Education- Internal social class- pupil subcultures and streaming

Question 1

Define a pupil subculture

Answer 1

-A group of students who share similar values and behaviour patterns

Question 2

Why do subcultures often emerge?

Answer 2

-Due to the way students have been labelled
-A reaction to streaming

Question 3

Define differentiation

Answer 3

-The process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability attitude and behaviour

Question 4

How is streaming a form of differentiation?

Answer 4

-Students are put into different classes based on ability which gives students a higher (superior) or lower (inferior) status

Question 5

Define polarization

Answer 5

-The process by which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards opposite extremes (poles) such as pro or anti-school subcultures

Question 6

What are some features of pro-school subcultures

Answer 6

-Committed to school values
-Gain their status in an approved manner
-Mainly Mc pupils

Question 7

What are some features of anti-school subcultures

Answer 7

-WC pupils
-Low self-esteem- the school has undermined their self-worth by giving them inferior status
-Their label of failure makes them want to gain status in an alternative way
-Usually disregarding the school’s values, not being obedient and not working hard

Question 8

By joining an anti-school subculture can the teachers self-fulfilling prophecy of being a failure?

Answer 8

Yes

Question 9

Define streaming

Answer 9

Involves separating children into ability groups/classes, each ability group is taught separatley

Question 10

Is a self-fulfilling prophecy more likely to occur when children are streamed?

Answer 10

Yes

Question 11

Which streams are working-class students most likely to be in?

Answer 11

-Lower streams
-Teachers have low expectaions for these children as they think they lack the ability
-

Question 12

Why are streams so damaging?

Answer 12

-they are very difficult to get out of
-Once you have been in the environment for a while it is more likely self-fulfilling prophecy will come true

Question 13

What did Douglas find?

Answer 13

• If children were placed in higher set at age 8 they had an improved IQ score by 11

Question 14

Why does the middle class benefit from streaming?

Answer 14

-Likely to be placed in higher streams
-Reflects their teacher’s view of them
-This increased their self-confidence and esteem
-Which makes them work harder so they achieve higher grades

Question 15

What did Gillborn and youdell investigate and find?

Answer 15

-Teachers are less likely to see WC and black students as able
-These students are more likely to be placed in lower streams and entered into foundation GCSE exams

Question 16

What do Gillborn and youdell argue the consequences of streaming are?

Answer 16

-This denies them knowledge and widens the class gap in achievement

Question 17

How do gillborn and youdell argue streaming linkls to league tables?

Answer 17

-A-C economy
-Schools focus their time, efforts and resources on those pupils they see as having the potential to get 5 grade cs to increase their position
-This will attract more pupils and increase funding

Question 18

What is educational triage?

Answer 18

-Sorting students into:
-Pupils who will definitely pass
-Students that may or may not achieve and can be provided with extra support
-No hope cases

Question 19

Why does Ball argue streaming should be abolished?

Answer 19

-The creation of subcultures would not be needed
-Polarisation disappeared but differentiation continued

Question 20

What does woods argue the other responses to labelling and streaming are?

Answer 20

-Ingration- being the teachers pet
-Ritualisim- going through the motions and staying out of trouble
-Retreatism- daydreaming and not paying attention
-Rebellion-rejection of everything at school

Question 21

Are Wc and black students more likely to sit lower tier exams even if their grades are only slightly lower to Mc pupils? Why?

Answer 21

-Yes
-Labelling

Question 22

Who argues labelling is a result of labelling?

Answer 22

-Lacey (1970)

Question 23

Willis

Answer 23

-WC lads ended up failing and ended up in WC jobs

Question 24

Evaluation of subcultures

Answer 24

-older studies focussing on anti-school cultures are probably no longer relevant today. Many of the students who would have formed these cultures are probably now educated in Pupil Referral Units
-kely to be less extreme and certainly very unlikely to be anti-school

Question 25

Evaluation of streaming

Answer 25

-No equality of opportunity, those in lower sets cannot be placed in higher sets
-Reproduces social class inequalities
-Based on teacher stereotypes rather than ability
-It reduces school cohesion and togetherness.
-Anti-school subcultures can form
-Not all lessons/schools use sets