SOC281 - Culture + Education Flashcards
Parental class is related to children’s education. Compare and contrast two explanations of how this happens: that of Bourdieu, and that of Lareau.
•education plays a powerful role in class inheritance. •Bourdieu: parents have a habitus shaped by their own educations + class experiences •Parents act out their habitus in their homes with their children, so children acquire the same habitus. •Children then act out their habitus in schools. Middle class culture includes orientations that are conducive to school success, so children of middle class parents succeed more than children of working class/poor parents. •Bourdieu does not clearly explain his theory of habitus ovague on how class location creates habitus + how parents pass their own habitus on to their children.
Parental class is related to children’s education. Compare and contrast two explanations of how this happens: that of Bourdieu, and that of Lareau.
•Annette Lareau: intensive interviews + observations in schools, + in-depth field observations of a dozen families. •middle class parents + working class/poor parents socialize children very diff ⇒ middle class children a big edge at school •Middle class parents - Organization of Day: oactively + deliberately organize range of activities meant to enrich the child
Parental class is related to children’s education. Compare and contrast two explanations of how this happens: that of Bourdieu, and that of Lareau.
ochildren had hectic schedules with sports teams, music lessons
oparents devoted considerable time to taking children to their events
oused their cultural + economic capital to facilitate participation
ochildren also took part in more informal activities like playing with other kids, watching TV, playing computer games
oInvolves negotiating in new environment – increases cultural repetoire + social skills (other adults, other children)
Parental class is related to children’s education. Compare and contrast two explanations of how this happens: that of Bourdieu, and that of Lareau.
•Working class or poor parents - Organization of Day:
oleft the children to enjoy opportunities on hand
ochildren took part in informal activities like the middle class kids, but had fewer organized activities like sports teams
omore often hung out in their neighbourhoods, playing with siblings/neighbour children (riding a bike, going to a local pool)
oDon’t make as much effort to get kids involved in cultural learning opportunities
oGrow up naturally
oCan’t afford activities, lack skillset
Parental class is related to children’s education. Compare and contrast two explanations of how this happens: that of Bourdieu, and that of Lareau.
•Middle class parents – Language Use: oDISCUSSED everything with their children oallowed + even encouraged to contest parental instructions + argue for something diff ochildren + parents engaged in prolonged negotiations oLearning how to discuss things, debate, express point of view valuable skillset •Working class or poor parents – Language Use: oDIRECTED their children to do things ochildren usually accepted this + did not argue, just did as they were told
Parental class is related to children’s education. Compare and contrast two explanations of how this happens: that of Bourdieu, and that of Lareau.
•Middle class parents - Signs of Entitlement:
oconfidently intervened on their children’s behalf
otrained their children to do this for themselves (Doctor’s)
oHow to exercise agency – how to get what you want
•Working class or poor parents - Signs of Entitlement:
ofelt intimidated by institutions + unable to manipulate them
odepended on professionals, schools to have expertise to do work
ofelt powerless + frustrated
osometimes felt threatened, especially if poor: might be afraid that their children would be taken from
orespectful deference to superior authority
Parental class is related to children’s education. Compare and contrast two explanations of how this happens: that of Bourdieu, and that of Lareau.
•Middle class parents – Social Connections:
ohad large social networks, with more weak ties, more diversity, + more ties to higher status ppl such as professionals.
oTheir children were starting to build similarly rich networks
otook part in many diff adult-organized activities where they met many adults, often of higher status (trainers, parents of other children in the activities)
oLearn how to behave + engage ppl in various social environments
oKnow how to behave appropriately in diff settings
oExercise control when you switch behaviour depending on situation
oConsciously + deliberately teach children how to interact effectively with ppl
Parental class is related to children’s education. Compare and contrast two explanations of how this happens: that of Bourdieu, and that of Lareau.
•Working/poor family members - Social Connections:
odid more of their socializing with a narrow circle of closer ties, often relatives
•Lareau sums up: middle class parent “actively fosters + assess child’s talents, opinions, skills + working class/poor parent “cares for child + allows child to grow” (753)
•children of the middle class: “emerging sense of entitlement on the part of the child”
•for children of working class or poor parents: “emerging sense of constraint on the part of the child”
•lack competence + confidence to get what their kids need
•Children of higher class parents grow up with a sophisticated culture that enables them to do well in school + in getting a high level job
Class reproduction
- education plays a powerful role in class inheritance.
- Bourdieu: parents have a habitus shaped by their own educations + class experiences
- Parents act out their habitus in their homes with their children, so children acquire the same habitus.
- Children then act out their habitus in schools. Middle class culture includes orientations that are conducive to school success, so children of middle class parents succeed more than children of working class/poor parents.
- Children of higher class parents grow up with a sophisticated culture that enables them to do well in school + in getting a high level job
- They inherit the dominant culture which grants them membership and access to the cultural resources of the upper classes.
Concerted cultivation
- middle class parent “actively fosters + assess child’s talents, opinions, skills
- Children of higher status parents more often learn to like + value highly things that will help them in school:
- -reading, higher status, legitimated culture of the kind valued + taught in school
Concerted cultivation
•Middle class parents - Organization of Day:
oactively + deliberately organize range of activities meant to enrich the child
ochildren had hectic schedules with sports teams, music lessons
oparents devoted considerable time to taking children to their events
oused their cultural + economic capital to facilitate participation
ochildren also took part in more informal activities like playing with other kids, watching TV, playing computer games
oInvolves negotiating in new environment – increases cultural repetoire + social skills (other adults, other children)
Concerted cultivation
•Middle class parents – Language Use: oDISCUSSED everything with their children oallowed + even encouraged to contest parental instructions + argue for something diff ochildren + parents engaged in prolonged negotiations oLearning how to discuss things, debate, express point of view valuable skillset •Middle class parents - Signs of Entitlement: oconfidently intervened on their children’s behalf otrained their children to do this for themselves (Doctor’s) oHow to exercise agency – how to get what you want
Concerted cultivation
•Middle class parents – Social Connections:
ohad large social networks, with more weak ties, more diversity, + more ties to higher status ppl such as professionals.
oTheir children were starting to build similarly rich networks
otook part in many diff adult-organized activities where they met many adults, often of higher status (trainers, parents of other children in the activities)
oLearn how to behave + engage ppl in various social environments
Concerted cultivation
oKnow how to behave appropriately in diff settings oExercise control when you switch behaviour depending on situation oConsciously + deliberately teach children how to interact effectively with ppl •children of the middle class: “emerging sense of entitlement on the part of the child” •Children of higher class parents grow up with a sophisticated culture that enables them to do well in school + in getting a high level job
Culture as a toolkit
- Swidler: All parents know education is important + want their children to do well
- middle class parents learned much more effective scripts for action + problem solving, so they can help their children more
- a lot of human problem solving about getting a good enough solution to a problem
- ppl cannot just move toward their targets: they need to have appropriate strategies for doing so as part of their cultural repertoires
- Ppl select diff things from their toolkits in diff circumstances, for diff goals.
- points out that we are not all equal in our toolkits. We do not all HAVE strategies for writing a dynamite term paper, dining in an elite restaurant, wowing them in the job interview
