Social Class and Achievement Flashcards
What are the internal factors that impact social class and achievement?
- Teacher expectations
- Labelling
- Setting and streaming
- Subcultures
What did Becker find about teacher expectations?
- Carried out interviews on 60 Chicago high school teachers
- Found that middle class students were closest to teachers’ perception of an ‘ideal’ student
How can we use Hempel Jorgensen to analyse Becker?
AO3
- Similar findings to Becker of middle-class students being closer to the ideal student
- Studied 2 English primary schools
- In Aspen, the mostly working-class school he found that there were a lot of behavioural problems and so the ideal student was quiet, passive, and obedient
- In Rowan, the mostly middle-class school he found fewer behavioural issues and that the ideal student was based on academic ability
How can we evaluate teacher expectations?
AO3
- Results from studies may be invalid as teachers have a professional duty to treat all students equally or risk disciplinary action - reluctant to accept that they treat students differently and would cover it up
- Teacher expectations may not be transmitted through classrooms but through predicted grades
What did Dunne and Gazeley say about labelling?
A01
- Teachers normalise WC underachievement
- Teachers label WC parents as uninterested in education
- Label MC parents as supportive
- Leads to setting extension tasks for MC students and entering WC students for lower tiers
What did Rist find about labelling?
AO1/2
- By the 8th day of kindergarten students were grouped into tables and griups based on appearance, parents, behaviour etc
- Fast learners were labelled as tigers and typically MC, this table was closest to the teacher
- Other 2 groups were cardinals and clowns, this table were furthest away, given lower level books and mostly WC
- When Rist returned 2 years later he found that the groups had not changed
How can we analyse labelling?
AO3
- The permanent exclusion rate for pupils eligible for FSM is 4 times higher than those not eligible
- Suspension rate is also much higher at 9.68 compared to 2.82
How can we evaluate labelling?
AO3
- Not all students accept their label e.g. the ambitious black girls in Fuller’s study rejected their labels
What did Douglas find about setting and streaming?
AO1/2
- Assessed children at 8 years old and 11 years old
- Found that children in lower streams had an IQ decrease by 11 years old and were mostly working class
- Children in higher streams had an IQ increase by 11 years old and were mostly middle class
What did Gilborn and Youdell find about setting and streaming?
AO2
- Conducted a study in 2 London secondary schools
- Found that teachers are less likely to see working class students as having high ability and more likely to enter them for lower tiers
What are the effects of the A-C economy?
AO2
- Teachers triage students into 3 groups: those who will pass anyway, C-D Borderline students, and hopeless cases
- C-D Borderline students were the targets as schools drive to achieve as many A-C Grades as possible thus causing them to ignore individual needs of failing and top students
How can we analyse setting and streaming? (A*-C economy)
AO3
- Relevant today as schools are marketised with league tables and are still ranked and judged on the amount of A-C grades they achieve
How can we evaluate setting and streaming?
AO3
- Rosenthall and Jacobson support that set your assigned to can determine your ability
- Ability is not fixed - setting and streaming doesn’t inherently disadvantage WC students as you can move up and down sets - reflects social mobility
What different subcultures did Mac an Ghail identify?
AO1/2
Being in a pro school or anti school subculture may determine how well you perform in school
1. Academic Achievers: skilled manual working class background - seek academic success by focusing on traditional subjects
2. New Enterprisers: Typically working class, reject traditional academic route - see it as a waste of time. Focused on subjects like business and computing, take advantages of school’s opportunities
3. Real Englishmen: middle class but anti-school, reject school values but succeed in education due to social and cultural capital
4. Macho Lads: failures, join anti-school subcultures - gain status from peers, more likely to be working class
5. The Gays: anti-school, believe school is homophobic in their approach to sexuality
What did Willis find about subcultures?
AO1
Learning to Labour study shows that the WC boys formed a ‘laddish subculture’ - valued misbehaviour rather than academics
What did Hargreaves find in his study?
AO1 or AO3 ANALYSIS FOR WILLIS
Carried out research in a English boys comprehensive school:
- lower stream school boys rejected academic values and behaviour standards
- hence the boys developed a counter-culture
How can we evaluate Hargreaves?
AO3
SUPPORT:
- Ball - abolishing streaming: when the school abolished banding, the basis for pupils to polarise was removed and so did the anti-school subculture
AGAINST:
- Ball: however differentiation continued as middle class students are still more likely to be labelled as cooperative thus they had better results
What are the external factors affecting social class and achievement?
- Material deprivation
- Cultural deprivation:
- intellectual development
- language
- attitudes and values
- cultural capital
What is material deprivation?
The inability of individuals/households to afford material necessities e.g. adequate housing, utilities (power and water), educational resources, etc
What did Tanner et al find about material deprivation?
AO1
Education is expensive - costs for things like books, uniform, school tips, etc are a heavy burden or poor families - lack of financial support means kids from poor families have to do without equipment
What did Flaherty find about material deprivation?
AO1
- Fear of stigmatisation: using FSM and hand-me-down uniform can lead to bullying
- Financial restrictions: WC kids have to take up part time jobs which can harm their education
- Housing: overcrowding, poor health, disrupted education can all affecting achievement
What did Hacker find about housing?
AO1
Numerous negative effects of poor housing:
- less space to play - bad for development
- less space to study
- bullying
- hazards to health e.g. damp, mould
- high rates of stress and mental ilness
- disruption due to moving house often - temporary accommodation
How can we analyse poor housing?
AO3
Shelter 2015:
- children living in overcrowded or damp accommodation or more likely to miss school
- poor housing conditions have a bad impact on learning
How do we evaluate housing?
AO3
Functionalists - inequality is necessary for society - WC are needed for manual labour jobs
What did Howard find about diet and health?
AO1
Young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins, and minerals - junk food is cheaper
What is cultural deprivation?
Lower social classes have inferior norms, values, skills and knowledge which prevent them from achieving in education. The working class are seen as being culturally deprived
What did Douglas find about intellectual development?
AO1
Related educational attainment to parental interest. MC parents were more interested as they:
- visited school more frquently to discuss progress
- wanted their children to stay in school beyond the minimum age
- gave their children more attention and stimulus during primary socialisation
What did Bernstein and Young find about intellectual development?
AO1
MC mums are more likely to choose toys that encourage thinking and reasoning skills and prepare children for school
What did Bernstein find about language?
AO1
- Restricted code: commonly used by WC, short-hand speech, meanings are implicit - depends on gesture and expression
- Elaborated code: detailed, explanatory, illustrative, analytical, meanings are explicit, give MC kids an advantage at school as elaborated code is used by teachers, textbooks, and exams
How do Vereiter and Engleman analyse Bernstein?
AO3
- Language used in lower class homes is defficient
- Thus WC kids grow unable to use language to explain, describe, and enquire - unable to take advantage of school opportunities
How can we evaluate Bernstein?
AO3
Keddie: victim blaming - WC pupils are culturally DIFFERENT not deprived - the language they speak is not inferior to that used in schools just different
What did Douglas find about attitudes and values?
AO1
- Found that WC parents placed less value on education and were less ambitious for their children
- They also took less interest in their education and visitied school less often
How does Hyman analyse Douglas
AO3
Values and beliefs of lower class subculture are a ‘self imposed barrier’ to educational and career success
How can we evaluate Douglas?
AO3
Blackstone and Mortimore: research didn’t adequately measure parental interests - MC parents can’t be as involved as they have to work more
What did Bourdieu find about culture?
AO1
Cultural capital = the values knowledge, or ideas that parents can pass on to their children whch can influence their success at school and in later life
Bourdieu: MC habitus places more value on music, theatre, museums, etc which give them more cultural capital at school
How can we analyse Bourdieu?
AO3
Relevant today as compensatory education policies are being implemented to give WC children help for poor socialisation e.g. Sure Start
How can we evaluate Bourdieu?
AO3
- Keddie: victim blaming- WC pupils are culturally DIFFERENT not deprived - the language they speak is not inferior to that used in schools just different
- Marxists: blames WC parents when underachievement is due to wider social inequality - schools are run by MC for MC
