Internal Factors: Pupil Responses and Subcultures Flashcards
Overview
There is evidence of teacher racism & negative labelling in schools. However, research shows that pupils can respond differently – they could be disruptive or withdrawn, or decide to refuse to accept the label & work hard to prove the teacher wrong
Sewell
Sewell focuses on the absence of fathers & the influence of peer groups & street culture to explain the underachievement of black boys. However, he notes that their responses to schooling, including racist stereotyping by teachers, can affect their achievement & identified four responses
4 responses
Rebels were the most visible & influential group, but they were only a small minority of black pupils. They were often excluded from school. They rejected the goals & rules of the school & conformed to the stereotype of the anti-authority
Conformists were the largest group. These boys were keen to succeed, accepted the school’s goals & had friends from different ethnic groups. They were not part of a subculture & were anxious to avoid being stereotyped either by teachers or their peers.
Retreatists were a tiny minority of isolated individuals who were disconnected from both school & black subcultures, & were despised by the rebels.
Innovators were the second largest group, pro education but anti-school. They valued success, but did not seek the approval of teachers & conformed only as far as schoolwork itself was concerned. This distanced them from the conformists & allowed them to maintain credibility with the rebels while remaining positive about academic achievement.
A03
Mary Fuller studied a group of high-achieving black girls in Y11 of a London comprehensive. She found that they rejected teachers’ stereotypes of them, worked hard, didn’t seek attention or approval & kept their friendships with girls in lower streams.
This shows that pupils may still succeed even when they refuse to conform & that negative labelling does not always lead to failure as there was no self-fulfilling prophecy.
