Social Class and Achievement Flashcards
What in school factors affect social class and achievement?
Teacher labelling
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Setting/streaming/exam tiers
Pupils subcultures
Pupil identities
Middle class curriculum
Marketisation
What is a label?
A definition of an individual or a group
What did Becker find out about teachers image of an ‘ideal pupil’?
Teachers use their image of an ‘ideal pupil’ as a benchmark to compare all other pupils
Middle class were the closest to this image and working class furthest away
Why might teachers have labelled the MC closest to the ideal pupil and the WC furthest away?
Teachers tend to assume that working class pupils are less bright and less well behaved which gives them negative labels and means WC are further away from the ideal pupil
Why might teacher labelling lead to MC achievement?
Teachers tend to assume that MC pupils are more hardworking and bright and therefore will give them more attention and help so that they do better in exams
Why might teacher labelling lead to WC underachievement?
Teachers won’t give the working class any attention as they assume they aren’t as hardworking or bright as the MC
When does a self-fulfilling prophecy occur?
When people act in ways expected of them i.e their label is fulfilled
What are the 4 stages of the self-fulfilling prophecy?
- the teacher labels the pupil
- the teacher acts on the label
- the pupil internalises the label creating their self concept - how they now see themselves
- the self fulfilling prophecy occurs - the label had been fulfilled
What is a subculture?
A small group within society which has its own norms and values
Subcultures appear in schools and can influence how successful s pupils is
What is differentiation?
The process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability, attitude and/or behaviour
What is polarisation?
The process of which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of the two ‘poles’ or extremes
Why might differentiation and polarisation lead to different types of subcultures?
Pupils placed in high stream tend to remain committed to the values of school whereas those placed in lower streams suffer a loss of self esteem because the school has undermined their self worth by placing them in a position of inferior status and they adopt the anti-school subculture
What do those with a pro school subculture tend to gain?
Tend to gain their status through academic success and their values are those of the school
What do those with an anti school subculture tend to do?
Tend to invert the schools values of hard work, obedience and punctuality
Why might pupil subcultures lead to social class differences in education?
Different subcultures will have different norms and values towards education and the middle class who tend to be put in high streams will have a pro school attitude and work hard to achieve
Those placed in low streams may have a anti school attitude and therefore wont work hard to achieve
What is setting?
Where pupils are placed in ability groups for particular subjects
What is streaming?
Where pupils are put into one ability group for all their subjects
Why could setting and streaming explain the underachievement of WC pupils?
WC pupils tend to be placed in the lower sets/stream were they aren’t expected to behave as well or do as much work and the teachers don’t give them more educational knowledge which therefore gives them less opportunities to succeed
Why could setting and streaming explain the achievement of MC pupils?
The MC tend to be placed in the higher sets/streams where they get better teachers who will give them more work and educational knowledge that will allow them to have more opportunities to succeed
What is a ‘sexy Nike’ appearance? (Archer)
Refers to how working class pupils feel they have to change how they talk and present themselves in order to be successful, worthy and valued
Why does the ‘sexy Nike’ appearance create symbolic capital for working class girls?
It creates symbolic capital because the ‘sexy Nike’ gave them status and recognition from their peers
Why would the ‘sexy Nike’ lead to conflict with schools?
Would lead to conflict with schools because it went against the schools dress codes and they therefore regularly get into trouble
Why might the ‘sexy Nike’ appearance lead to the underachievement of working class girls?
Could lead to working-class girls underachievement because they will have been labelled as troublemakers by their teachers and they therefore won’t want to spend time helping them
What habitus does education have?
Education has a middle class habitus
Why does education having a middle class habitus lead to symbolic capital for the middle class?
Leads to symbolic capital for the middle class because the education system values their culture and they feel they belong there
Why does education having a middle class habitus lead to symbolic violence for the working class?
Lead to symbolic violence for the working class because education doesn’t value their culture
What do the working class seek from their peers?
Working class seek symbolic capital from their peers
What does the working class seeking symbolic capital from their peers create?
Creates conflict with the school and reduces their chances of success
What curriculum does education have? What is it based on?
Education has a middle class curriculum created by middle class people and based on middle class knowledge
Why might a middle class curriculum put middle class pupils at an advantage?
Might put middle class pupils at an advantage because it is based on middle class knowledge and is therefore familiar to them
Why might a middle class curriculum lead to working class underachievement?
Might lead to working class underachievement because the curriculum is based on MC knowledge and is unfamiliar to them which put them at a disadvantage
Why might marketisation of education lead to top performing school to ‘cream skim’ pupils?
Might lead to schools ‘cream skimming’ because the most popular schools with the best grades are oversubscribed and want the beat pupils who will do well in exams and achieve the best grades
Why does schools ‘cream skimming’ benefit the middle class?
‘Cream skimming’ benefits the middle class the most because the most popular schools will select middle class students as they are often seen as more hard working and more likely to achieve better results
What is an A-C economy?
A-C economy is where schools are judged on the number of A-C grades achieved
Why had an A-C economy created an education market?
A-C economy has created an education market because schools who achieve the highest percentage of A-C grades will attract more new parents and students
What is material deprivation?
lack of money and the things money can buy
Why might material deprivation lead to underachievement in education?
Might lead to underachievement in education because many live in economically depressed areas with high unemployment and low wage rates
What is racism?
Prejudice and discrimination against groups on the basis of ethnic differences
What is discrimination?
Treating people differently because they are members of a particular social group
Why might discrimination in wider society lead to underachievement for some ethnic groups?
Discrimination may lead to underachievement for some ethnic groups because it may lead to them feeling like there is little point in trying to succeed since their chances in life are reduced by racism
What does cultural deprivation refer to?
Refers to the lack of values, language, attitudes and skills necessary for educational success
Why might having English as a second language lead to educational underachievement for some ethnic groups?
May lead to underachievement for some ethnic minority students because they don’t speak the language at home and they therefore don’t practice or hear it at home which creates a barrier to success and places them at a disadvantage
Why might the lack of a male role model at home lead to the underachievement of Black Caribbean boys?
Lack of a male role model may lead to underachievement because it makes it difficult for them to adapt to the demands of school
Why might the lack of a male role model have a positive impact on the achievement of black Caribbean girls?
Lack of male role model might have a positive impact because it provides a positive female role model and they want to be independent like their mums, motivating them to study harder
Why isn’t education valued by gypsy boys and girls?
Education isn’t valued by gypsies because success at school isn’t necessary to achieve their goals
Why might gypsies not valuing education lead to their underachievement?
Not valuing education may lead to gypsies underachievement because they won’t try to succeed and earn good grades because the jobs they want after school don’t require qualifications
Why is cultural deprivation a myth?
Cultural deprivation is a myth as it is not possible to be deprived of your own culture
Every ethnicity has a culture and are culturally different, not deprived. They underachieve because the education system is ethnocentric
