External Factors affecting Education

Question 1

What are the 4 material deprivation factors relating to external issues?

Answer 1

• poor diet and health
• poor housing
• cost of education
• fear of debt

Question 2

What did Howard (2001) believe about poor diet and health?

Answer 2

In working class families, children are more likely to have deficient diets. These diets means kids are malnourished and have poor concentration within school. 
Also lead to weaker immune systems, meaning more likely to be ill and miss school...

Question 3

What did Wilkinson (1996) believe about poor diet and health?

Answer 3

Working class children are more likely to safer from behavioural and mental health problems, ADHD and anxiety disorders. Leads to a lack of concentration which disrupts their learning

Question 4

How does overcrowding affect educational achievement?

Answer 4

In overcrowded homes, children are less likely to have ample space to do their homework and revise undisputed. This can mean they fall behind…

Question 5

How does living in social housing affect educational achievement?

Answer 5

Those living in social housing are more likely to move. Children will therefore have to move schools more frequently disrupting their learning further

Question 6

How does living in the damp and cold affect educational achievement?

Answer 6

Those living in cold and damp environments are more likely to develop health issues resulting in preventable absences, disrupting their education

Question 7

What term does Bull (1980) use to describe the cost of education?

Answer 7

“The cost of free schooling”

Question 8

What does Tanner (2003) believe about the cost of education?

Answer 8

She identified there is a huge expense in sending their child to school. Uniform, buses, books ect. Places pressure on low income families. Hand-me-downed uniforms can make a child self conscious resulting in low self esteem and confidence

Question 9

What does Tanner (2003) believe about the effect of free school meals and private tuition?

Answer 9

There is thought there is a big impact on children being too embarrassed to claim free school meals leading to hunger and the inability to concentrate in lessons.
Working class families are unable to access private tuition which middle class children have, making they prone to falling behind.

Question 10

What do Callender and Jackson (2005) believe about the fear of debt?

Answer 10

Found that the increase in tuition fees to a minimum of £9000 was extremely off putting to a working class student due to the unease of seeing large amounts of money

Question 11

According to Callender and Jackson (2005), what does a fear of debt lead to for the working class?

Answer 11

Working class do not want to go to university, because they are concerned about the debt it generates. The lack of motivation because they’re not going to university can lead to an underperformance at school

Question 12

Evaluation of material deprivation being a cause of educational achievement externally?

Answer 12

• money isn’t the most important factor in determining achievement, personality is
• social services and a wide range of benefits help low income families limit the effect of material deprivation
• material deprivation at home can cause internal inequalities such as teacher labelling

Question 13

What is material deprivation?

Answer 13

Refers to the situation in which families are unable to provide the resources in order to be; comfortable, healthy and successful in education and beyond

Question 14

What is cultural deprivation?

Answer 14

The lack of the appropriate norms, value, attitudes and skills needed to be successful in education and beyond

Question 15

What are the 3 cultural deprivation factors relating to external issues?

Answer 15

• language
• parental education
• working class subculture

Question 16

What did Feinstein (2008) find about the relationship between educated parents and the language they used?

Answer 16

Well-educated parents are more likely to use language which encourages children to think for themselves. For example, using open ended questions which require more thought. Stimulating cognitive development

Question 17

What did Bereiter and Engelman (1966) find about language used by the working class?

Answer 17

They described the language used by the working class as being deficient. They heavily rely on using gestures rather than spoken words which limits the child’s ability to develop their speed and communicate efficiently

Question 18

What 2 speech codes did Bernstein (1975) identify?

Answer 18

• the restricted code

- the elaborated code

Question 19

What is the restricted code?

Answer 19

The working class speak in shorter sentences using a limited range of vocabulary and depend heavily on gestures. They speak in a context bound way which means they give little detail, assuming the listener shares the same set of experiences.

Question 20

What is the elaborated code?

Answer 20

The middle class speak speak in longer, more fluid sentences and have a wider range of vocabulary. They speak in a context free way meaning they explain their points clearly, assuming the listener hasn’t got the same set of experiences they have.

Question 21

Evaluation of the claim speech and language is a major cause of educational inequality?

Answer 21

• assumes all the working class speak in this way, ignoring the fact they may alter their speech for their children so the can develop properly
• arguments that Berinstein over simplifies the two speech codes and presumes that everyone fits into one of the two codes…

Question 22

What does Douglas (1964) believe about the working class attitudes towards education?

Answer 22

Believes the working class lack academic ambition for their children due to the fact they’re poorly educated themselves. Causes children to be de-motivated

Question 23

What does Feinstein (2008) argue about parental education?

Answer 23

Educated parents adopt a style of parenting which emphasises the importance of academic success. Higher expectations and effective discipline is used in order for their child to work efficiently. 
Working class parents are inconsistent in their approach, varying between too harsh and too lenient. Therefore children do not develop their own behaviours leading to inconsistency with their work

Question 24

What does Feinstein (2008) also argue about middle class parents and educational activities?

Answer 24

Middle class parents are likely to engage in educational activities with their child. For example, days out, reading, completing homework with them and attending parents evening. High level of involvement means children have more chance of success…

Question 25

What does Bernstein and Young (1967) argue about parental education?

Answer 25

Middle class families are likely to prioritise education within their financial budget, they’re more likely to spend money on educational resources such as books and games.
Working class parents are unlikely to invest in such things limiting educational achievement

Question 26

Evaluation of the claim that parental education is a cause of education inequality?

Answer 26

• it is not true working class parents don’t attend parents evening because of a lack of ambition, instead they are working
• internal favours such as teacher labelling can be a result of parental education, it is unfair to blame the parents solely

Question 27

Which sociologist investigated the working class subculture?

Answer 27

Sugarman (1970)

Question 28

What is a subculture?

Answer 28

A culture that possesses attitudes and values which are at odds with those of mainstream society

Question 29

What are the 4 working class sub-cultures?

Answer 29

• fatalistic
• collectivism
• immediate gratification
• present-time orientation

Question 30

What does fatalistic mean?

Answer 30

The belief that that a persons future path cannot be altered so there is no point in trying to change the outcome

Question 31

What does collectivism mean?

Answer 31

Where people value being part of a group above their own individual needs and achievements.

Question 32

What does immediate gratification mean?

Answer 32

Means that the working class want to have immediate fun, at the expense of working hard in the present to gain greater rewards in the future

Question 33

What does present-time orientated mean?

Answer 33

Means the working class live for the here and now rather than thinking for the future. They do little planning in terms of looking for new careers.

Question 34

What are the 4 middle class sub-cultures?

Answer 34

• individualism
• control
• future orientated
• deferred gratification

Question 35

Evaluation of the claim that the working class subculture is a main source of educational inequality…

Answer 35

-as of 2018, 47% of the population was working class going against Sugarmans point that the working class subculture is of deficient values of society

Question 36

What does Keddie believe about cultural deprivation and its existence?

Answer 36

She describes the cultural deprivation theory is a form of “victim blaming”. Instead of seeing the working class as deficient, we need to look more closely at what’s happening inside school that devalues the working class and makes them feel as if they cannot succeed.

Question 37

Outline 3 ways housing may effect achievement?

Answer 37

• overcrowded, little space to do work
• damp and cold, health problems
• lack of space, harder for children to sleep

Question 38

Outline 3 cultural factors which mean the working class do worse in education?

Answer 38

• language
• subculture
• parents education

Question 39

Outline 3 reasons why working class parents are less likely to attend parents evening?

Answer 39

• more likely to be working late in the evening
• working class parents are less ambitious for their children
• working class put off by the middle class atmosphere of school

Question 40

What are the 3 types of capital Bourdieu identifies?

Answer 40

• cultural capital
• economic capital
• education capital

Question 41

How are the 3 types of capital linked?

Answer 41

Economic capital comes from parents having cultural capital, and economic capital can pay for educational capital

Question 42

Outline 2 ways cultural capital can affect achievement?

Answer 42

• parents have cultural capital so can teach their children what is appropriate within eduction
• middle class pupils acquire the ability to grasp, analyse and express abstract ideas which is a skill needed within education

Question 43

How does poor housing affect the achievement of the working class?

Answer 43

• over crowding, lack of sleep, no space to do work
• more likely to move
• accident prone
• damp and cold