social class and achievement

Question 1

intro

Answer 1

Evidence shows that social class is the biggest influence on a child’s education-> when examining social class differences in achievement, the main comparison made is between w/c and m/c students. 
Statistics show that on average children from m/c backgrounds do better at GCSE, stay longer in full time education and take the great majority of university places 
Explanations for differences in achievement can be divided into external and internal factors

Question 2

ex material dep

Answer 2

Refers to poverty and the lack of basic necessities and this is closely linked to educational underachievement
Poor housing can affect pupils’ achievement both directly and indirectly
For example overcrowding has a direct effect, it can lead to a lack of sleep-> less focus on concentration in school-> picking up less info-> underachievement
This poor housing can also have indirect effects on the child’s health and welfare, for example, cold or damp housing can cause ill health and subsequent time off school
For young children in particular development can be impaired through lack of space for safe play and exploration
A03: This is supported by a study by Warwick Uni-> many students face selection or admission by mortgage whereby m/c wealthier parents can move into the catchment area of good schools, leaving less successful schools full of w/c students

Question 3

int labelling

Answer 3

To attach a stereotype or meaning to a pupil
Studies show that teachers often attach labels regardless of their actual ability or attitude->instead label based on stereotyped assumption about their class background
Becker: Important interactionist study on labelling. Based on 60 Chicago high school teachers and found that they judged pupils->how closely they fitted an image of the ‘ideal pupil’. 
Teachers are middle class & have a  view of what this ‘ideal pupil’ should be like based a pupil’s language, social skills & social class background-> not in terms of their real intellectual abilities
Therefore, w/c children were often perceived by teachers as being on average less intelligent than m/c children->This can  also lead to the ‘halo effect’ when pupils then become stereotyped, either favourably or unfavourably,  on earlier impressions. E.g. a teacher who has formed a good impression of a student because  they have been polite, may then assume that student is also bright & hard-working
Rist found that it was not ability which determined where pupils were seated->but how the children conformed to the teacher's own m/c standards. Those negatively labelled as ‘cardinals’ & ‘clowns’ tended to be w/c->were seated further away, given lower-level reading books & were given fewer chances to show their abilities
A03: Criticised by Marxists, ignore wider structure of power-> labels stem from how the education system reproduces class divisions and teachers conform to this

Question 4

ex cultural deprivation

Answer 4

Cultural deprivation is the idea that some pupils are lacking the ‘right’ culture needed for educational  success – the necessary knowledge, attitudes & values needed to do well.
Language is an essential part of the process of education & the way in which parents communicate with  their children affects their cognitive (intellectual) development & their ability to benefit from the process of schooling.
Feinstein-> educated parents are more likely to use language in a way that challenges children-> evaluate their own understanding or abilities (e.g. ‘why do you think that?’). 
In contrast,  less educated parents tend to use language in ways that only require children to make simple descriptive statements (e.g. ‘what is that animal called?’) which results in lower performance. 
Bernstein-> elaborated & restricted speech codes
W/c-> use a restricted code which is less analytic & more descriptive. M/c use an elaborate code which is more analytic in which speakers spell out exactly what they mean
Elaborate code is the one used in the education system, by teachers, textbooks & exams which can give middle class children an advantage over working class children. This could partly explain the social class gap in achievement. 
A03:  Keddie describes this cultural deprivation as a myth & sees it as a victim-blaming explanation. She  argues that w/c kids are culturally different, not culturally deprived.

Question 5

int setting + streaming

Answer 5

Streaming-> separating children into different ability groups or classes based on a pupils average ability across core subjects.
Setting involves separating children into different  ability groups or classes for each subject 
Studies by Ball, Hargreaves & Lacey->effects of ability grouping in secondary schools-> they found a tendency for m/c students to be placed in higher groups & for w/c students to be placed in the lower groups-> This is because of teacher labelling & comparisons to the ‘ideal pupil’, which widens the achievement gap between the classes.
Teachers tend to have lower expectations of working class students, & Keddie found that  these pupils were denied access to higher level knowledge & that teachers tended to enter them for  lower level examination tiers.
A study of two London secondary schools by David Gillborn & Deborah Youdell (2001) showed how  teachers use stereotypical notions of ‘ability’ to stream pupils. They found that teachers are less likely to  see w/c  pupils as having ability. As a result, these pupils are more likely to be placed In lower streams which denies them access to the knowledge & opportunity needed to gain good grades and widens the class gap in achievement.
 A03: Labelling theory can be deterministic in suggesting the inevitability of failure for those with negative  labels attached to them as this often does not occur. E.g. Mary Fuller found that the black w/c girls in  her study resisted the attempt to label them as failures by devoting themselves to school work in  order to be successful, while still maintaining successful relationships with their peers.

Question 6

ext w/c subculture attitudes and values

Answer 6

A number of studies have argued that the values, attitudes of parents have an effect on their education. It is argued that w/c parents tend to value education less than m/c parents, & this has a negative effect on working class students in terms of their poorer  performance. E.g. research has shown that working class parents are less likely to take an interest in their child’s schoolwork & homework and are less likely to attend Parents Evenings
Sugarman argued that differences in the nature of jobs tended to produce differences in attitude & outlook. 
Claimed many m/c jobs provided an opportunity for continuous advancement in income & status. This encouraged planning for the future & deferred gratification. W/cjobs reached full earning capacity quite quickly. Manual workers are more likely to be  unemployed or made redundant than middle class workers. The absence of a career structure in many  w/c jobs meant attitudes of immediate gratification & fatalism are an established part of w/c subculture.  
Reay->w/c  lack the same degree of confidence that the m/c possesses in their interactions with teachers & schools. These factors can prevent w/c people from turning parental interest into practical support in the  way m/c parents can.