New: Internal differences in achievement

Question 1

what does labelling mean

Answer 1

when you attach a label to someone

Question 2

Interactionist - labelling

Answer 2

Number of studies have been carried out by interactionist sociologists as they want to know how people attach a meanings + the effect it has on those labelled. They study small scale interactions

Question 3

Becker (1971)- ideal pupil

Answer 3

based interviews on 60 Chicago high school teachers. judged pupils to how closely they fit the idea pupil. Wc pupils were furthest away from this. Mc seen as ideal

Question 4

Hempel - Jorgensen (2009)

Answer 4

notions of idea pupil vary according to the social class makeup of the school

• WC school: ideal pupil was quiet + obedient
• Middle class: few discipline problems, ideal pupil defined by personality

Question 5

what is streaming

Answer 5

separating students into different ability of groups

Question 6

how does streaming impact achievement

Answer 6

Once streamed it is difficult to move up to a higher stream - locked into teachers expectations of them. creates self fulfilling prophecy. MC students benefit from streaming - more likely placed in higher streams reflecting teachers view of them as ideal pupil

Question 7

extra mini study of streaming

Answer 7

Douglas found children placed in a higher stream at 8 had improved IQ score by 11

Question 8

Gillborn and youdell (2001)

Answer 8

teachers use stereotypical notions to stream pupils. Teachers were likely to see WC + black pupils as having ability. So more likely to placed in lower streams + entered lower their GCSE
can explain exclusion rates

Question 9

what the A-C economy

Answer 9

teachers focus time, effort and resources on pupils they see as getting 5 grades Cs + boosting league table position

Question 10

what is the ‘educational triage’

Answer 10

process of A-C economy AKA sorting

3 groups: those who will pass anyways, hopeless cases + targeted for extra help.

Question 11

how does the educational triage impact achievement

Answer 11

Teachers have a stereotypical notion of WC + black pupils as hopeless cases. This produces self fulfilling prophecy
The need to gain good league tables position drives educational triage which creates basis for streaming

Question 12

extra study of labelling

Answer 12

Rist (1970)
teacher in primary school used kids background information to place them in different groups
Tigers = MC, seated closer to teacher
Cardinals + clowns= WC, seated further, given lower level books

Question 13

what is the self fulfilling prophecy

Answer 13

prediction comes true by virtue of being made

Question 14

process of self fulfilling prophecy

Answer 14

• firstly teacher labels student
• teacher treats student according to label as if its true
• pupil internalises teachers expectations, becomes self image, predictions is fulfilled

Question 15

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)

Answer 15

study in Primary school (California)
researchers told teachers certain students would spurt (not true, chosen at random). 47% of spurters made progress. Shows the power of labelling students - teachers conveyed belief of this is how they treated ‘spurters’

Question 16

what does Rosethal and Jacobson study show

Answer 16

Demonstrates self fulfilling prophecy. Teachers accepted prediction and made it come about
can also produce underachievement for those the teachers did believe in

Question 17

what are pupil subcultures

Answer 17

Group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns
Emerge as a response to labelling

Question 18

lacey (1970)

Answer 18

concepts to explain how subcultures develop

differentiation: process of teachers categorising pupils on how they see their ability, behaviour and attitudes eg streaming
polarisation: how pupils respond to streaming by moving towards to one or two opposite poles eg Lacey found streaming polarised boys into pro school and anti school subculture

Question 19

what is the difference between proschool and anti school subculture

Answer 19

pro- placed in higher streams + committed to school gain status through academic success values of the school (MC)
anti- placed in lower streams (WC) suffer low esteem due to having inferior status. Failure so gain other ways of status, turn value of school upside down.
Willis + lads - turn values of the school upside down formed own subculture

Question 20

Ball (1981)

Answer 20

when banding (type of streaming) 
was abolished, basis for the pupils to polarise was removed + influence of anti school was abolished declined. Although polarisation disappeared, differentiation continued. Teachers categorised students differently + still labelled MC as cooperative

Question 21

Woods (1979)

Answer 21

variety of pupil responses to labelling:

• ingratiation: teachers pet
• ritualism: staying out of trouble
• retreatism: daydreaming/ mucking about
• rebellion =: rejection of school

Question 22

criticism of the labelling theory

Answer 22

• deterministic: assumes pupils have no choice to fulfil fulfilling and fail
• Marxist: labelling theory ignores wider power structures
• Marxist also argue that labels are not teachers individual prejudices but come from teachers in system that produce’s class division

Question 23

what is a habitus

Answer 23

learned taken for granted ways of thinking, being and acting shared by a particular social class

Question 24

how does habitus impact pupil class identities

Answer 24

Bourdieu (1984) concept 
formed as a response to its position in the class structure. 
MC has power to define their habitus as superior + impose it on the ed system. As a result school values MC tastes, WC culture rejected as inferior

Question 25

how does symbolic violence and capital impact pupil class identities

Answer 25

schools have a mc habitus in which Mc pupils are socialised into so school deems them as having worth. WC habitus is deemed as worthless - Bourdieu calls this symbolic violence. This keeps wc in their place
mc habitus makes wc pupils feel unnatural eg Archer, wc pupils felt to be successful they had to lose themselves

Question 26

what are nike identities

Answer 26

symbolic violence made them seek other ways to gain status so constructed meaningful identities

Question 27

how does nike identities impact pupil class identities

Answer 27

not conforming to Nike identities to was ‘social suicide’. The correct appearance gained symbolic capital + approvals from peers. But went against schools dress code causing conflict - had risk of being labelled as rebells

Question 28

Archer - how are nike identities reacted to

Answer 28

MC habitus stigmatises WC pupils identities’. MC see Nike identities are tasteless. Nike styles also plays a part in wc pupils rejection of ed
- unrealistic= ‘not for people like us’ but richer people
undesirable = does not suit prefeed lifestyle

Question 29

what does archer et al argue that Nike identity expresses

Answer 29

expresses their positive preference for a particular lifestyle. For this reason may choose self exclusion from ed. They get the message that ed is not for them, + actively reject it and not their way of life

Question 30

ingram (2009)

Answer 30

2 groups of WC catholic boys from same highly deprived neighbourhoods
one group went to grammar school and the other local secondary school
grammar school = MC habitus, high expectations
local secondary school= WC habitus, low expectations
Ingram WC identity gave them belonging. Grammar biys felt tension between MC +WC habitus

Question 31

example in ingram (2009) study

Answer 31

clalum was ridiculed by classmates for wearing tracksuit to non uniform day + WC habitus. He was made to feel worthless. example of symbolic violence

Question 32

Evans (2009)

Answer 32

21 WC girls, south London comprehensive, studying A levels
found that they were reluctant to apply to elite universities (Oxbridge), those who did apply felt barriers of not fitting in. Girls also had a strong attachment to their locality eg 4/21 intended to move away from home to study

Question 33

Reay et al (2005)

Answer 33

self exclusion from elite or distant universities narrows the options of many WC pupils + limits their success