external factors: social class and educational attainment

Question 1

social class

Answer 1

a way of grouping people in society based on wealth, income, power and status

Question 2

4 measures of disadvantage in schools

Answer 2

attainment gap
different educational attainment
free school meals
pupil premium

Question 3

attainment gap

Answer 3

the gap between those in the lower levels of the class structure and those above them

Question 4

what causes different educational attainment

Answer 4

achievement in education differs according to social class, gender and ethnicity

Question 5

who are entitled to free school meals

Answer 5

children whose families receive qualifying benefits are entitled to free school meals

Question 6

pupil premium

Answer 6

all children qualify for FSM are entitled to pupil premium

funding is given to schools and allocated to these children to be used to enhance their attainment

Question 7

retention rate

Answer 7

percentage of students who have completed their main study programme at a provider

Question 8

data showing the achievement gap between FSM and non FSM students

Answer 8

a gap of over 15 points for Average Attainment 8 scores between FSM and all other students

Question 9

external factors which give an explanation for social class differences in attainment

Answer 9

material deprivation
cultural deprivation

Question 10

material deprivation

Answer 10

the inability to afford basic resources, which can impact a pupil’s educational achievement

Question 11

Smith and Noble’s ‘barriers to learning’ identified (1995)

Answer 11

insufficient funds

ill health - working class people tend to suffer from poorer health

home environment - lack of private space to do work, insecure housing etc.

marketisation of schools - poorer children tend to be concentrated in unpopular and underpeforming schools

Question 12

direct impact of insecure housing on attainment

Answer 12

overcrowding - no quiet place for study or homework
frequently moving due to insecure and temporary housing - distrupted education as moving schools
sharing a room may cause poor sleep

Question 13

indirect impact of poor and insecure housing on attainment

Answer 13

cold and damp may impact health and wellbeing

unsafe living space may lead to increased accidents

increased school absences

mental health problems if exposed to insecure living situations

Question 14

The costs of education impacting attainment - Gibson and Asthana

Answer 14

Gibson an Asthana (1999)

less able to afford the ‘hidden costs’ of education

tuition fees and loans would be a greater source of anxiety to those from poorer background

Question 15

summarise cultural deprivation theory

Answer 15

working class pupils are likely to be culturally deprived, often due to inadequate socialisation

Question 16

how does culture disadvantage working class children

Answer 16

working class norms don’t align with academic success - value practical skills and immediate needs over long term pursuits

exposed to a narrower range of vocabulary and linguistic styles - limits communication skills

limited exposure to high achieving role models - lowers aspirations

Question 17

Sugarman (1970) - working class subculture (their cultural norms) has four key features that act as a barrier to educational achievement

Answer 17

immediate gratification
present time orientation
fatalism
collectivism

Question 18

immediate gratification

Answer 18

focusing on the pleasures of the present rather than putting them off for future reward

Question 19

present time orientation

Answer 19

focusing on the present time, rather than thinking about the future

Question 20

fatalism

Answer 20

accepting your situation, rather than putting in effort to try and change it

Question 21

collectivism

Answer 21

placing more emphasis on loyalty to the group, rather than individual achievements, which is required in school

Question 22

criticisms of Sugarman’s views

Answer 22

WC are realistic rather than fatalistic
- if they had the necessary resources to deter gratification they may do so
- wc subculture may be a response to the circumstances of wc life

Question 23

how may parental expectations of education impact attainment

Answer 23

wc parents place less value on education - less encouragement and little interest

educated parents more aware of what is needed to help their children progress at school

Question 24

Douglas (1970) procedure

Answer 24

longitudinal study
5,362 children born in the same week of March 1946
used IQ and other tests to divide children into groups based on their ability
also divided children into 4 social class groupings

Question 25

Douglas (1970) findings

Answer 25

significant variations in educational attainment between students of similar ability but from different social classes
single most important factor was the degree of parents interest in their children’s education

Question 26

Feinstein (2003) - procedure

Answer 26

data from 2 longitudinal studies - The National Child Development Study and the British Cohort study

Question 27

Feinstein (2003) - findings

Answer 27

main factor accounting for class differences in attainment was parental interest in their children’s education

Question 28

what did Bernstein’s study look at

Answer 28

language and speech codes

Question 29

what was Bernstein’s main arguement?

Answer 29

the working class and middle class use different language codes, but the education system only uses one type of cods

Question 30

restricted codes (simple speech)

Answer 30

shorthand speech - those conversing in them have so much in common that there is no need to make things explicit in speech

Question 31

elaborated code (extensive vocab speech)

Answer 31

explicitly verbalises many of the meanings that are taken for granted in restricted code

Question 32

what are the impacts of only elaborated code being used in the education system

Answer 32

middle class have a greater chance of success in interviews reading and writing

working class are more likely to find it hard to communicate, read textbooks and write exam questions in subjects that are ‘essay based’

Question 33

criticisms of bernsteins methods

Answer 33

lumps together manual workers into the working class and non-manual workers into the middle class

provides little evidence for the use of restricted and elaborated code

much of his evidence is drawn from interviews with children

Question 34

cultural capital (Pierre Bordieu)

Answer 34

the knowledge, attitudes, tastes and abilities of the middle class

middle class culture is a type of capital like wealth because it gives those who possess it an advantage

Question 35

how does the education system reproduce class inequalities

Answer 35

it is systematically biased in favour of middle-class pupils

through the ‘hidden curriculum’

Question 36

habitus - Pierre Bourdieu

Answer 36

‘the values, attitudes, dispositions and expectations held by particular groups

learned through primary socialisation

Question 37

how does habitus link to cultural capital - Pierre Bourdieu

Answer 37

contains a set of assumptions about what counts as good and bad taste

influences the leisure activities they engage in

Question 38

cultural defect - Pierre Bourdieu

Answer 38

the view that working class culture is deficient in terms of values, norms and tastes, which acts as a disadvantage in education

Question 39

how does cultural capital impact economic and educational capital - Pierre Bourdieu

Answer 39

wealthier parents are likely to have knowledge, behaviour, attitudes and cultural experiences that ensures they succeed in education

Question 40

culture clash - Pierre Bourdieu

Answer 40

working class children experience a culture clash between their habitus and the habitus in the education system, which is formed around the middle class habitus, so they have to change their behaviour to fit in

Question 41

Gerwirtz, ball and Bowe - main arguement

Answer 41

middle class parents use their cultural, social, and material capital to ensure that their children get the best out of the education system

Question 42

social capital

Answer 42

a set of shared values or resources that allows individuals to work together in a group to effectively achieve a common purpose

Question 43

material capital

Answer 43

items owned which cost money, or money

Question 44

why are wc children worse off due to the marketisation of schools

Answer 44

schools only accept the ‘most able’ children

schools felt that by becoming increasingly middle class, they would move up the league tables

Question 45

Diane Reay’s arguement about middle class mothers

Answer 45

mothers have the main influence on education
wc mothers just as involved with education as middle class mothers

wc mothers less confident with helping with homework and taking to teachers

Question 46

how did Diane Reay collect her data?

Answer 46

interviews with 33 children at 2 London primary schools