Pupil Subcultures - Tony Sewell (1998) Flashcards
1
Q
give the four stages of anti-school subcultures (including anti-school subculture) (4)
A
- negative labelling - applied to a pupil or group
- master status - label becomes a defining feature of identity
- self-fulfilling prophecy - label becomes true
- anti-school subculture - pupils group together and underachieve as a result
2
Q
what did Sewell’s internal study examine? what did he find out? (2)
A
- the way black pupils coped with negative labelling and teacher racism
- prevalent view of ‘black machoism’ (seeing black boys as rebellious, anti-authority & anti-school)
3
Q
what 4 ways did the boys in his study respond in? (4)
- give just the category names not in depth on this card
A
- the ‘rebels’
- the conformists
- the retreatists
- the innovators
4
Q
the ‘rebels’ (3)
A
- rejected school
- embraced black masculinity and viewed ‘womanising’ and ‘macho’ as a desirable way of behaving
- rejected pupils who wished to work hard
5
Q
the conformists (3)
A
- many black boys continued to follow rules and worked hard
- friends from different ethnic group
- wanted to avoid negative stereotyping
6
Q
the retreatists (2)
A
- isolated individuals, not many friends
- withdrawn from school
7
Q
the innovators (3)
A
- most of the boys from Sewell’s study fell into this group
- pro-education but anti-school
- uninterested in impressing teachers but wanted to do well for themselves
8
Q
what did Sewell claim about the boys in his study & how does this contrast with teacher perceptions?
what does this have a direct effect on? (2 bullet points)
A
- very few boys fell into ‘black macho lad stereotype’ yet teachers tended to see them all in this way
- direct effect on underachievement, esp when combining cultural deprivation
9
Q
Eval/counter for Sewell’s argument
A
- creates impression that all teachers are racist
- some sociologists reject that anti-school subcultures result from racism as they believe it over-estimates the impact of teacher labelling
