in school factors affecting achievement Flashcards
labelling - class diffs
teachers attach labels regardless of the pupils actual ability
instead they label on the basis of their stereotyped assumptions about their class background
labelling AO2 and sociologist
Becker
teachers judge pupils according to how they fit the image of the ‘ideal pupil’
saw MC pupils as closest
AO3 labelling
the meanings of the labels each teacher applies vary - different teachers have different notions of the ideal pupil
teachers have a professional duty to treat all pupils fairly and may face disciplinary action if they’re seen doing otherwise
self-fulfilling prophecy - class diffs
a prediction that comes true simply by virtue of it having been made
The teacher labels a pupil then treats them accordingly acting as if the prediction is already true. The pupil internalises the teacher’s expectation which becomes part of their self-image
self-fulfilling prophecy AO2
school was told they has a new test designed to identify those pupils who would ‘spurt’ ahead (this was untrue). the teachers believed this. Those students identified as being ‘spurters’ later on in the year had shown significant progress
self-fulfilling prophecy AO3
if this theory was true then why wouldn’t all teachers label students as ‘intelligent’.
Fuller’s study shows rejection of labelling - black girls in comprehensive schools labelled as low achievers. their response was to knuckle down and study hard to prove teachers wrong
streaming - class diffs
separating children into different ability groups
see working class pupils as lacking ability and have low expectations of them, as a result they are put into lower streams
Once streamed it is very hard to move up into a higher stream, children are locked into their teacher’s low expectation
streaming AO2
Douglas found that children placed in a lower stream at age 8 had suffered a decline in their IQ score by age 11
streaming AO3
this can be a good thing as it can allow for higher ability students to be stretched and the lower ability students to be supported which can lead to higher achievement.
this can be a bad thing though because it stunts pupils educational growth by placing them ‘permanently’ into lower sets
pupil subcultures - class diffs
pupils placed in high streams tend to remain committed to school values and gain approval through academic success = pro-school subculture
placed in low- streams suffer a loss of self-esteem, this label pushes them to search for an alternative way to gain status, usually this involves them inverting the school’s values = anti-school subcultures.
pupil subcultures AO2
if they’d failed their 11+ exam 15% thought they were a failure
GIST and WISE - gender diffs
girls into science and technology
women into science and engineering
encourages girls to get involved in STEM subjects
equal opportunities policy - gender diffs
GIST & WISE
national curriculum - girls and boys study same subjects
boaler - impact of equal opportunities is a key reason for the changes in girls achievement
equal opportunities AO3
liberal fems-
celebrate progress that has been made but there still needs to be work done
GCSE and coursework - gender diffs
assessments favour girls not boys
achievement gap was fairly constant
once coursework was introduced girls began to out perform boys
GCSE and coursework ao2
mitos and Browne
girls do better than boys in course work because they are more conscientious and organised
GCSE and coursework ao3
boys are narrowing the gap now that exams are mainly end of study ones
teacher attention - gender diffs
Peter and Jane French
boys get more attention but it I negative
boys tend to dominate in whole class discussions, girls paired work
teachers respond more positively to girls as they see them as more cooperative than boys who are disruptive - promotes girls self-esteem and raises achievements
