Internal factors of education

Question 1

Teaching Labelling and Stereotypes

Answer 1

Harvey and Slatin (1975)- showed photos of pupils to 96 primary school teachers and ask them which would most likely succeed. The white,middle class students were identified as most likely. Teachers have a stereotyped ‘ideal pupil’ which they compare students to. Teachers stereotypes can lead to The Halo Effect- teachers sees the pupil as an ‘angel’ and treats them accordingly, the opposite can happen where pupils are stereotyped as ‘deviant’ and were given less support and harsher punishment. This affects educational achievement.
Waterhouse (2004) - found evidence teacher stereotypes became fixed therefore all behaviour in a classroom will be interpreted based on based on that stereotype- this is called pivotal identity

Question 2

Internal factor- Setting and streaming

Answer 2

The stream/set can affect educational achievement. W/C most likely in lower sets and receive negative labels and stereotypes from teachers and also form anti school subcultures

Ball (1981) found evidence of streams/sets causing differences in achievement:
Top stream - encouraged to achieve and take academic subjects.
• Bottom stream - encouraged to settle for vocational subjects.

Question 3

Internal factor- Educational triage

Answer 3

Billboard and Youdell (2000) found that schools divided pupils in to 3 groups. Group 2 get most of schools attention because they will make biggest difference to the schools position on league tables

Question 4

Internal factor- Pupil subcultures

Answer 4

Lacey (1970) explains how sub-cultures are formed in schools, through 2 processes:
1. Differentiation - making students different. Streaming/setting, stereotypes and labelling all serve to differentiate between less able and more able students.
2. Polarisation - students become one extreme or the other. Differentiation causes students to respond by joining a pro or anti school sub-culture.