Education: Topic 2- Class differences in achievement (Internal)

Question 1

Labelling

How does labelling affect achievement?

Answer 1

When teachers label W/C pupils negatively & M/C positively. This can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy or differential treatment

Question 2

Labelling

What does Becker argue about labeling? Who did he study?

Answer 2

He did an interview of 60 HS teachers
* Found pupils were judged according to how close they fitted the image of the ‘ideal pupil’

Question 3

Labelling

What does Dunne & Gazeley argue about labelling in secondary schools? What was their study?

Answer 3

• They argued W/C underachieve due to labels and assumptions.
• The did an interview of 9 state schools and found teachers ‘normalised’ W/C to underachieve and were unconcerned

Question 4

Labelling

What does Rist argue about labelling in primary schools? What was their study?

Answer 4

• He did a study of an American kindergarten
• Found teachers seperated pupils due to background
• Tigers: M/C, most encouraged
• Clowns: W/C, given low-level work

Question 5

The self-fulfilling prophecy

How does a self-fulfilling prophecy affect achievement?

Answer 5

1. The teacher labels the pupil
2. The teacher treats the pupil according to the label
3. The pupil internalises it

Question 6

The self-fulfilling prophecy

What do Rosenthal & Jacobson argue about teachers expectations? What was their study?

Answer 6

• Study of primary school
• They did a test to identify pupils that will ‘spurt’ (Was actually an IQ test)
• The ‘spurters’ made significant progress
• Teachers beliefs influenced the results

Question 7

Streaming

How does streaming affect educational success?

Answer 7

Teachers tend to put W/C pupils in lower sets due to them not being the ‘ideal’ pupil. Its difficult to move up sets and lower sets are capped at a grade 5.

Question 8

Streaming

What does Gillborn & Youdell argue about streaming? What was their study?

Answer 8

• Did a study of 2 secondary schools and found that etachers use stereotypes to stream pupils
• W/C & Black pupils are seen to have less ability

Question 9

Streaming

Who argues about the educational triage?

Answer 9

Gillborn and Youdell

Question 10

Streaming

What does Gillborn and Youdell argue about the educational triage?

Answer 10

Theres 3 categories pupils are put in which is the basis for streaming:
* Those who will pass can be left to get on with it
* Those with potential, will be helped to get C or more
* Hopeless cases, who’re doomed to fail

Question 11

Pupil subcultures

How does pupils subcultures affect educational success?

Answer 11

It can influence a students attitudes and behaviours towards school

Question 12

Pupil subcultures

What does Lacey argue about pupil subcultures?

Answer 12

They argue differentiation and polarisation explains how subcultures develop:
* Differentiation: Teachers categorieses due to ability, or behaviour
* Polarisation: Pupils respond to streaming by moving towards a subculture

Question 13

Pupil subcultures

What is pro-school subculture?

Answer 13

Pupils placed in high streams (M/C) tend to remain committed to the values of the school. They gain their status through academic success

Question 14

Pupil subcultures

What is anti-school subcultures?

Answer 14

Pupils placed in lower streams (W/C) suffer a loss of self-esteem. To gain status they get it from their peers.

Question 15

Pupil subcultures

What does Ball argue about abolishing streaming? What was his study?

Answer 15

• Study of beachside school
• Streaming abolished led to less pupil subcultures however differentiation still occurs and W/C pupils were labelled negatively.

Question 16

Pupil subcultures

What does Woods argue about the variety of pupil responses?

Answer 16

Another response to labelling and streaming:
* Ingratiation: Teachers pet
* Ritualism: Staying out of trouble
* Retreatism: Daydreaming and mucking about
* Rebellion: Rejecting school

Question 17

What are the criticism of the labelling theory?

Answer 17

• Too deterministic: assues everyone has a choice to fufil but theres a self-refuting prophecy
• Marxists argue labelling ignores wider structures of power, fails to explain why teachers label

Question 18

Pupil class identities

What does Bourdieu argue about habitus?

Answer 18

• The learned, taken-for-granted ways of thinking, being and acting shared in a social class.
• Habitus is formed as a response to their position in the class subculture
• M/C has power to impose habitus on the education system, therefore the school puts a higher value on M/C habitus

Question 19

Pupil class identities

What does Bourdieu argue about symbolic capital?

Answer 19

Due to schools having M/C habitus, pupils socialised at home into M/C tastes gain ‘symbolic capital’ or status from the school, deemed as value.

Question 20

Pupil class identities

What does Bourdieu argue about symbolic violence?

Answer 20

• Symbolic violence is withholding symbolic capital.
• The school devalues W/C habitus and deems it as tasteless and worthless
• Symbolic violence reproduces class structure and keeps W/C in their place
• Thus a clash between W/C habitus and the schools M/C habitus.
• W/C pupils are alienated

Question 21

What are ‘Nike’ identities?

Answer 21

• Symbolic violence leads to W/C seaking alternative ways to create self-worth
• W/C pupils finding status, self worth and value in branding clothing such as Nike
• But goes against school policy

Question 22

Pupil class identities

What does Archer agure about ‘Nike’ identities?

Answer 22

• Argues ‘nike’ identities helps the W/C to feel valued and have self worth
• M/C school habitus stigmities W/C pupils identities, the W/C struggle for recognition

Question 23

Pupil class identity

How does class identity and self-exculsion affect educational success?

Answer 23

Though more W/C pupils are going to university, the clash between W/C identity and school habitus is a barrier for success, mainly due to self exculsion from elite universities.

Question 24

Pupil class identity

What does Evans argue about class identity and self-exclusion? What was their study?

Answer 24

• Studied 21 W/C girls from SL doing A-levels
• Found they were reluctant to apply to elite uni’s