Internal Factors affecting Education Flashcards
What are the 4 internal factors affecting educational achievement?
- teacher labelling
- self fulfilling prophecy
- streaming
- subcultures
What does teacher labelling mean?
When a teacher applies a judgement or attaches a meaning to a student.
What do ‘internationalists’ study?
Study the ways in which people choose to respond to and interact with such label
What research did Becker (1971) carry out into teacher labelling?
He researched secondary schools in Chicago whereby he interviewed 60 teachers asking them about the perceptions about students in their care. He found that middle class pupils were as close to the ‘ideal’ pupil that can be. However working class pupils were seen to be disruptive and badly behaved, not ‘ideal’.
What did Hempel-Jorgensen (2009) find about teacher labelling?
Found that teacher judgements of pupils depended on the social makeup of that school. In a working class school, the ideal pupil was seen to be quiet and passive. In a middle class school, where behaviour is much better, the ideal pupil was one with a personality and good grades.
What did Dunne and Gazeley (2008) find about teacher labelling?
They claim that most underachievement of working class pupils is a result of teacher labelling. Teachers frequently make negative assumptions about the working class pupils they teach. In their research they found it normal for teachers to think working class pupils were going to perform poorly. In contrast, they perceived middle class pupils as more positive and more likely to succeed following teacher input
What did Dunne and Gazeley (2008) conclude following their research on teacher labelling?
Teachers possess a fatalistic attitude towards working class students, believing that their home life must be poor and that parents are disengaged from their learning. As such teachers saw no point in making an effort with such children as they believed it would make no difference. They were much more willing to help middle class pupils as they believed their input would vastly improve their progress. Even the working class pupils that did well were seen as ‘over achievers’
What did Rist (1970) believe about teacher labelling?
Found that teacher labelling can manifest itself from as early as pre school. In his research into American Kindegartens When children were grouped together based on home information, were then given a team name. Those middle class pupils with better educated parents were given the name “Tigers”. Working class pupils with poorly educated parents were given then name “Clowns”. Rist argues this subtle form of teacher labelling can have an influence on children from early education
Evaluation of teacher labelling being a cause of working class underachievement…
- reason they are neg. labelled is parents not raising them well
- some students need to be treated more harshly.
- deterministic
What is a self fulfilling prophecy?
When an individual who has been labelled internalises such labels and accepts it to be true
What is the effect of a negative label being placed on a student?
A label of being less intelligent will lead to the teacher treating the student differently, which they then accept it to be true. For example, the comment “I suppose you haven’t done your homework again” leaves the student feeling worthless and unmotivated, meaning the teachers labelled is in fact true.
Explain Rosenthals and Jacobsons (1968) study into self fulfilling prophecies?
- Californian primary schools
- they made the students sit a test
- told the teachers random result and labelled such people as “spurters”
- they returned in a year to find that those random pupils who were labelled as “spurters” had made above average progress in their education
- illustrates how teacher labelling can cause students to view themselves more positively, improving standards
What is streaming?
Where schools group pupils together based on ability. They then are taught in a way that reflects their ability. Higher streams get more challenging work than those in lower streams
What does Becker (1971) believe about setting and streaming?
Working class pupils are not regarded as ideal, forcing them into lower streams as they are expected to underperform. In contrast, middle class pupils are seen as ideal so are placed into higher streams
How does setting and streaming contribute towards a self fulfilling prophecy?
Pupils pick up certain messages depending on what stream they are in. Those in higher streams are viewed more positively, they are pushed harder to succeed making themselves more determined to succeed.
Those in lower streams accept they are hopeless, they are written off by their teachers and so give up trying to improve to themselves.
Evaluation of the view a SFP is the main cause of underachievement…
- deterministic, gives working class a victim status
- parents and friendship group could have more of an impact on a SFP
What did Douglas’ research prove about setting and streaming?
Those placed into lower streams in primary school actually experienced a decline in their IQ by the time they were 11
This was the opposite from those placed into higher streams in primary schools
What did Gilbourn and Youdell (2001) find about setting and streaming?
Schools are driven by the A-C Economy. Schools are under pressure to get a good percentage of pupils five or more GCSEs at grade C. A league table is then published listing schools on their grade average. Gilbourn and Youdell believe schools use streaming in order to achieve this A-C school
According to Gilbourn and Youdell (2001) what is the educational triage?
The sorting of pupils into 3 groups depending on their needs
- highest stream is for middle class pupils who require little teacher input in order to succeed
- middle stream is for underperforming middle class pupils who need teacher input in order to reach the C grade
- lowest stream is for working class pupils who are seen as a ‘lost cause’ and will defiantly fail. This means teachers neglect the needs of these teachers in order to focus on middle class needs
