Labelling Flashcards
What is labelling ?
To label someone is to attach a meaning to definition to them . For example , teachers may label a pupil as bright or thick
How do studies show teachers attach labels to pupils ?
Teachers label pupils on the basis of stereotyped assumptions about their background , labelling working class pupils negatively and middle class pupils positively
What do interactionists study and what are they interested in ?
Interactionists study small scale face to face interactions between individuals such as in the classroom or playground . They are interested in how people attach labels to one another and the effects that this has on those who are labelled
What was Becker’s study on labelling ?
What was Becker’s study on labelling ?
Becker carried out an important Interactionists study of labelling , based on interviews with 60 Chicago high school , he found that they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted the image of an ideal pupil
Pupils work , conduct and appearance were key factors influencing teachers judgements , the teachers saw children from middle class backgrounds as the closest to ideal and working class children as furthest away from it because they regarded them as badly behaved
What did Hempel Jorgensen find about the different notions of the ideal pupil >
Different teachers have different notions of the ideal pupil , a study of 2 English primary schools by hempel jorgenson found notions vary according to the social class make up of the school ;
-in a largely working class Aspen primary school , where staff said discipline was a major problem , the ideal pupil was defined as quiet , passive , obedient - that is children were defined in terms of their behaviour , not their ability to
-By contrast , the mainly middle class Rowan-primary school had very few discipline problems , here their ideal pupil was defined in terms of personality and academic ability , rather than being a non misbehaving pupil as at aspen
What did Dunne and Gazeley find about labelling in secondary schools ?
Dunne and Gazeley argue that schools persistently produce working class underachievement because of labels and assumptions of teachers
From interview in nine English state secondary schools , they found that teachers normalised the underachievement of working class pupils and seemed unconcerned about it , whereas they believed they could overcome the underachievement of middle class pupils
What was a reason that Dunne and Gazeley gave for teachers believing they could overcome the underachievement of middle class pupils but not working class ?
Teachers beliefs in the role of pupils home backgrounds , they labelled working class parents as uninterested in their children’s education but labelled middle class parents as supportive for example paying for music lessons or attending parent evenings
What were the class differences in how teachers dealt with pupils who they perceived as underachieving in Dunne and Gazeley labelling study in secondary schools ?
Teachers would set extension work for underachieving middle class pupils but enter working class pupils for easier exams
Teachers also underestimated working class pupils potential and those who were doing well were seen as overachieving
What was Rists study of labelling in primary schools ?
Rists study of an American kindergarten , he found that teachers used information about a children’s home background and appearance to place them in separate groups , seating each group at a different table
Those the teachers decided were fast learners , were labelled tigers and tended to be middle class and of neat and clean appearance . She seated these at the table nearest to her and showed them the greatest encouragement
The other 2 groups were labelled the cardinals and the clowns who were seated further away these groups were likely to be working class and were given lower level books to read and had fewer chances to show their ability eg they had to read as a group , not as individuals
