Education Topic 1 - Social Class & External Factors Flashcards
What is a significant feature of education in Britain?
The difference in achievement between pupils from different social classes.
What are the two main social classes discussed in the context of educational achievement?
Middle-class and working-class.
Which group of children generally performs better in education?
Middle-class children.
What is one reason for the achievement gap between social classes?
Better-off parents send their children to private schools.
What percentage of British children are educated in private schools?
7%.
What are the two broad categories of explanations for educational achievement differences?
Internal factors (inside school) and external factors (outside of school).
What are the three main areas of external factors affecting educational achievement?
- Cultural Deprivation
- Material Deprivation
- Cultural Capital
What does Cultural Deprivation refer to?
When students lack the ‘cultural equipment’ to do well in school.
What are the three main aspects of Cultural Deprivation?
- Language
- Parents’ education
- Working class subculture
What impact does language have on educational achievement?
The way parents communicate affects children’s cognitive development.
What are the two speech codes identified by Bernstein?
- The restricted code
- The elaborated code
What characterizes the restricted code?
Limited vocabulary and grammatically simple sentences.
What characterizes the elaborated code?
Wider vocabulary and longer, more complex sentences.
What did Douglas (1964) find about working-class parents’ attitudes towards education?
They placed less value on education.
What parenting style is often associated with educated parents?
Consistent discipline and high expectations.
What is a subculture?
A group whose attitudes and values differ from the mainstream culture.
What are Sugarman’s four key beliefs that act as barriers to educational success?
- Fatalism
- Collectivism
- Immediate gratification
- Present-time orientation
What is the aim of compensatory education programmes?
To tackle cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools and communities in deprived areas.
What is an example of a compensatory education programme in the US?
Operation Head Start.
What does Material Deprivation refer to?
Poverty and a lack of material necessities such as housing and income.
What is the achievement rate of pupils eligible for free school meals?
Barely 1/3 achieve 5 or more GCSEs A*-C.
How does poor housing affect a child’s education?
It can lead to difficulties in studying and health issues.
What impact does diet and health have on educational achievement?
Poor nutrition leads to illness and absence from school.
What barrier to education do financial support and costs create?
Children from poor families miss out on essential equipment and experiences.
What is the fear of debt among working-class students related to?
The costs of university education.
What did Callendar & Jackson find regarding working-class students and debt?
They are more debt averse and see debt negatively.
What does Bourdieu argue about educational achievement?
Both cultural and material factors contribute to educational achievement.
What three types of capital does Bourdieu identify?
- Economic Capital
- Educational Capital
- Cultural Capital
What is Cultural Capital?
The knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes, and abilities of the middle class.
What does Sullivan’s survey suggest about cultural capital?
It accounts for part of class differences in achievement.
What does the term ‘habitus’ refer to?
Taken for granted ways of thinking, being, and acting shared by a particular social class.
