Education Topic 1 - external difference in achievement Flashcards
Cultural deprivation definition
When students lack the ‘cultural equipment’ to do well in school, such as language, self-discipline and reasoning skills. By age 3, working class children are up to one year behind middle class children.
Language subculture (theorist)
Bernstein (1975) identified a difference between the language of middle-class and working-class:
- Restricted code: working class, limited vocab, short and often unfinished grammatically simple sentences. Assumes the listener shares the same experiences
- Elaborated code: middle class, wider vocab, based on longer, grammatically more complex sentences. Does not assume that the listener shares the same experiences.
Parents education (two theorists)
Douglas (1964) - w/c parents place less value on education, less ambitious for their children, less encouragement, less interest, visit schools less and less likely to discuss progress.
Feinstein (2008) - m/c parents tend to be better educated and socialise positively towards education, such as: parenting style including discipline, engage in education based behaviours, higher incomes spent on education.
Subcultures (one theorist)
Subcultures are a group whose attitudes and values differ from mainstream culture.
Sugarman argue that w/c have 4 key beliefs that act as a barrier to educational success:
- Fatalism: ‘what will be will be’, can’t change your status
- Collectivism: value being part of a group
- Immediate gratification: seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices for greater rewards later
- Present time orientation: present is more important than the future
Compensatory education
Aims to tackle the effects of cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools:
- Operation Head Start (US): 1960s, pre-school children developing skills, instil motivation, parenting classes and home visits
- Sesame Street: TV show that aimed to promote educational values, attitudes and skills e.g numeracy
- UK programmes: Educational Priority Areas, Education Action Zones and Sure Start, set up by Labour 2010 in deprived areas to integrate education and support
Myth of Cultural Deprivation (two theorists)
Keddie - argues CD theory is a myth and victim blames. Children aren’t culturally deprived, but culturally different instead. Should be schools responsibility to cater to the needs of different children.
Blackstone and Mortimore - w/c parents attend less parents evenings because they work longer hours, they are put off by the m/c atmosphere of schools, want help but lack the knowledge to do so.
Material deprivation
Refers to the poverty and lack of material necessities such as housing and income.
- 90% of failing schools are in deprived areas
- Barely 1/3 of pupils eligible for free school meals achieve 5 or more GCSEs A*-C
Effects of housing on education
Direct: overcrowding can make it hard to study, disturbed sleep, development can be impaired if there isn’t space for exploration, families in temporary accommodation causes changes in schools.
Indirect: poor housing can impact a child’s health and well being, children in crowded homes are at greater risks of accidents, cold/damp houses can cause illness, psychological stress, infections and accidents.
Effects of diet and health on education (one theorist)
Howard - young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals. Poor nutrition means weaker immune system leading to illness and absence from school.
Children from poorer homes are more likely to have emotional and behavioural problems with higher rates of hyperactivity, anxiety and conduct disorders.
Effects of finance and costs of education (two theorists)
Tanner - found the cost of transport, books, computers, calculators, and sports, music and art equipment places heavy burdens on families. Poorer children are more likely to receive hand me downs which leads to stigmatisation and bullying.
Flaherty - fear of stigmatisation is the reason why only 20% of children entitled to free school meals actually take them up.
Effects of fear of debt on education (one theorist)
Callendar and Jackson - found that w/c students are more debt averse, see it as negative and something to avoid. More costs than benefits to going to education (over 5x less likely to apply to University).
- Only 30% of Uni students are w/c
- W/c students more likely to go to local Universities
- High drop out rates for w/c students
AO3 for Material Deprivation (one theorist)
Doesn’t explain why some children from poorer families still succeed, therefore material deprivation is only part of the explanation.
Feinstein - argues despite income levels those parents who are better educated make a positive contribution to a child’s achievement.
Bourdieu - three types of capital
Economic: money, savings and wages that can be spent on trips, holidays and resources
Educational capital: m/c children acquire the ability to grasp, analyse and express abstract ideas which gives them an advantage at school
Cultural capital: knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities of the middle class
Habitus
Taken for granted way of thinking, being and acting that are shared by a particular social class. It includes tastes, preferences and consumption.
- Middle class habitus influences education and as such schools put higher values on middle class tastes and see w/c as inferior.
