Labelling and Social Class

Question 1

What is Labelling

Answer 1

• interactionist approach
• refers to the process of attaching a label to somebody based upon the perceptions of others
• teachers place a series of labels, consciously and unconsciously onto students

Question 2

Who can be labelled

Answer 2

• students of different social classes
• students of different ethnic groups
• students of different genders
• Intersectionality of labelling can have multiple impacts

Question 3

Becker - the ideal pupil

Answer 3

• high school teachers had perceptions of an ideal pupil - one resembled in middle class values
• judgements made upon presentation of work, appearance, conduct in classroom, language skills and personality traits
• middle class students had traits closer to those of teacher and seen as ideal - working class furthest away

Question 4

Evidence of labelling in contemporary education

Answer 4

• setting and streaming
• performance targets for students
• gifted and talented programmes
• educational triage
• pupil premium

Question 5

Research to support

Answer 5

Rist - American kindergarten - good pupils labelled positively as Tigers whilst poor student labelled as Clowns
- Cicourel and Kituse - guidance counsellors classified students into future careers based partly on social class
- Rosenthal and Jacobsen - students labelled positively as spurters achieved more progress than control group

Question 6

Evaluations

Answer 6

• not all students of lower social class accept labels - other factors like gender and ethnicity are important in determining reaction
• External influence - family background, material deprivation, cultural backgrounds
• link to setting and streaming, identity formation, Uni choice