Labelling

Question 1

Labelling theory

Answer 1

-Becker:
-To attach a meaning or definition to a pupil, such as a teacher labelling a pupil as ‘bright’ or ‘troublemaker’

Question 2

Ideal pupil

Answer 2

-An image held by teachers of the kind of pupils they like to teach

Question 3

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 3

-Living up to the label attached but can lead to:
-Halo effect: The process of accepting the positive label
-Master status: defined by the label attached/living up to a negative label

Question 4

Dunne and Gazeley (class)

Answer 4

-Interviews with 9 secondary schools= W/C underachievement was ‘normalised’

-Teachers pushed M/C students more with extension work
-Put W/C in for lower exams which restricts their results (streaming/banding)

Question 5

Rist (class)

Answer 5

-Studied at an American Kindergarten
-Teachers used info from home to make judgements on which groups to place the children in

-‘Tigers’- M/C did well and were shown the best encouragement
-‘Clowns’- Were W/C= lower level books and fewer chances to show their intelligence- reading as a group not individually

Question 6

Streaming

Answer 6

-The separating of children into different ability groups or classes called ‘streams’
-They are then taught separately from the others for all subjects

-Gillborn and Youdell: Streaming happens because of the A-C economy
-Schools focus their time, effort and resources on those pupils who are likely to get their 5A*-C grades to boost the schools position in the league tables

Question 7

Habitus

Answer 7

-Labelling may lead to habitus= learned ways of thinking and acting shared by a social class group

-May lead to symbolic violence

-Consequence of a culture clash:
-W/C students experience an alienation and unnatural culture based around a M/C habitus= they don’t fit in