Internal Factors leading to class differences in Achievement

Question 1

What is Labelling ?

Answer 1

Labelling is to attach a meaning or definition to someone or something. For example teachers may label a pupil as bright or thick , trouble maker or hardworking.

Question 2

What do Teachers label pupils on ?

Answer 2

teachers label pupils on the basis of stereotyped assumptions about their background , labelling working class pupils negatively and middle class pupils positively.

Question 3

What do interactionists study ?

Answer 3

interactionists study small scale , face to face interactions between individuals

Question 4

What are interactionists interested in ?

Answer 4

Interactionists are interested in how people attach labels to one another and the effects this has on those who are labelled.

Question 5

What are differences in how teachers dealt with pupils who are meeting potential and those who aren’t from different social classes?

Answer 5

teachers set extensions for middle class pupils who weren’t reaching potential but saw as normal for working class and enter them for easier exams
Also see working class as over achieving if are reaching potential.

Question 6

What is the self fulfilling prophecy ?

Answer 6

A self fulfilling prophecy is a prediction which comes true simply by the virtue of it being made.

Question 7

What are the 3 steps to a self fulfilling prophecy ?

Answer 7

step 1 - the teacher labels the pupil
Step 2 - the teacher treats the pupil accordingly acting as if the prediction is already true
Step 3 - The pupil internalizes the teacher’s expectations which becomes a part of their self image so prediction is fulfilled.

Question 8

What is Streaming ?

Answer 8

Streaming involves separating children into different ability groups or classes called streams. each ability group is then taught separately from the others for all subjects.

Question 9

Why are working class more likely to be placed in low streams ?

Answer 9

teachers see working class as far from ideal pupil image as see them as lacking ability and have low expectations of them so placed in low streams.

Question 10

Can pupils be moved up into a higher stream ?

Answer 10

once streamed it is usually difficult to move up to a higher stream because teachers have locked in their low expectations of them and children in low streams get the message that their teachers have written them off as no hopers.

Question 11

How do middle class pupils benefit from streaming ?

Answer 11

middle class benefit as placed in higher streams as seen as ideal pupils so develop a positive self concept , gain confidence , work harder and improve their grades

Question 12

What is meant by educational triage ?

Answer 12

Educational triage is produced by the a to c economy where schools categorise pupils into 3 groups ;
-pupils who will pass anyway and can be left to get on with it
-those with potential , who will be helped to get a grade c or better
-Hopeless cases who are doomed to fail.

Question 13

What is a pupil subculture ?

Answer 13

A pupil subculture is a group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns and they often emerge as a response to the way pupils have been labelled

Question 14

What is differentiation ?

Answer 14

Differentiation is the process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability , attitude or behaviour . Streaming is a form of differentiation

Question 15

What is Polarisation ?

Answer 15

Polarisation refers to the process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite poles such as pro or anti school subculture.

Question 16

Who tend to form pro school subcultures ?

Answer 16

Pro school subcultures are often formed by pupils who are placed in high streams and mainly middle class and tend to remain committed to the schools values and they gain status through academic success

Question 17

Who tend to form anti school Subcultures ?

Answer 17

Anti school subcultures are often formed by pupils who are placed in low streams and tend to be working class and they suffer a loss of self esteem as the school has undermined their ability by placing them in a position of inferior status. This label of failure pushes them to seek alternative ways of gaining status such as not listening to schools values of hard work , obedience and punctuality this gains them status from their peers by doing activities such as not doing homework , truanting , smoking , cheeking a teacher etc.

Question 18

What is the risk of joining an anti school subculture ?

Answer 18

Although joining an anti school subculture may solve the problem of lack of status it creates further problems for the pupil such as leading to a self fulfilling prophecy of educational failure

Question 19

What is ingratiation ?

Answer 19

Ingratiation is being the teachers pet

Question 20

What is ritualism ?

Answer 20

Ritualism involves going through the motions and staying out of trouble

Question 21

What is retreatism ?

Answer 21

Retreatism involves daydreaming and mucking about

Question 22

What is Rebellion ?

Answer 22

Rebellion is outright rejection of everything the school stands for

Question 23

What is a criticism of the labelling theory ?

Answer 23

Labelling theory has been accused of being deterministic , as it assumes that pupils who are labelled have no choice but to fulfil the prophecy and will inevitably fail

Question 24

How do Marxists criticize the labelling theory ?

Answer 24

Marxists criticize the labelling theory for ignoring the wider structures of power within which labelling takes place , labelling theory tends to blame teachers for labelling pupils but fails to explain why they do so , Marxists argue teachers labels stem from the fact that teachers work in a system that reproduces class divisions

Question 25

What is meant by habitus ?

Answer 25

Habitus refers to the learned or taken for granted ways of thinking , being and acting that are shared by a particular social class. It includes their tastes and preferences about lifestyles and consumptions such as lesiure pursuits , their outlook of life and their expectations of what is normal for people like them

Question 26

What habitus is inferior and what does this allow them to do?

Answer 26

The middle class have the power to define their habitus as superior and this allows them to impose on the education system and as a result schools put a higher value on middle class tastes and preferences

Question 27

Who and how do pupils gain symbolic capital ?

Answer 27

Middle class pupils gain symbolic capital because they have been socialised in a home that has middle class tastes like the schools middle class habitus whereas school devalues the working class habitus and their tastes are deemed worthless

Question 28

What is symbolic violence ?

Answer 28

Symbolic violence is where the working class tastes and lifestyles are said to be inferior , symbolic violence reproduces the class structure and keeps the lower classes in their place

Question 29

What happens due to the clash between working class habitus and middle class schools habitus ?

Answer 29

There is a clash between the working class pupils habitus and the schools middle class habitus this results in working class students students as experiencing the world of education as alien and unnatural

Question 30

What was the response of many working class pupils due to symbolic violence ?

Answer 30

Many working class pupils were conscious that society and school looked down on them , this symbolic violence led them to seek altrnative ways of creating self worth , status and value.
They did this by constructing meaningless class identities for themeslves by investing heavily in styles especially Nike forming Nike identities

Question 31

What were the positives of adopting Nike identities for working class pupils ?

Answer 31

Style performances were heavily policed by peer groups and not conforming was social suicide and the right appearance earned symbolic capital and approval from peer groups and brought safety from bullying

Question 32

What are the negatives of adopting Nike identities for working class Pupils ?

Answer 32

Nike identities led to conflict with the school’s dress code, as went against middle class habitus as teachers opposed street styles as showing bad taste or threat
Pupils who adopted street styles were labelled as rebels.

Question 33

What are the 2 reasons working class pupils reject the idea of higher education ?

Answer 33

2 reasons that working class pupils reject the idea of higher education are ;
-Unrealistic - because believe its not for people like them but for richer , posher , cleverer people and they believe they wouldn’t fit in and also see it as an unaffordable and risky investment
-Undesirable - because it would not suit their preferred lifestyle , for example they didn’t want to live on a student loan because they would be unable to afford street styles which give them their identity.