Social Class INTERNAL Flashcards
LABELLING
The way that teachers attach a negative meaning or definition to pupils.
BECKER - studied 60 Chicago high school teachers and found that they label pupils on how well they fit the image of the “ideal student”.
DUNNE and GAZELEY - found that teachers normalised the underachievement of working class pupils as they felt they could do little or nothing about it. This also led to differences in how teachers dealt with pupils.
RIST - students who were labelled “fast learners’ were labelled the “tigers” and the wc we’re labelled “cardinals” or “clowns”.
EVALUATION: Labelling
Interactionists fail to explain why so many different teachers appear to hold similar views on what the “ideal pupil” is.
Difficult to see how the same labels can be created and used by all teachers.
Suggests every teacher has the same view of students which is unlikely.
SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
Teachers label pupils or make a prediction about them.
Teacher treats pupil accordingly, acting as if the prediction is already true.
Pupil internalises the expectation and it becomes apart of their self-image.
ROSENTHAL and JACOBSON - tested the validity of the SFP. All pupils had to take a standard IQ test and R&J then selected 20% of them and lied to teachers by saying these 20% identified as “spurters”
Shows that the teachers brought about the SFP as they believed that students would spurt ahead. The greater the expectation placed upon a pupil the better they perform.
EVALUATION: SFP
Ignore the power of structure that enable teachers to label pupils.
Teachers are prejudice but interactionists ignore this.
FULLER - rejects the SFP theory as it can be too deterministic as it ignores the power that students have to overcome labels.
STREAMING
Involves separating children into groups based off ability called “streams”.
MC pupils based in higher/top sets and WC pupils based in lower/bottom sets.
BALL - grouping by ability leads to greater social class inequality. WC pupils disproportionately placed in bottom/lower sets.
EVALUATION: Streaming
Interactionists don’t take other factors into account.
Streaming may be beneficial as pupils are based off ability and children naturally have different levels of ability.
PUPIL SUBCULTURES
Pro school - formed by middle class pupils, accept school values and goals of hard work and regular attendance.
Anti school - reject schools values and attempt to create their own. Dislike school, disrespect teachers.
HARGREAVES - highlights how damaging stereotyping, labelling, SFP, setting and streaming can be. Can prevent pupils from achieving.
EVALUATION: Pupil Subcultures
Ignore that those in pro school subcultures may still underachieve and issues in subcultures stem from labelling, stereotyping, mixed ability setting.
Realise that educational achievement may be affected by internal factors and not just blaming external factors.
