INTERNAL FACTORS for Class Differences in Achievement

Question 1

give the 6 main internal factors

Answer 1

labelling and self fulfilling prophecies 
organisation (banding,setting,streaming)
marketisation and selection policies 
pupil subcultures
pupils class identities
hidden curriculum

Question 2

what are the 3 theorists contributions to labelling and self fulfilling prophecies

Answer 2

• Becker: interviewed 60 high school teachers; ‘ideal pupil’ based on m/c values
• Rist: teachers separated pupils into ‘tigers’(m/c) ‘cardinals’ and ‘clowns’ (w/c) who were seated away from teachers and given lower level books/less opportunity
• Keddie (1971): teachers speak to low ability groups simple/basic info and top ability groups detailed info; directly impacts exams

Question 3

describe Rosenthal and Jacobsons study of the self fulfilling prophecy

Answer 3

told school they tested pupils to see who would ‘spurt’ ahead; picked 20% at random to be spurters and a year later almost half the spurters made significant progress; teachers beliefs influenced pupils

Question 4

evaluate labelling and the self fulfilling prophecies

Answer 4

• too deterministic for suggesting inevitability if failure due to labels eg Fullers study on black girls in school
• marxists argue wider social institutions and structures affect education more
• half of Rosenthal and Jacobson spurters didn’t spurt

Question 5

describe the factor of organisation in schools

Answer 5

• streaming separates children into different ability groups who are taught separately
• Ball ,Hargreaves and Lacey have found m/c tend to be put in higher groups and teachers have lower expectations for w/c students eg enter then for lower examination tiers

Question 6

evaluate organisation in schools

Answer 6

• external factors more important
• some w/c do well in lower sets
• some schools don’t have sets or streams

Question 7

describe marketisation and selection policies

Answer 7

•allowed for more competitive schools and m/c seen as desirable bc they achieve better exam results and w/c liabilities

Question 8

evaluate marketisation and selection policies

Answer 8

• Ball and Whitty claim league tables/funding formula reproduce class inequalities by creating inequalities between schools
• pupils now assessed by ‘Progress 8’ which compares attainment at SATS with 8GCSE scores; more inclusive

Question 9

describe Lacey’s contribution to pupil subcultures

Answer 9

subcultures develop due to:
differentiation:teacher categorise pupils on how they perceive their ability/attitude/behaviour
polarisation: pupils respond to steaming by moving to one of two opposite extremes
•pro school = higher sets, m/c, committed
•anti school= lower sets, w/c, low delft esteem

Question 10

describe David Hargreaves (1967) contribution to subcultures

Answer 10

found subcultures formed due to: failing 11+ exams, placed in low streams and labelled worthless louts; higher subculture status then to those who flouted school rules

Question 11

evaluate subcultures contributions

Answer 11

• too simplistic; there is also ingratiation(teachers pet), ritualism (go through motions), retreatism (muck about) and rebellion (reject school)
• Furlong (1984) argues students react diff to diff teachers and subjects
• Ball found in schools that abolished streaming that while polarisation didn’t exist differentiation still did; labelling more important ,?

Question 12

describe Archers contributions to pupils class identities

Answer 12

• w/c feel that to be academically successful they’d have to change how they talk and present to fit in with m/c spaces eg university and professional careers
• m/c habitus stigmatises w/c identities eg Nike identity seen by m/c and schools as tasteless

Question 13

evaluate pupils class identities and schools

Answer 13

• lots of people wear diff brands, nike identity not solid

* many w/c still go to uni / dress differently

Question 14

describe what is meant by the hidden curriculum

Answer 14

•school teaches norms/values to students eg being punctual and dressing smartly

Question 15

who appreciates the hidden curriculum and why

Answer 15

functionalists believe we are socialised so we can be beneficial to society and be functioning humans; hidden curriculum allows for this by showing benefits of working hard and being punctual

Question 16

who is unfavourable towards the hidden curriculum and why

Answer 16

marxists see the HC as an instrument to prepare children for the workplace and to conform to society’s norms eg don’t question authority and assemblies to show respect for dominant ideals

Question 17

describe campbell (2001)s contributions to organisation in school

Answer 17

Campbell(2001) argues it gives advantages to m/c students as their attainment increases significantly compared to w/c jn lower sets

Question 18

describe ball (2001)s contributions to school organisation

Answer 18

Ball(2001) refers to social barbarism as m/c can separate their children from the intellectually/socially ‘inferior’ -> leads to greater class inequalities

Question 19

describe Bartlett’s contributions to marketisation and selection policies

Answer 19

argues that marketisation leads to ‘cream-skim’ higher ability students and ‘silt shift’ lower ability students from disadvantaged backgrounds into unpopular schools who have to take them for funding reason

Question 20

describe Gilborn and Youdell’s contributions to marketisation and selection policies

Answer 20

league tables create ‘A-C economies’ so most schools channel efforts into pupils more likely to get 5 or more GCSES grade A-C ; produces educational triage in which w/c are labelled hopeless cases and self fulfilling prophecies