External Factors Affecting Class Differences in Education Flashcards
Define material deprivation
Material deprivation refers to a situation whereby a family is unable to provide for their children the basic necessities required in order to be comfortable, healthy and successful in education (and beyond). This is a problem which blights working class families for a number of reasons.
Poor diet and health
Howard (2001) point out that, in working class families, it is more common for children to have a deficient diet, leaving them malnourished due to receiving inadequate vitamins and minerals. This can lead to a number of problems within education. For example, children who have not eaten breakfast may arrive at school feeling hungry and tired, as a lack of food leads to low levels of energy. This will impact upon their ability to concentrate in lessons as they will be tired and distracted by hunger, potentially leading to poor performance at school. Furthermore, children who are not receiving adequate nutrition are more likely to have weaker immune systems, meaning they are susceptible to illness and absence from school. By missing school, this will further risk poor performance in education as they will miss important subject content.
Wilkinson (1996) states that children from deprived backgrounds are more likely to suffer, from what?
Behavioural problems and mental health disorders, including ADHD and anxiety disorders. This can make it difficult for them to concentrate in lessons, and may result in them being removed from lessons altogether, which again disrupts their education
Poor housing
Working class children are more likely to live in poor quality housing, which can go on to impact upon their performance at school. One issue which may affect them is overcrowding at home; due to the high cost of living, working class families are more likely to live in smaller houses, meaning there is little space for children to get on with their homework undisturbed. This may cause them to fall behind at school if they are struggling to complete work in peace at home. Additionally, it is more likely that working class children will have to share bedrooms with siblings, meaning that their sleep quality can be poor. If they are left feeling tired as a result, this will impact on their ability to concentrate at school. Another issue that is more likely to affect working class children is that they may move house more frequently. Particularly for families who live in social housing, they may be required to move on by the council if their circumstances change. This may mean that children also have to move schools, which can be disruptive to their learning. The physical environment can also potentially be problematic for children too. If they live in accommodation which is damp or cold, this can lead to health issues which could result in absence from school, which is again a barrier to educational success. It is also noted that children from poorer households are more likely to have accidents around the home which result in injury, which can further impact on their ability to be successful in school.
Fear of debt
In order to access university, young people must take out a substantial loan in order to pay for their tuition fees and living costs. Since 2012, university tuition in the UK has been a minimum of £9000 per year. Callender and Jackson (2005) found that this was very off-putting to working class students, who are not used to seeing such large figures in the context of money. For this reason, many working class young people express that they do not want to go to university, because they are concerned about the debts which it generates, preferring to access paid work at a younger age. This can go on to impact upon their performance at school because, if they are no intentions of going to university, this can leave them feeling demotivated and unable to see the point of working hard in the short term. For those working class students who do decide to go to university, they are more likely to choose universities closer to home, with a view that they will then save money by not having to pay for transport and accommodation. This however limits the options available to working class students, and can reduce the likelihood that they will perform highly at A-level. Furthermore, there is a much higher dropout rate at university for working class students, which can go on to limit their opportunities in future if they do not complete their degree course.
