Internal class inequalities Flashcards
1
Q
What are internal factors ?
A
Things that occur inside of schools that have an impact of class differences in achievement
2
Q
What are the internal factors ?
A
- Teacher labelling
- Self fulfilling prophecy
- Streaming
- Subcultures
3
Q
What are the theories of the interrelated approach WC pupil identities v. a MC education system (5) ?
A
- Habitus
- Symbolic capital v. Symbolic violence
- Nike identities
- Successful WC pupils
- Self exclusion of WC pupils
4
Q
What is the interrelated approach ?
A
- Seeks to explain class differences in achievement and experiences at school
- Tries to explain what happens when pupil WC identities clash with the MC culture of the school
5
Q
Teacher labelling theorists
A
- Becker
- Hempel-Jogenson
- Dunne and Gazely
- Rist
6
Q
Becker (labelling)
A
- Interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers (found they judged pupils differently based on how closely they fitted to the ‘ideal pupil’
- Teachers saw those from MC backgrounds as closest to ideal (pupils work, conduct and appearance were big factors)
- WC were the furthest from being ideal pupils as they were regarded as badly behaved
7
Q
Hempel-Jogenson (labelling)
A
- Study of 2 English primary schools
- Different teachers have different notions of the ideal pupil based on the social class make up of the school
- WC areas the ideal pupil was quiet, passive and obedient (based on behaviour not ability)
- MC schools the ideal pupil was defined on personality and academic ability
8
Q
Dunne and Gazely (labelling)
A
- schools consistently produce WC underachievement due to labels and assumptions of teachers
- looked at 9 British state schools and found that teachers normalised the underachievement of the WC and did little about it
- BY CONTRAST they believed underachieving MC pupils could over come it
- This was sue to the teachers belief in the role of the Childs background
- WC parents labelled as disinterested but MC labelled as supportive eg paid for music lessons / attended parents evening
- Teachers underestimated WC pupils potential and those who did well were seen as over achieving
9
Q
Rist (labelling)
A
- Looked at US kindergartens
- Labelling occurs from the outset of a Childs educational career
- Teachers used info about appearance and background to place them in a separate group
- Fast learners were labelled as tiger, tended to be MC, closest to the teacher and given most encouragement
- Other 2 groups (cardinals and clowns) were mainly WC, seated further away, given lower level books and fewer opportunities to show their abilities
10
Q
Evaluation of labelling
A
- Useful for showing schools aren’t neutral as assumed by cultural deprivation theorists
- It is overly deterministic by claiming that behaviour is determined by the label ascribed to us
11
Q
Self fulfilling prophecy
A
- prediction that comes true by virtue of it being made :
1. Teacher labels a pupil and on that basis makes predictions about them
2. Teacher treats pupil as if that prediction is already true (eg “I suppose you haven’t done your homework again”)
3. Pupil internalises the teachers prediction so it becomes part of their self concept and fulfils the prediction (eg don’t do homework as they are made to feel bad by their teacher regardless) - Rosenthal and Jacobson (study in CA)
- Told teachers they had a new test for those who would spurt ahead but it was really just an IQ test
- A random 20% were identified as ‘spurters’
- The next school year, 47% of those ‘sputters’ had made significant progress and the effect was largest on younger children
- Suggests that teachers pushed them harder, responded more positively, set more challenging work and used more positive reinforcement
- Pupils internalised this so viewed themselves more positively leading to educational improvements (nature of attention is powerful)
12
Q
Evaluation of SFP
A
- External factors play a high role in the child’s SFP
- Overly deterministic as just because predictions are made it doesn’t mean very pupil will live up to them
13
Q
Streaming studies and overall summery
A
- Groups of pupils are together based on their ability and then taught in a way which reflects their ability level (eg higher streams = harder work)
- Connection between streaming and labelling
1. Becker
2. Gillbourn and Youdell
14
Q
Becker (streaming) + Douglas research
A
- WC are not regarded as ideal so are more likely to be in lower streams as they are expected to underperform and vice versa for MC
- Low streams = SFP (eg they pick up on certain messages depending on their stream
- Higher streams learn they are viewed positively, are pushed harder, praised more and given more opportunities making them succeed
- Lower streams are written off as lost causes and so give up on trying to improve
- Douglas : Children placed in low streams in primary school experience a decline on their IQ by the time they are 11
15
Q
Gillbourn and Youdell (streaming)
A
- Schools are driven by an a* to c economy (schools are unde pressure to get the highest GCSE results and good league table positions)
- A league table is published yearly and parents use this to make decisions about which school
- Schools use streaming to work out which pupils to invest there energy in to
- This is an educational triage with three categories
1. Pupils in higher streams (MC, who will pass anyway and can be left to get on with it)
2. Those with potential (with help they can get a c or above)
3. Hopeless cases who are doomed to fail (no attention, WC and not seen as a priority)
