Social class Education External factors

Question 1

Social class and educational achievement

Answer 1

One of the most striking features of the UK education system is the difference in achievement between different social classes
Most sociologists determine student social class by parent occupation
M/c : Non-manual professional occupations ‘White collar’
W/c : Manual non-professional occupations ‘Blue collar’

Question 2

Explaining class differences

Answer 2

M/c students tend to achieve better in education than W/c students This is a generalisation
Sociologists wonder why
It could be because :
M/c parents can afford private education
7% of schools in the UK are private This is minority of schools but half of all Oxbridge applicants have been privately educated and 90% of privately educated students go to university
But what about state education

Question 3

Cultural deprivation

Answer 3

Cultural deprivation CD theorists argue that most of us acquire our attitudes and values and basic ‘cultural equipment’ E.g. Language, self discipline, reasoning Through primary socialisation
CD theorists say M/c parents are better at socialising their children than W/c parents This is a generalisation
This leads W/c children to be culturally deprived

Question 4

Cultural deprivation : Intellectual development and language

Answer 4

CD theorists say W/c homes lack books and educational toys and activities which are needed to prepare children for success in education

Douglas 1964 say:
W/c students score lower than M/c students on tests at school because W/c parents do not read to their children E.g. They do not read bedtime stories

Bernstein and Young 1967 say:
M/c mothers actually spend more time thinking about and choosing the correct toys to stimulate their children and prepare them for education

Bereiter and Engelman 1966 say:
Language used in W/c homes is deficient (Single words, gestures, disjointed phrases) W/c students therefore struggle to explain, describe, enquire, compare in lessons

Bernstein 1975 say:
There are two different speech codes used by students
The restricted code W/c
The elaborated code M/c
The elaborated code is used by teachers, textbooks, texts - It is difficult for W/c students to understand and therefore they feel detached from education They feel that maybe education is not for them = underachievement

Question 5

Attitudes to education

Answer 5

Feinstein 1998 found:
The W/c have a negative attitude towards education M/c parents are more likely to provide their children with motivation, support, discipline needed to achieve in school This could be due to the different experiences of education that the W/c parents and M/c parents may have had

Hyman 1967 say :
W/c create a ‘self-imposed barrier’ for themselves to educational success (They are different to me I don’t understand what they are saying Everyone that achieves is M/c) and career success for the same reasons They then pass on this barrier to their children A self-fulfilling prophecy

Sugarman 1970 say :
This barrier has four key features W/c children especially hone these features throughout their educational careers
Fatalism - What will be will be (E.g. Do not study because they believe whatever grades they get are meant to be)
Collectivism - Pack mentality (E.g. Being part of a group Potentially a group with an anti-school or macho subculture is more important than education and grades)
Immediate gratification - Wanting rewards now rather than later (E.g. May play games instead of studying because they want happiness now instead of later)
Present-time orientation - Living in the moment (E.g. They do not think ahead They do not picture themselves on results day getting disappointing grades)

CD theorists say : M/c values passed on to M/c children through primary socialisation prepare M/c children well for education This is not the case for W/c children The opposite is true

Question 6

Cultural deprivation : Compensatory education and ‘myth’ of CD

Answer 6

Compensatory education is a government policy that aims to offset cultural deprivation
Examples include
Operation Head Start USA 1960s : W/c children watch TV Introduction of educational programmes E.g. Sesame Street To give these children a head start in education
Education Action Zones UK 1990s : Provide more funding for failing schools in deprived areas to improve their schools and therefore education of W/c pupils
Sure Start UK 2000s : Centres in deprived areas Aimed at W/c families With homework clubs, breakfast clubs, creche, doctors Etc. To ensure the best possible start in life for W/c children

Keddie 1973 say :
Cultural deprivation is a myth W/c children are culturally different not culturally deprived Alterations should be made in education system to provide for these cultural differences and make W/c children feel included and seen

Troyna and Williams 1985 say :
There is a speech hierarchy It needs to be challenged E.g. White M/c accent is seen as superior BAME accent seen as inferior Students may even be disciplined for speaking in BAME speech codes

Blackstone and Mortimer 1994 say :
W/c parents are frozen out of a system which does not fit their needs E.g. W/c parents work long hours Sometimes more than M/c parents They cannot go to parents evenings Etc. They are unincluded and frozen out of the system and school community

Question 7

Material deprivation

Answer 7

Poverty and lack of material necessities

Leads to underachievement in education due to these reasons :
Poor housing - House may be cramped Can’t find anywhere to quietly do work Damp or leaks may lead to illness = Less concentration or missing school May feel stressed about living conditions which affects schoolwork
Poor diet and health - W/c parents can’t afford healthy nutritious food or any food at all in some cases This leads to hunger no nutrition = Less concentration or missing school Illnesses such as TB or rickets due to malnutrition May feel stressed about this which affects schoolwork
The hidden costs of education - Many W/c families cannot afford uniform = Hand-me-downs may lead to bullying which affects concentration and attendance, Stationery and technology = Do not have resources needed to do work affecting schoolwork, School trips = May miss out on important learning
Fear of debt - Many W/c teenagers decide to not go to university due to the cost and therefore they are limited to jobs which do not require degrees This is better now than it was in the past But if a W/c student wanted to do a job which required a degree they may miss out on this

Statistics :
Only 33% of children with FSM (Free School Meals) achieve 5 9-4 GCSE grades
Nearly 90% of failing schools are in deprived areas
Exclusion and truancy are more common in children living in deprived areas 1/3 of all persistent truants leave school with no qualifications

Question 8

Cultural capital

Answer 8

Pierre Bourdieu 1984 say :
Cultural and material factors contribute to educational achievement
Capital (wealth) helps to explain why M/c are more successful in education
M/c culture is capital - It gives an advantage to those who possess it : M/c culture is art, history, music M/c more likely to go to museums This advantages M/c children in education
M/c children are socialised to have an understanding of what the education system requires for success This is gained through primary socialisation
W/c children are not provided with this They do not have cultural capital

M/c parents use their economic capital to help their children gain cultural capital so that their children can acquire greater educational capital The children can then go on with qualifications to great jobs and gain economic capital and the cycle continues

W/c parents generally lack economic capital and therefore cultural capital Their W/c children are therefore at a disadvantage in an education system which values and rewards M/c culture They underachieve at school Cannot get good job to gain economic and cultural capital The cycle continues

Question 9

Marketisation and parental choice

Answer 9

Sharon Gewirtz 1995 say :
She examined the question ‘Has parental choice in school benefited one class more than another’
She found Bourdieu ideas useful
She discovered three types of parents :
‘Privileged-skill choosers’ = M/c parents who use their cultural and economic capital to shop around
‘Disconnected-local choosers’ = W/c parents who lack cultural and economic capital and choose closest and safest school
‘Semi-skilled choosers’ = Ambitious W/c parents who rely on others opinions