sociology education class differences in achievement

Question 1

name one statistic to be used in an essay
cue- institute of education

Answer 1

the institute of education (2000) found that more children were born to educated parents in 1970 than in 1958, but those born into poverty persistently underachieve. The research concludes that childhood poverty makes educational attainment more difficult, even for children with similar test scores.

Question 2

name one statistic to be used in an essay
cue- connor and dewsons

Answer 2

connor and dewsons (2001) study of students in higher education found that fewer than one in five young people from lower social class groups participate in higher education

Question 3

name on statistic to be used in an essay
cue- sutton trust

Answer 3

sutton trust published last week even found that three and a half years after graduation, private school graduates in top jobs receive 4,500 more than their state school counterparts. the trust concluded that only half of this difference in pay could be explained by higher academic achievement or by the university they attended.

Question 4

what are the main external factors to be used in an explanation for the class gap in achievement

Answer 4

cultural deprivation- class differences in norms and values acquired through socialisation, attitudes the education, speech patterns etc
material deprivation- these are the physical necessities of life such as adequate housing diet and income
cultural capital- the values and attitudes needed to be successful at school

Question 5

what did Douglas find (external)

Answer 5

working class parents placed less value on education- they were less ambitious for their children, gave less encouragement and took little interest in school and they were less likely to visit schools and discuss progress with teachers
values attitudes and aspirations have an important effect on their childrens education

Question 6

what did Feinstein argue (external)

Answer 6

parents own education is the most important factor affecting achievement
m/c parents tend to be better educated leads to more discipline and higher expectations of their children- aware of what is needed to assist in educational progress and in a better position to give advice and recognise the value of activities
w/c less educated- discipline is less consistent in the home, child does not learn independently leads to poor motivation in school
w/c parents unlikely to give their children educational toys and activities which will stimulate their thinking and reasoning skills and less likely to read them- affects their intellectual development so they are at a disadvantage compared to m/c students when they start school

Question 7

what is the evaluation to douglas and feinstein’s argument

Answer 7

class does not always determine profession and many w/c parents are educated
may be the case that w/c parents are not lacking in interest but working longer shifts so miss events and many w/c parents do attend to discuss progression with the teachers
cultural deprivation cant explain why some w/c students are successful in school

Question 8

what did hyman say (external)

Answer 8

value of the lower social classes creates a self imposed barrier to an improved position
w/c place a lower value on education
w/c place a lower value on achieving high occupational status
compared to m/c, w/c believe there is less oppurtunity for personal advancement
w/c students won’t strive for success may not put as much effort in and may not be encouraged by parents to do so

Question 9

what is the evaluation to hyman’s argument

Answer 9

not all members of the w/c group share the same norms and values
study does indicate that the motivation to achieve in school is generally lower for members of the w/c which could explain the gap in achievement

Question 10

what is bernstein’s argument

Answer 10

w/c have limited vocab and m/c wider vocab- offered them a cultural advantage in school
restricted speech code- language used is deficient in w/c homes communicating with gestures and single words or disjointed phrases- w/c students grow up incapable of abstract thinking and unable to use language that describes explains or compares, context bound
elaborated code- wider range vocab longer more complex sentences communicate abstract ideas and is context free
m/c headstart as they already speak the language of the teachers textbooks and exams

Question 11

what is the evaluation to bernstein’s argument

Answer 11

acknowledges that both the family and school influence achievement

Question 12

what was sugarmans argument

Answer 12

w/c subcultures emphasise fatalism (belief in fate) immediate gratification (preference for immediate pleasure without regard for long term consequences) present time orientation (present is more important than long term goals) collectivism (value being apart of w/c culture and being a group/community
m/c emphasises deferred gratification
w/c placed at a disadvantage due to their values

Question 13

what is the evaluation to sugarmans argument

Answer 13

members of w/c may be realistic than fatalistic they might defer gratification if they had the resources to defer and they might be future orientated if the opportunities were available
research comes from questionnaires and interviews is it accurate and may not be relevant to wider contexts

Question 14

what is the evaluation to cultural deprivation theories as a whole

Answer 14

Keddie describes it as a myth and sees it as victim blaming
w/c kids are culturally different not culturally deprived
they fail because they are disadvantaged by an education system that is dominated by m/c values

Question 15

what did warwick university find (external)

Answer 15

many students face selection or admission by mortgage- wealthier m/c parents can move into the catchment areas of good schools leaving the less successful schools full of w/c students

Question 16

what did gerwtiz find

Answer 16

differences in economic and cultural capitals lead to class differences in how far parents can exercise choice of secondary school
m/c parents tend to be privileged skilled choosers who understand how the schools admissions procedures work and can use this hot knowledge to access best schools

Question 17

what is the effect of housing on achievement

Answer 17

direct and indirect impact- overcrowding makes it harder to study and means less room for educational activities and disturbed sleep
overcrowding may indicate temporary housing- moving frequently would link to a lack of consistency and changes to school which disrupts learning
indirect- health and welfare of children can be affected greater risks of accidents ill health due to housing conditions and absence from school

Question 18

what is the effect of diet and health on achievement

Answer 18

howard said that children from poor families have lower intakes of energy vitamins and minerals poor nutrition affects health weakens immune systems and causes illnesses absence from school affects achievement
difficulties concentrating in class due to hunger/ lack of energy
wilkinson said that the lower social classes are more likely to have a higher rate of hyperactivity anxiety and conduct disorders
blanden and machin w/c more likely to engage in fighting which will disrupt schooling

Question 19

what does bourdieu argue about cultural capital

Answer 19

culture of education as giving an inbuilt advantage to m/c
each social class possesses its own cultural framework known as habitus and through socialisation the m/c acquire the ability to express and analyse abstract ideas m/c more likely to develop intellectual interests and an understanding of what is needed to achieve success in school
cultural capital refers to the knowledge attitudes values language tastes and abilities of m/c- translated into wealth and power and gives an advantage to those who have it
school cultural capital fits with m/c- have an in built advantage
w/c experience cultural deficit- soon realise the school and teachers attach little importance to their experiences and values- lack the cultural capital needed for educational success

Question 20

how is educational capital, economic capital and cultural capital linked

Answer 20

m/c parents convert their economic capital (wealth) into educational capital by sending their children to private schools and paying for tuition/ buying a house in the catchment area of good schools m/c kids with cultural capital are better equipped for school and will gain qualifications which will lead them to access more professional and well paid jobs (economic capital)

Question 21

what is the evaluation to cultural capital

Answer 21

Sullivan- used questionnaires with 465 pupils in 4 schools to ask them about a range of activities testing them on vocab- she found that those who read complex fiction and watched serious tv docs developed a wider vocab and greater cultural knowledge children with the greatest cultural capital were children of graduates who are more likely to be m/c- cultural capital only counted for part of the class differences,- m/c pupils were still outperforming w/c with the same level of cultural capital
the greater resources and aspirations of the m/c are significant in outcomes

Question 22

what are the main internal explanations for the class gap in achievement

Answer 22

labelling- negative labels based on stereotypes and self fulfilling prophecy
organisation in schools- banding setting and streaming separating students based on ability
marketisation and selection policies- education should follow the business model
pupil subcultures- students adopt norms and values associated with a sub culture either pro or anti school
pupils class identities- m/c and w/c pupils adopting different identities
hidden curriculum- what is learned in schools but not on the formal curriculum

Question 23

what is the effect of labelling on achievement

Answer 23

teachers pass judgements on their students based on pre existing stereotypes of what constitutes the ideal students- often linked to the class background of the student
becker found that teachers stereotype based on their work, attitude, conduct and appearance
teachers saw m/c students as the closest to their stereotype of the ideal pupil and w/c students as the furthest away from the ideal

Question 24

what was rist’s study

Answer 24

it was not ability that determined where each child was seated but the degree to which the children conformed to the teachers own middle class standards
rist used info based on the childs class background and appearance to place into separate groups and seating each group at a different table
rist decided who were the fast learners and labelled this group as tigers- sat them at the front nearest the teacher showing them greater encouragement- m/c students who were neat and clean in appearance
cardinals and clowns- w/c students seated further away given lower level books and fewer chances to show ability

Question 25

what was keddie’s study (labelling)

Answer 25

teachers do not distribute knowledge evenly within the classroom but are more likely to give high ability students ‘high status knowledge’ whilst lower ability students are more likely to be given ‘low status knowledge’
low ability groups- majority w/c descriptive common sense basic dumbed down
top ability groups- majority m/c abstract theoretical detailed full curriculum

Question 26

what did gillborn and youdell study (labelling)

Answer 26

teachers more likely to see m/c students as having the ability to enter higher level exams- based on teachers perceptions of what counts as ability rather than the students actual ability
result is discrimination against many w/c students who are denied the opportunity to attempt to obtain higher grades

Question 27

what is the evaluation of labelling

Answer 27

deterministic- suggesting the inevitably failure for those with negative labels attached to them- fuller found that black girls in her study resisted the attempt to label them as failures by devoting themselves to school work in order to be successful
marxists- ignore the wider structures of power within which labelling takes place- labels are not merely the result of teachers individual prejudices but stem from the fact that teachers work in a system that reproduces class divisions

Question 28

what did rosenthall and jacobson (labelling) study and find

Answer 28

oak community school- told the school that they had a new test specifically designed to identify those pupils that would spurt ahead which was untrue because it was an iq test- teachers believed what they had been told
researchers tested all the students but then picked 20% at random and told the school that the test had identified those students as spurters
they returned to the school a year later they found 47% of those identified as spurters had made significant progress
the effect was greater on younger students
suggested that teachers beliefs about the pupils had been influenced by the test results- conveyed these beliefs to the pupils through the way they interacted eg their body language and the amount of encouragement they gave the students
study demonstrates the self fulfilling prophecy- simply by accepting the predication that some children would spurt ahead, the teachers brought it about

Question 29

how does organisation (banding setting and streaming) affect achievement

Answer 29

ball hargreaves and lacey all found that m/c had a tendency to be placed in higher groups and w/c had a tendency to be placed in lower groups
teachers tend to have lower expectations of w/c deny them access to higher level knowledge and tend to enter them for lower level examination tiers

Question 30

what did campbell study and find

Answer 30

subject setting advantages m/c in the top sets because research evidence suggests their attainment increases
w/c students in bottom sets do not increase their attainment at the same rate or at the same level

Question 31

what is the evaluation of organisation in schools

Answer 31

ball- refers to setting as social barbarism- allows well off parents to separate their children from others whom they consider socially and intellectually inferior
overwhelming research evidence shows that grouping by ability leads to greater social class inequalities between children

Question 32

what is the effect of marketisation on achievement

Answer 32

more competitive climate- m/c seen as desirable students as they achieve better exam results and w/c students seen as liability students which are barriers to efforts by schools to climb the league tables
bartlett- marketisation leads popular schools to cream skim higher ability students and silt shift lower ability students from disadvantaged backgrounds into unpopular schools who are obliged to take them for funding reasons

Question 33

what did gilborn and youdell say (marketisation)

Answer 33

publication of school league tables create A-C economy- schools channel most of their efforts into those students who are likely to get 5 or more GCSEs at grades A-C
produces an educational triage- w/c students seen being lower ability and hopeless cases producing self fulfilling prophecy and failure

Question 34

what is the evaluation on marketisation

Answer 34

ball and whitty- marketisation policies such as league tables and funding formula reproduce class inequalities by creating inequalities between schools
pupils progress measured by progress 8 compares their attainment at SATs when leaving primary with 8 GCSE scores- takes account of all pupils attainment in the school

Question 35

what is the effect of pupil subcultures on achievement

Answer 35

lacey argues subcultures happen due to differentiation- process by which teachers categorise pupils according to how they perceive their ability, attitude and or behaviour- and polarisation- pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite poles or extremes
streaming polarised into anti and pro subcultures
may solve problem of lack of status- creates further problems as it can have a negative impact on achievement

Question 36

what did hargreaves study (subculture)

Answer 36

interviewed boys in secondary schools and found similar response to labelling and streaming
subculture formed due to triple failures- failing 11+ exams, placed in low streams and labelled worthless louts
while high status went to those who flouted the school rules the delinquent subculture helped to guarantee educational failure

Question 37

what is the evaluation to pupil subcultures

Answer 37

division between pro and anti subcultures is too simplistic as there are a variety of possible pupil responses to the culture of the school are possible- ingratiation (follows schools norms and values) ritualism (going through the motions and staying out of trouble) retreatism (daydreaming and mucking about) and rebellion (outright rejection of school)

Question 38

what did furlong argue

Answer 38

pupils are not committed to one response but act differently according to different subjects and teachers

Question 39

what did ball (pupil subculture) study and find

Answer 39

beachside comprehensive- when the school abolished banding in favour of mixed ability groups- opportunity to polarise was removed and influence of anti school subcultures declined
differentiation continued- teachers kept categorising pupils differently labelling m/c as cooperative and able- positive labels lead to better exam results suggesting labelling still led to self fulfilling prophecy
class inequalities can continue as a result of teachers labelling even without the effect of subcultures and setting and streaming

Question 40

what is the effect of pupils class identities and the school on achievement

Answer 40

although formed outside of the school, they interact with the school and its values to produce educational success and failure

Question 41

what did archer study and find

Answer 41

interaction of w/c pupils identities and school and how this produces underachievement
draws on habitus symbolic capital and symbolic violence
w/c feels that to be educationally successful they would have to change how they talked and presented themselves and felt unable to access the posh m/c spaces such as uni
schools m/c habitus stigmatises w/c identities- conscious that society and school looked down on them and created other ways to gain self worth status and value
they constructed meaningful self identities through style and consuming brand identities- nike seen by m/c and school as tasteless
w/c investment into nike is not only a cause of their educational marginalisation by school but to express their positive preference for a particular lifestyle

Question 42

what is the effect of hidden curriculum on achievement

Answer 42

taught values and norms eg being punctual to lessons
teaches respect for authority and obedience to higher authority

Question 43

what is the functionalist view of the function of education system (hidden curriculum)

Answer 43

appreciate the virtues of hidden curriculum
look smart via school uniform, punctuality through discipline to those who are late, shows children how to follow instructions to read and follow a timetable, benefits of working hard and doing additional work at home

Question 44

what is the marxist view of the function of education system (hidden curriculum)

Answer 44

the hidden curriculum is just an instrument to prepare children for workplace
school rules detentions rewards teaches people to conform to society, school assemblies teach respect for dominant ideas, boys and girls to accept different roles in society with boys learning to be masculine and girls feminine, to follow teachers instructions without question, being punctual as your time belongs to teacher and school and not you which replicates the way a future boss owns your time