EDUCATION - Labelling Theories Flashcards
What did Becker identify in his interviews with Chicago teachers in 80 schools?
He noticed that, when teachers would label their students, some may achieve the self-fulfilling prophecy (the would live up to that label). When students would be positively labelled, they would live up to the label, due to a sense of self-belief and motivation (this is called the ‘Halo Effect’).
What other factors could teachers look at when ‘judging’ their pupils? HINT: These could link to their class + material deprivation
- Their students’ appearance
- The pupil’s work ethic
- The children’s behaviour in class
What did Dunne and Gazeley identify when they conducted their micro study, including interviews in 9 English state secondary schools? HINT: ‘Normalised’
They discovered that teachers ‘normalised’ the underachievement of working-class pupils and that many teachers seemed unconcerned by the lack of attainment by working-class pupils; they believed that there was very little that they could do about it!
What are the consequences of teachers’ ‘normalisation’ of working-class underachievement? HINT: Easier exams for w/c, more work for m/c
Working-class pupils may be entered into lower exams, whilst some middle-class children (who may be underachieving) would be given extra support, help and work from their teachers, who would try to ensure that these pupils achieved!
What did the teachers in Dunne and Gazeley’s study brand working-class children who were trying to attain good grades?
OVERACHIEVERS = Achievements made by working-class individuals were seen as them ‘trying too hard’, because their underachievement is so normalised and accepted (the legitimisation of inequality)!
What did Rist identify in their study of an American kindergarten?
They identified that the teacher used information about the children’s home background and their appearance to put them into groups.
What labels did the teacher in Rist’s study use and can you explain the impact of these? HINT: SFP
Fast, learners (usually well-dressed, middle-class pupils) were labelled as ‘tigers’, whilst the slow learners (usually the working-class pupils) were labelled as ‘clowns’.
Children begin to internalise this label and they begin to define themselves by it - This creates the self-fulfilling prophecy!
When children begin to achieve and fulfil the label that was placed on them, this is called the ‘Halo Effect’ = EG: Middle-class children would begin to achieve and go well in school, whilst the working-class children would begin to fail.
When the child has fulfilled the prophecy and is now defined by their status/label, this is called the ‘Master Status’. = EG: The ‘tigers’ would now be defined by their ‘intelligent and bright’ label and status, and it would control their every thought, action and decision!
Explain the layout of the teacher’s classroom in Rist’s study? HINT: W/c at the back, m/c at the front
The middle-class children (the ‘tigers’) were placed closer to the teacher, whilst the working-class children (the ‘clowns’) were placed further away from the teacher.
By placing the working-class children further away from the teacher = These children may become less confident and may have lower self-esteem; this may cause the children to become less independent –> This may cause the children to attain lower grades, as they do not believe in themselves and they may put less effort in at school!
What did Rosenthal and Jacobson do in their study of Oak Community school (a primary school in California) that may be seen as un-ethical? HINT: Lies!
They lied and said that a regular IQ test was a test to identify which children would ‘spurt’ ahead. This was to test the teachers and see if they would be put labels on the children!
They picked 20% of the students’ tests at random and told the school that these students were the ‘spurters’. When they returned 6 months later, 47% of those identified as ‘spurters’ had made significant improvements in their tests!
As Rosenthal and Jacobson identified, explain how teachers can use the self-fulfilling prophecy to create their own ‘ideal pupil’? HINT: Labelling!
Teachers can use the self-fulfilling prophecy to create their ‘ideal pupil’, by positively labelling students who fit their definition of what an ‘ideal pupil’ is and negatively labelling students who do not.
Students will then ‘fulfil’ these labels, as seen by the ‘Halo Effect’ and students will then begin to define themselves by their labels, as seen by the ‘Master Status’!
