sociology- education Flashcards
what is meritocracy
definition
a society in which is based upon individual achievement, everyone has equal opportunity to succeed.
what is cultural deprivation
definition
not having the ‘right’ culture to succeed
what are the 3 external factors (cultural deprivation theorist/ class)
language, parental education and working class subcultures
what does Bernstein argue
argument A02
m.c use the elaborated code (wider vocab and more complex) which is also used by schools, teachers, exams and more giving them an advantage
w.c use the restricted code (grammatical errors and short sentences) which is not used by schools disadvantaging them
Bernstein evaluation
evaluation AO3
not all w.c use the restricted code (Alan Sugar)
the curriculum should be more inclusive
what does Douglas argue
argument
m.c children are more likely to have parents who achieved better and therefore have higher expectations for their kids, they can also help with homework and buy in to the education system e.g. private tutors
Douglas evaluation
evaluation AO3
not all m.c parents are involved and enforce discipline
latch key children
not all money is spent on their child’s education
what does Sugarman argue
argument A02
4 key barriers to education (immediate gratification, fatalism, collectivism and present time orientation)
Douglas evaluation (further)
evaluation AO3
w.c students can and do go on to further education
w.c care just as much on their education as m.c students
cultural deprivation theorist evaluation (class)
right wing- blame the w.c
Keddie (73) sees it as victim blaming
Troyna and Williams (86) argues schools should change attitudes towards w.c students
keddie (73) argues (class)
its victim blaming, w.c children are different not deprived
Troyna and Williams (86) argue (class)
schools should change their attitudes towards w.c students
posh kids go to state school showed us…
private school educated people dominate the highest paying jobs in society
private school children’s parents are more involved in their education
w.c students don’t have the environment to succeed
private schools have dinners in which they make connections with important people
private schools have more extra curricular activities
private schools have no anti-school subcultures
what is material deprivation
not having enough wealth and income
Flaherty (04) argues (class)
lower incomes affect nutrition, lack of space and likelihood of being bullied
tanner et al (03) argues (class)
items such as uniform, books etc are a burden to w.c families
Ridge argues (class)
children with lower income families take on part time work which can have a negative impact on school work
ridge evaluation (class)
part time work comes with positives (income, confidence, self esteem)
Howard (04) (class)
children from lower income families have lower intakes of energy, minerals and vitamins (lack of concentration, mood swings and behavioural problems)
housing
w.c are more likely to live in cold, damp, small and overcrowded houses
university fees
w.c are less likely to receive financial support from families to go to university
material deprivation evaluation (general)
ignores internal factors
the government tries to help- pupil premium, social housing etc
what is cultural capital
having the wealth and the right culture to succeed
what does Bourdieu (84) argue
material and cultural deprivation are interlinked
the education system favours and transmits m.c culture
what are some activities needed for cultural capital (Robson)
extracurriculars, educational trips and holidays, museums, theatre, art galleries
what are the 4 internal factors (class)
labelling, sets and streams, subcultures and class identities
who argues the theory labelling
Becker
what does Becker argue about teacher’s ideal students
ideal pupils are middle class
explain labelling theory’s’ impact on education
middle class may be labelled as hard working, giving them more motivation and may be asked to do extra work etc
however working class students may be labelled as naughty and treat them with less motivation to succeed
labelling evaluation
not everybody becomes their label (too deterministic)
teachers argue they dont label
sets and streams in education
w.c students may be labelled as low ability and be placed in lower sets
higher sets have a better environment and enable students to stretch themselves
what are the 2 subcultures
pro- school subcultures and anti-school subcultures
what does Lacey argue (subcultures)
if students cant gain status through school and grades they gain through anti-school subcultures
how can all three (labelling, sets and streams and subcultures) interact
Chris is labelled as lazy and dumb as he is not the ideal student (Becker)
Chris gets put in to a lower set and stream as he’s been labelled as low ability
Chris is resentful towards the school and his teachers
Chris joins an anti school subculture after copying others in his new classes
what is a habitus
the cultural framework of a class
a class’s preference of lifestyle, fashion, leisure, tv, programmes, good and bad tastes and more
how is habitus taught
through socialisation within the family
what is symbolic violence
the power to attack and devalue another social group
what does Bourdieu argue about habitus
middle class have the ability to impose their habitus on education and schools will attack the w.c by devaluing who they are and their habitus
what does archer ague about class identities
w.c do not have the correct cultural capitol to succeed due to symbolic violence therefore they will change their habitus in order to fit in
who argues the theory of Nike identities
Archer
what are nike identities
w.c students will invest in certain styles to give themselves a sense of identity however the m.c stigmatises it and view it as tasteless
evaluation of archer’s nike identities (3)
high standards for all= equality between social classes
some schools have systems in place to help w.c families
prepares you for the working world
ethnicity and education statistics (2)
white and Asian students on average achieve higher than black students
unemployment for ethnic minorities was 12.9% double white 6.3%
ethnicity on education (5)
linguistic skills, attitudes and values, family structure and parental support, material deprivation, racism in wider society
what do cultural deprivation theorists argue about ethnic minorities and linguistic skills
that many ethnic minorities lack adequate stimulation and enriching experiences leaving them poorly equipped for school
what do Bereiter and Engleman argue
low income black American families are ungrammatical, disjointed and incapable of expressing abstract ideas
what is an evaluation of linguistic skills (3)
racist
w.c white males also use the restricted code
Swann Report (85) language differences had little impact on achievement
attitudes and values argument
CDT believe black children are socialised to have fatalistic attitudes
family structure and parental support arguments
‘dysfunctional’ family types are to blame
what 2 sociologists argue about family structure and parental support (ethnicity)
Moynihan and Scruton
Moynihan (65) argument
African- Caribbean lone mothers to blame, lack of male role models
scruton (86) argument
low achievemnt is due to ethnic minorities failing to conform to british culture
general evaluation of CDT (3) (ethnicity)
Moon and Ivins found parental involvement in ethnic minorities was higher
single mothers (lone parent) are positive role models
victim blames
are ethnic minorities more or less likely to suffer from material deprivation
more
what is a statistic to support material deprivation within ethnic minorities
2/5 of the population of ethnic minorities are living in poverty- double of white British population (2012-13)
what are 5 reasons for material deprivation in ethnic minorities
live in deprived areas
lack of language skills
foreign qualifications
asylum seekers unable to work
racism
material deprivation- evaluation (ethnicity)
Gilborn and Mirza- social class doesn’t override ethnic inequalities
not all ethnic minorities face material deprivation (Asian and Chinese students are likely to come from a middle class background)
what does Rex argue about racism in wider society
racism leads to social exclusion which worsens poverty faced by ethnic minorities
housing for ethnic minorities
minorities are forced into sub-standard accommodation
what does Wood argue about employment for ethnic minorities
job applications from a white person are more likely to be offered an interview
contemporary society examples of racism
BLM movement following the death of George Floyd
Stephen Lawrence
ethnocentric curriculums and institutional racism
what does Will.I.Am’s documentary ‘the black print’ show us (4)
young black men are 7x more likely to be stopped and searched
discrimination in the workplace
Bristol Bus Boycott- missed out in history etc
a school with no ethnocentric curriculum allows students to realise they can achieve anything
what is an ethnocentric curriculum
an attitude or policy that gives priority to the culture and viewpoint of one ethnic group while disregarding others
what do Troyna and Williams argue about schools and discrimination
schools unconsciously discriminate against ethnic minorities
what does Gilborn (97) argue about marketisation
that it gives schools more scope to select pupils and allows negative stereotypes to influence decisions
what do Moore and Davenport (90) argue about marketisation
school selection mans some minorities fail to get in to better schools
EXAMPLE primary schools screen out pupils with language difficulties
The Commission for Racial Equality (93) found… (2)
racial bias in interviews, lack of applications in foreign languages etc
what did Gillborn and Mirza find for black pupils
they are the highest achievers in primary yet have the worst GCSE results
what does Gillborn and Mirza’s study show us
that their achievement must be hindered by internal factors not external
what do Gillborn and Youdell find on teacher racism
teachers are quicker too discipline black pupils and see black students as threatening and more likely to misbehave
what did Wright (92) find/ argue- ethnicity
Asian students in primary schools were negatively labelled as having bad English skills therefore their teachers spoke to them patronisingly and simplistically. Asian students also felt isolated when teachers disapproved of names or customs
what did Fuller (84) find/ argue- ethnicity
studied high achieving black girls who rejected their negative labels but did it for themselves, not teacher approval
what did Mirza (92) find/ argue- ethnicity
studied ambitious black girls who didn’t achieve due to racism
Mirza identified 3 teacher types:
-colour blind teachers, all students are equal but allowed for racism to go unchallenged
-liberal chauvinists, low expectations of black students as they are culturally deprived
-overt racists, actively discriminate, black students are inferior
what did Sewell (98) find/ argue- ethnicity
studied black boys’ strategies to cope with racism, found 4 groups:
the rebels, small and influential, openly hate school
the conformists, largest group, wanted to fit in and avoid stereotypes
the retreatists, smallest groups isolated by school and subcultures
the innovators, anti-school but pro-education
labelling and teacher racism evaluation (4)
shows how teachers can be a cause of failure
not all pupils accept their labels (fuller)
policies to prevent this
teachers may be a result of the education system as a whole
gender differences overall trends (2)
more girls stay on for A-levels
girls do better than boys in their GCSE’s
what are the three external factors for gender difference in achievement
rise in feminism/ changes in ambition, changing families, changing employment
changing ambitions/ a rise in feminism (3)
Sue Sharpe- a change in female priorities from the 70’s compared to the 90’s (from wife to career driven)
women now realise their education is not a waste and they can actually use it to work, not just be a housewife
acts such as the Equal Pay Act, free contraception etc
changing ambitions/ a rise in feminism evaluation (3)
doesnt explain why girls do better
policies put in place arent fully implemented e.g. there is still a pay gap between men and women
just because girls are more ambitious doesnt mean they can achieve more
changing families (4)
increase in divorce- realise they don’t have to stay in unhappy marriages
decrease in birth rate- female headed lone parent families- positive role models
women staying single- other lifestyles are possible
changing employment (2 acts and 1 point)
Equal Pay Act 1970
sex discrimination act 1975
these acts make it more equal for women giving them more motivation to work
changing employment evaluation (2)
men continue to earn more in their lifetime than women
children are a social pressure and are discriminated against in the workplace
what are the 5 reasons for gender differences internal
equal opportunities policy, coursework, role models, teacher attention and league tables
why does equal opportunities policy lead to differences in achievement
national curriculum 1988- m=boys and girls take the same subjects- no gender bias/ gender stereotyping
GIST and WISE set up to encourage girls in to STEM subjects
a more meritocratic system
why does role models lead to differences in achievement
more female teachers providing a pro- education role model for girls
this may mean girls get more positive labelling which may lead to better achievement