external factors: social class and educational attainment Flashcards

1
Q

social class

A

a way of grouping people in society based on wealth, income, power and status

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2
Q

4 measures of disadvantage in schools

A

attainment gap
different educational attainment
free school meals
pupil premium

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3
Q

attainment gap

A

the gap between those in the lower levels of the class structure and those above them

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4
Q

what causes different educational attainment

A

achievement in education differs according to social class, gender and ethnicity

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5
Q

who are entitled to free school meals

A

children whose families receive qualifying benefits are entitled to free school meals

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6
Q

pupil premium

A

all children qualify for FSM are entitled to pupil premium

funding is given to schools and allocated to these children to be used to enhance their attainment

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7
Q

retention rate

A

percentage of students who have completed their main study programme at a provider

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8
Q

data showing the achievement gap between FSM and non FSM students

A

a gap of over 15 points for Average Attainment 8 scores between FSM and all other students

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9
Q

external factors which give an explanation for social class differences in attainment

A

material deprivation
cultural deprivation

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10
Q

material deprivation

A

the inability to afford basic resources, which can impact a pupil’s educational achievement

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11
Q

Smith and Noble’s ‘barriers to learning’ identified (1995)

A

insufficient funds

ill health - working class people tend to suffer from poorer health

home environment - lack of private space to do work, insecure housing etc.

marketisation of schools - poorer children tend to be concentrated in unpopular and underpeforming schools

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12
Q

direct impact of insecure housing on attainment

A

overcrowding - no quiet place for study or homework
frequently moving due to insecure and temporary housing - distrupted education as moving schools
sharing a room may cause poor sleep

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13
Q

indirect impact of poor and insecure housing on attainment

A

cold and damp may impact health and wellbeing

unsafe living space may lead to increased accidents

increased school absences

mental health problems if exposed to insecure living situations

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14
Q

The costs of education impacting attainment - Gibson and Asthana

A

Gibson an Asthana (1999)

less able to afford the ‘hidden costs’ of education

tuition fees and loans would be a greater source of anxiety to those from poorer background

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15
Q

summarise cultural deprivation theory

A

working class pupils are likely to be culturally deprived, often due to inadequate socialisation

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16
Q

how does culture disadvantage working class children

A

working class norms don’t align with academic success - value practical skills and immediate needs over long term pursuits

exposed to a narrower range of vocabulary and linguistic styles - limits communication skills

limited exposure to high achieving role models - lowers aspirations

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17
Q

Sugarman (1970) - working class subculture (their cultural norms) has four key features that act as a barrier to educational achievement

A

immediate gratification
present time orientation
fatalism
collectivism

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18
Q

immediate gratification

A

focusing on the pleasures of the present rather than putting them off for future reward

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19
Q

present time orientation

A

focusing on the present time, rather than thinking about the future

20
Q

fatalism

A

accepting your situation, rather than putting in effort to try and change it

21
Q

collectivism

A

placing more emphasis on loyalty to the group, rather than individual achievements, which is required in school

22
Q

criticisms of Sugarman’s views

A

WC are realistic rather than fatalistic
- if they had the necessary resources to deter gratification they may do so
- wc subculture may be a response to the circumstances of wc life

23
Q

how may parental expectations of education impact attainment

A

wc parents place less value on education - less encouragement and little interest

educated parents more aware of what is needed to help their children progress at school

24
Q

Douglas (1970) procedure

A

longitudinal study
5,362 children born in the same week of March 1946
used IQ and other tests to divide children into groups based on their ability
also divided children into 4 social class groupings

25
Douglas (1970) findings
significant variations in educational attainment between students of similar ability but from different social classes single most important factor was the degree of parents interest in their children's education
26
Feinstein (2003) - procedure
data from 2 longitudinal studies - The National Child Development Study and the British Cohort study
27
Feinstein (2003) - findings
main factor accounting for class differences in attainment was parental interest in their children's education
28
what did Bernstein's study look at
language and speech codes
29
what was Bernstein's main arguement?
the working class and middle class use different language codes, but the education system only uses one type of cods
30
restricted codes (simple speech)
shorthand speech - those conversing in them have so much in common that there is no need to make things explicit in speech
31
elaborated code (extensive vocab speech)
explicitly verbalises many of the meanings that are taken for granted in restricted code
32
what are the impacts of only elaborated code being used in the education system
middle class have a greater chance of success in interviews reading and writing working class are more likely to find it hard to communicate, read textbooks and write exam questions in subjects that are 'essay based'
33
criticisms of bernsteins methods
lumps together manual workers into the working class and non-manual workers into the middle class provides little evidence for the use of restricted and elaborated code much of his evidence is drawn from interviews with children
34
cultural capital (Pierre Bordieu)
the knowledge, attitudes, tastes and abilities of the middle class middle class culture is a type of capital like wealth because it gives those who possess it an advantage
35
how does the education system reproduce class inequalities
it is systematically biased in favour of middle-class pupils through the 'hidden curriculum'
36
habitus - Pierre Bourdieu
'the values, attitudes, dispositions and expectations held by particular groups learned through primary socialisation
37
how does habitus link to cultural capital - Pierre Bourdieu
contains a set of assumptions about what counts as good and bad taste influences the leisure activities they engage in
38
cultural defect - Pierre Bourdieu
the view that working class culture is deficient in terms of values, norms and tastes, which acts as a disadvantage in education
39
how does cultural capital impact economic and educational capital - Pierre Bourdieu
wealthier parents are likely to have knowledge, behaviour, attitudes and cultural experiences that ensures they succeed in education
40
culture clash - Pierre Bourdieu
working class children experience a culture clash between their habitus and the habitus in the education system, which is formed around the middle class habitus, so they have to change their behaviour to fit in
41
Gerwirtz, ball and Bowe - main arguement
middle class parents use their cultural, social, and material capital to ensure that their children get the best out of the education system
42
social capital
a set of shared values or resources that allows individuals to work together in a group to effectively achieve a common purpose
43
material capital
items owned which cost money, or money
44
why are wc children worse off due to the marketisation of schools
schools only accept the 'most able' children schools felt that by becoming increasingly middle class, they would move up the league tables
45
Diane Reay's arguement about middle class mothers
mothers have the main influence on education wc mothers just as involved with education as middle class mothers wc mothers less confident with helping with homework and taking to teachers
46
how did Diane Reay collect her data?
interviews with 33 children at 2 London primary schools
47