internal factors for social class differences in education Flashcards
Keddie 1971- setting, streaming and labelling
Applied the theory of labelling when looking at the operation of streaming in schools. She found that teachers were more likely to label children from middle class backgrounds as “ideal pupils” and as a result they tended to be treated more favourably than w/c pupils. The positive labelling resulted in m/c children being put in higher streams as teachers had higher expectations of the students. The w/c students in the lower streams were treated more negatively and were more likely to have higher level knowledge withheld from them.
Paul Willis- pupil subcultures
visited 12 w/c rebellious boys about their attitudes to school during their last18 months at school and first few months at work. Willis found that they developed an anti school subculture. Their value system was opposed to that of the school and the lads attached no value to academic work.
Stephen Ball- setting and streaming 1981
Studied the banding system of Beachside comprehensive where pupils were placed in one of 3 streams based on reports from their primary schools. W/C pupils were more likely to be placed in lower bands than middle class pupils even when their measured ability was the same. The behaviour of pupils detoriated quickly once they started secondary schools. Teachers had low expectations of the lower bands and directed them towards practical subjects and lower level exams. Expectations of those in higher bands were much greater and they were encouraged towards academic success.
Gillborn and Youdell 1999 knowledge and streaming
Studied two London secondary schools and found that w/c and black students were more likely to be placed in lower sets than m/c white students even when they had been gaining similar results. The pupils in lower sets were often denied the choice to sit higher tier GCSE exams so they often could not get above a C grade and would’ve been difficult for them to progress onto a higher level course.
Educational triage- found that teachers tend to divide pupils into groups on how well they are expected to do and gives attention to these children based on the group.
David Hargreves- pupil subcultures
Studied streams in secondary schools and found that students in lower streams who had been labelled as troublemakers were more likely to rebel against the values of the school. They developed a non conformist deliquent subculture in which getting into trouble was valued. According to his research, there was a clear polarisation of pupils with pupils tending to divide themselves into two camps with opposite views.
Waterhouse 2004- stereotypes
Carried out a case study of 4 primary and secondary schools, finding that teacher labelling and stereotypes as either normal, average or deviant types has implications for the way teachers interact with pupils. Once these labels are applied, Waterhouse argues that they become dominant and pivotal identities. These pivotal identities can form various pupil responses such as conflict, confrontation and the formation of anti-school subcultures.
Rosenthal and Jacobsen- self fulfilling prophecy
Demonstrated that pupils can bring their self image and behaviour in line with teacher stereotypes and expectations- phenomenon of self fulfilling prophecy. In a state primary school in California, they gave pupils false information about the IQs of pupils. Pupils were selected at random- teachers were told that some students were exceptionally bright and that other students had low IQ scores. Results showed that in general, the pupils performed in line with the false information that had been given to teachers.
Henry Giroux- criticises that the hidden curriculum gives one unambiguous message
Henry Giroux argues that schools are sites of ideological struggle as they are places where different political views and moral views may coexist and be in competition. Therefore whatever the overall ethos of the school is, individual teachers may give different messages about what is important in education.
