pupil identities and subcultures Flashcards
subculture
a group of people within culture
that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs often maintaining some of the
founding principals but developing their own norms and values.
symbolic capital
The status, recognition and
sense of worth that students receive from others.
symbolic violence
using symbolic capital in
a negative way, for example demonstrating superiority through
values, beliefs and attitudes.
working class dilemma
The dilemma faced by working class pupils to achieve symbolic capital from their friends or academic capital by rejecting working class identity.
pro school subcultures - characteristics
*Committed to school values.
*Gain approval / status through
academic success.
*Involved in wider life of the school.
types of pro-school subculture - Mac An Ghail
*the academic achievers
*the new enterprisers
the academic achievers
Seek to achieve academic success by focusing on
traditional academic subjects
such as English, maths &
sciences
the new enterprisers
Rejected the traditional academic curriculum but were motivated to study subjects such as business and computing which they see as a route to economic success.
characteristics of anti-school subculture
*Lower streams.
*Rejection of school values.
*Truanting.
*Disruption.
*Not doing homework.
two ways pupil subcultures form - Lacey
*differentiation
*polarisation
differentiation
*The process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability, attitude and behaviour.
*Streaming is a form of differentiation, as it categorises pupils into different classes
polarisation
The process by which pupils respond to differentiation by moving towards one of two opposite poles or extremes, ie pro or anti school subcultures.
how schools shape pupils identities
*Peer Groups and Symbolic Capital
*Symbolic Violence – Archer
*School Environments – Reay
*Ethnocentric Curriculum – Ball
*Subject Choice
*Uniforms
*Sub-Cultures
*Labelling
peer groups and symbolic capital
Reinforcing acceptable behaviours by ostracising those that don’t conform and giving status to those that do.
E.G. Calling those that study names like “nerd” or “geek”
symbolic violence - Archer
Schools impose forms of symbolic
violence against students whose
identities are shaped by designer
clothing or hyper-heterosexual feminine behaviour (usually w/c) which suggests to those students that education is not for them.