna and Williams argue that the problem is not the child’s language but the schools attitudes towards it
(2) some critics rejects the view that working class parents aren’t interested in their children’s achievement but instead it is because they work longer and more irregular hours

Question 36

What is material deprivation?

Answer 36

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

Question 37

What 4 material factors affect working class children’s education?

Answer 37

(1) housing
(2) diet and health
(3) financial support and the costs of education
(4) fear of debt

Question 38

How can overcrowding affect children’s educational achievement?

Answer 38

It makes it harder for the child to study and it also means less room for educational activities, nowhere to do homework and disturbed sleep from sharing beds or bedrooms

There is also a greater risk of accidents

Question 39

How does temporary accommodation affect children’s educational achievement?

Answer 39

They may have to move frequently which can result in constant changes of school and therefore a disrupted education

They are more likely to suffer from psychological distress infections and accidents

Question 40

How does poor housing affect children’s educational achievement?

Answer 40

Cold or damp housing can cause ill health which means more absences from school

Question 41

How does poor health affect children’s educational achievement?

Answer 41

Children from poorer homes have power intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals and therefore this poor nutrition weakens their immune system which may result in absences from school and difficulties concentrating in class

Question 42

How does emotional or behavioural problems affect children’s educational achievement?

Answer 42

Wilkinson found that children in poorer homes have higher rates of hyperactivity, anxiety and conduct disorder which have a negative effect of the child’s achievement

Children from low income families were also more likely to engage in externalising behaviour which is likely to disrupt their schooling

Question 43

How does a lack of financial support affect children educational achievement?

Answer 43

It means that children from poor families have to do without equipment and miss out of experiences that would enhance their educational achievement

Question 44

What is the result of a lack of financial support?

Answer 44

Poor children have to make to with hand-me-downs and cheaper but unfashionable equipment and this often leads to them being isolated or bullied

Question 45

How does having a job affect children’s educational achievement?

Answer 45

Children from poorer families often need to work so they take on jobs such as babysitting and cleaning and this often has a negative impact on their schoolwork as they have less time

Question 46

How does fear of debt affect children’s educational achievement?

Answer 46

Going to university involves getting into a lot of debt and therefore attitudes towards debt may deter working class student from attending university which means they don’t end up in the more professional careers

Question 47

How does money affect working class students who do go to university?

Answer 47

Working class students that do go to university are likely to receive less financial support from their families, and it also restricts their choice of university and chances of success

Question 48

Suggest one criticism of the material deprivation theory

Answer 48

The fact that some children from poor families do succeed suggests that material deprivation is only part of the explanation

Question 49

What sociologist talks about the three types of capital?

Answer 49

Pierre Bourdieu

Question 50

What does the term capital mean?

Answer 50

Capital usually refers to wealth

Question 51

What are the 3 types of capital suggested by Bourdieu?

Answer 51

(1) cultural capital
(2) economic capital
(3) educational capital

Question 52

What is cultural capital?

Answer 52

Cultural capital refers to the knowledge, attitudes, values, language and abilities of the middle class

Question 53

What is the affect of cultural capital on middle class children?

Answer 53

Middle class children acquire the ability to grasp, analyse and express abstract ideas and they are more likely to develop intellectual interests and an understanding on what is required for success

Question 54

What is educational capital?

Answer 54

Gaining good qualifications

Question 55

How does educational, economic and cultural capital convert into one another?

Answer 55

Middle class children with cultural capital are better equipped for educational success and therefore gain educational capital

Wealthier parents can turn their economic capital into educational capital by sending their children to private schools

Question 56

What sociologist tested Bourdieu’s ideas?

Answer 56

Alice Sullivan

Question 57

Describe the procedure of Sullivan’s study to test Bourdieu’s ideas

Answer 57

She sent questionnaires to 465 pupils in 4 schools to assess their cultural capital by asking them about a range of activities, vocabulary and their knowledge of cultural figures

Question 58

What did Sullivan find in her study to test Bourdieu’s ideas?

Answer 58

She found that those who read complex fiction and watched mire serious TV documentaries developed a wider vocabulary and greater cultural knowledge which indicated cultural capital

Question 59

What did Sullivan conclude in her study to test Bourdieu’s ideas?

Answer 59

Where pupils from different classes who had the same level of cultural capital, middle class pupils still did better and therefore this means that cultural capital is only part of the explanation