Pupil Subcultures

Question 1

What are pupil subcultures ?

Answer 1

Pupil subcultures are a group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns , pupil subcultures can often emerge as a response to the way pupils have been labelled and in particular as a reaction to streaming

Question 2

How does Lacey explain how pupil subcultures develop ?

Answer 2

-Differentiation - is the process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability to, attitude and behaviour . Streaming is a form of differentiation
-Polarisation - is the process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of the 2 opposite poles , either a pro or anti school subculture

Question 3

What is differentiation ?

Answer 3

Differentiation refers to the process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability to, attitude and behaviour eg streaming

Question 4

What is polarisation ?

Answer 4

Polarisation is the process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite poles either a pro or anti school subculture

Question 5

Who tend to form pro school subcultures ?

Answer 5

Pupils placed in high streams who are largely middle class tend to remain committed to the values of the school . They gain their status in the approved manner through academic success . Their values are those of the school so form pro school subculture

Question 6

Who tend to form anti school subculture ?

Answer 6

Those placed in low streams tend to be working class suffer a loss of self esteem as the school has undermined their self worth by placing them in a position of inferior status
The label of failure pushes them to search for alternative ways of gaining status , usually Turing uprise down the schools value of hard work , obedience and punctuality
Such pupils will form an anti school subcultures as a means of gaining status among their peers , for example by checking a teacher , truanting , not doing homework , smoking etc

Question 7

What did Ball find when a school abolished streaming ?

Answer 7

Ball found that when the school abolished banding , the basis for pupils to polarise into subcultures was largely removed and the influence of anti school subcultures declined
Never less , although pupil polarisation all but disappeared , differentiation continued . Teachers continued to categorise pupils differently and were more likely to label middle class as cooperative and able to

Question 8

What are the 4 other responses to pro and anti school subcultures as well as pro and anti school subcultures put forward by Woods ?

Answer 8

-Ingratiation -being the teachers pet
-Ritualism - going through the motions and staying out of trouble
-retreatism - daydreaming and mucking about
-Rebellion - outright rejection of everything the school stands for

Question 9

Response to labelling and streaming - Ingratiation ?

Answer 9

Ingratiation is being the teachers pet

Question 10

Response to labelling and streaming - Ritualism ?

Answer 10

Ritualism is going through the motions and staying out of trouble

Question 11

Response to labelling and streaming - Retreatism ?

Answer 11

Retreatism is daydreaming and mucking about

Question 12

Response to labelling and streaming - Rebellion ?

Answer 12

Rebellion is outright rejection of everything the school stands for

Question 13

What are some criticisms of the labelling Theory ?

Answer 13

-Labelling theory has been accused of determinism , that is it assumes that pupils who are labelled have no choice but to fulfil the prophecy and inevitably fail
-Marxists also criticise the labelling theory for ignoring the wider structures of power within which the labelling takes place , the labelling theory tends to blame teachers for labelling pupils but fails to explain why they do so