PATTERNS AND TRENDS OF DIFFERENTIAL ATTAINMENT IN EDUCATION Flashcards
What is LABELLING?
Teachers giving labels to students based on their class gender or ethnicity
What are CULTURAL FACTORS?
Beliefs, values,languages and habits learnt from home.
What are MATERIAL FACTORS?
Things like money, housing or resources
What are the MF of WC students
They have less money meaning they are materially deprived, eg. Lack of computer, extra classes, equipment, a quite space to study.
What did the study of SMITH AND NOBLE state about the WC?
He argued poverty creates a barrier to learning.
What are the CF and MC of WC families?
MC families often value education way more, they also speak to their children in ways that can help at school.
WC families may not have the experience and knowledge required to motivate their children.
What did the study of BERNSTEIN state about language?
WC use RESTRICTED CODE
MC use ELABORATED CODE
What did the study of BECKER state?
Teachers label mc students as the ideal pupil and we as less important and smart. This theory of labelling leads to self fulfilling prophecy.
What was Douglas main finding about parental involvement?
Douglas found that middle-class parents showed more interest in their children’s education, encouraging higher attainment. Working-class parents were less involved, affecting their children’s achievement.
What did Willis conclude in Learning to Labour?
Willis studied working-class boys who rejected school and formed an anti-school subculture. He argued this led to underachievement and kept them in working-class jobs, showing how class limits educational success.
What is Bourdieu’s (1984) concept of cultural capital?
Bourdieu said middle-class students have cultural capital (e.g. knowledge, tastes, language) that aligns with school values, helping them succeed. Working-class students lack this, leading to lower attainment.
What is Gillborn and Youdell’s A-C economy?
They argued that schools focus on getting students who are likely to achieve A*-C grades to succeed. Working-class students often placed in lower sets receive less support, leading to underachievement.
What did Ball, Bowe & Gewirtz discover about school choice?
They found middle-class parents used their knowledge and networks to choose better schools. Working-class parents often had fewer choices, leading to class-based differences in school quality and attainment.
How do teacher expectations affect working-class students? (Hargreaves, 1967)
Hargreaves found that teachers expected middle-class students to succeed and working-class students to fail, which often became a self-fulfilling prophecy, lowering attainment for working-class students.
How does social class affect educational participation?
Middle-class students are more likely to take part in extracurricular activities and go to university. Working-class students may not afford these opportunities or may need to work, reducing participation.
What is cultural capital and why is it important in education?
Cultural capital includes knowledge, skills, and behaviors that help students succeed in school. It’s more common in middle-class families, giving their children an advantage in both attainment and participation.
What did the “hidden curriculum” refer to in David’s study?
David argued that schools promote middle-class values through the hidden curriculum, disadvantaging working-class students who may not share these values.
How does streaming affect working-class students?
Streaming often places working-class students in lower sets, where they receive less attention and lower expectations, reducing their chances of achieving high grades.
What was Sullivan’s key idea about cultural activities?
Sullivan found middle-class students often took part in cultural activities (like museum visits) that supported school learning. Working-class students lacked access to these, affecting attainment.
How do self-fulfilling prophecies relate to class in education?
When teachers expect working-class students to underachieve, they may treat them differently, leading the students to live up to those expectations and perform poorly.
What is the current gender trend in educational attainment?
Girls consistently outperform boys at GCSE, A-level, and university levels.
Who found that girls’ ambitions changed from love/family to careers?
Sue Sharpe
How did McRobbie’s study of magazines reflect changing female expectations?
1970s magazines focused on love/marriage; 1990s ones focused on careers and independence.
Name two educational policies that encouraged girls in science/tech subjects.
GIST (Girls Into Science and Technology) and WISE (Women in Science and Engineering)
