Education Exam Questions Flashcards
Define the term ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. [2 marks]
When something happens because people expect it to happen. For example, if a child is labelled as ‘bad’ this alters their self-concept and they start thinking of themselves as ‘bad’ which means they may become ‘bad’ because that it what they think they are.
Define the term ‘agency’. [2 marks]
The capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices.
Define the term ‘meritocracy’. [2 marks]
A society or system in which success or failure is seen as the result of ability and hard work.
Define the term ‘socialisation’. [2 marks]
The process through which individuals learn the behaviour and culture accepted by their society in order to fit in.
Cultural Deprivation theories claim that the working class cannot defer gratification. Explain the phrase ‘defer gratification’. [2 marks]
The process by which somebody resists the temptation of an immediate reward in preference for a later reward. For example, they may decide to save their money for a designer pair of shoes instead of wasting their money and buying a cheap pair of shoes now.
Explain two reasons why streaming and setting may affect and negatively impact working-class pupils and ethnic minorities more than other pupils. [4 marks]
- Working-class pupils & ethnic minorities are often overlooked and people usually have negative views about them and their abilities –> they therefore get placed into lower sets.
- Self-fulfilling prophecy –> they think they are ‘stupid’ if in a lower set and therefore start to become ‘stupid’.
- If they’re placed into a lower set, they won’t get treated as a priority which means they have a lower chance of being able to improve their grades –> prejudice.
Are labelling theories deterministic? Explain your answer. [2 marks]
They often are because they state that labels can cause a self-fulfilling prophecy which means that society/ other people’s views are affecting how a person acts - the individual is not choosing for themself.
Referring to one piece of relevant evidence, how do we know that material deprivation has a negative impact on educational achievement? [2 marks]
Statistics show that the poorest ethnic group (gypsy/roma) also have the lowest grades in school - this is because they don’t have enough money for resources or space to improve their grades (revise).
Using one example, briefly explain how cultural deprivation might affect educational achievement. [2 marks]
People who aren’t able to afford materials and resources will not be able to successfully revise and do homework. This is because they don’t have space, internet connection etc. This lowers their grades so educational achievement is lower.
Using one example, briefly explain how cultural capital might affect educational achievement. [2 marks]
If people don’t have the knowledge of topics like literature or art then often they might not share a consensus with those who do that are highly achieving or important in society which can cause a bias because they wouldn’t be seen as a very interesting or intellectual person which can reduce the levels of their achievement.
