Sociology paper 1 Flashcards
How to answer a 2 mark question?
Point, explain
Define the hidden curriculum and give 3 examples of things taught.
All things learnt without being formally taught and often acquired through the everyday workings of the school, e.g. obedience, conformity and competitiveness.
Give 2 examples of educational policy legislation.
2010 Academies Act
1944 Education Reform Act
Give 2 examples of educational policy that leads to inequality.
Publication of league tables
Funding formula
Open enrolment
Schools competing to attract pupils
Explain how the publication of league tables benefits the middle class, white pupils and female pupils.
Publication of league tables means that the ‘best’ schools will be in higher demand and therefore can be more selective. They are more likely to recruit their ‘ideal pupil’ type, which is white, m/c and female because they are typically higher achievers.
What is educational policy?
The plans and strategies put in place for education introduced by the government giving direction to local authorities and schools.
What is the funding formula?
Where schools are given a certain amount of money per pupil.
Why does the funding formula reproduce inequality to pupils seen as less desirable?
Because ‘better’ schools that can be selective and therefore only take on the ‘best’ candidates will have more pupils and therefore better funding, whereas schools in deprived areas would have fewer pupils because they are lower in demand and therefore would be poorer. Because lower class, ethnic minority and male pupils are more likely to get into ‘worse’ schools with less funding for equipment the need and resources, they have a lower chance of succeeding in education.
What 2 sociologists stated that marketisation policies reproduce class inequalities?
Ball and Whitty
What did Ball and Whitty say about marketisation policies?
That they reproduce class inequalities
Who came up with the term ‘parentocracy’?
Miriam David
What is meant by ‘parentocracy’?
A ‘rule by parents’ - where parents are more involved in their children’s education due to marketisation policies.
How do you answer a 6 mark question?
1 paragraph:
point, explain x3
‘Outline 3 ways in which school may mirror work in a capitalist society’ (6 marks)
Give 3 examples and sociologists for each point.
- Meritocracy (Functionalist - Parsons)
- Social solidarity (Functionalist - Durkheim)
- Status is achieved not ascribed (Functionalist - Parsons)
- Exploitation of the working-class (Marxist - Bowles and Gintis)
- The correspondence principle and hidden curriculum (Marxist - Bowles and Gintis)
What is the correspondence principle?
The relationships and structures found in schools that mirror work in capitalist societies.
Who talks about the correspondence principle?
Bowles and Gintis
What are the 3 main functionalist perspectives on education (with sociologists)?
Social solidarity and skills - Durkheim
Meritocracy - Parsons
Role allocation - Davis and Moore
Who thinks that social solidarity and teaching specialist skills is the role of education? What sociological view do they hold?
Durkheim
Functionalist
Who believes that education is meritocratic? What sociological perspective is this?
Parsons
Functionalist
What sociological perspective believe education to be a ‘focal socialising agency’?
Functionalists
What two sociologists believe that role allocation and selection is the main role of education? What sociological perspective do they hold?
Davis and Moore
Functionalist
What is the role of education according to Durkheim?
Social solidarity and teaching specialist skills
What is the role of education according to Parsons?
Socialising and preparing students for wider society through meritocratic principles.
What is the role of education according to Davis and Moore?
Selection and role allocation
How do you answer a 10 mark question?
2 PEEL paragraphs (no evaluation)
How does policy link with ethnic minority underachievement? (term)
Institutional racism
Who says that marketisation policies allow institutional racism?
Gillborn
How do marketisation policies reproduce ethnic inequality in education? Link to a sociologist.
Marketisation policies such as publication of league tables allow ‘better’ schools to be more selective because of their high demand. This leads them to picking students they see as ideal based on stereotypes. (Gillborn)
Selection procedures lead to ethnic segregation (Moore and Davenport)
Who said that selection procedures in schools leads to ethnic segregation?
Moore and Davenport
Give evidence of ethnic segregation in school admissions process.
The Commission for Racial Equality found that racism in school admission procedures led to ethnic minority students having a lower chance of getting into the good schools.
Policy and ethnic minority 10 marker - Give 2 examples of essay points
- Marketisation policies and segregation
- The ethnocentric curriculum
- Assessment
- Access to opportunities
- The ‘new IQism’
Give examples of the ethnocentric curriculum.
[4 subjects]
- Language
- Music
- Literature
- History
Which sociologist describes the national curriculum as being ‘specifically British’ and notes that it only focuses on European language, literature and music?
Miriam David
What did Miriam David say about the ethnocentric curriculum?
That the national curriculum is ‘specifically British’ and largely ignores non-European language, literature and music.
What did Tronya and Williams find about the ethnocentric curriculum?
There are many more European languages taught than Asian.
Who found that there is a higher focus on teaching European languages than Asian languages in the British Curriculum?
Tronya and Williams
Who talks about the attitude of ‘Little Englandism’?
Stephen Ball
What did Ball find about the national curriculum?
It ignores ethnic diversity and promotes an attitude of ‘Little Englandism’. It ignores the history of black and Asian people.
Who found that the History curriculum is an example of the ethnocentric curriculum?
Stephen Ball
Name the sociologist:
‘The image of black people as inferior undermines black pupils’ self-esteem and leads to their failure’
Coard
Give a criticism of Coard’s view that the ethnocentric curriculum leads to black pupil having lower self esteem.
Stone: black pupils do not suffer from low self-esteem
Who said that black pupils do not suffer from low self-esteem?
Stone
Policy and ethnic minority 10 marker -
Give the two points and at least 1 sociologist/study group for each
Marketisation policies and segregation:
Gillborn
Moore and Davenport
The Commission for Racial Equality
Ethnocentric curriculum: Tronya and Williams Miriam David Stephen Ball Coard
How do you answer a 16 marker?
2-4 PEELE points
How do you answer a 20 marker?
Intro
4 PEELE points
Conclusion
List all the external factors of gender differences in educational achievement (4/5)
- Impact of feminism
- Changes to women’s employment
- Changes in the family
- Changes in girls’ ambition
- Class, gender and ambition
List all the internal factors of gender differences in achievement (6/7)
- Equal opportunity policies
- Positive role models
- GCSEs and coursework
- Teacher attention
- Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
- Selection and league tables
- Two views of girls achievement
What sociologist talks about the impact of feminism?
Angela McRobbie
What was McRobbie’s study?
Impact of feminism -
study of girls magazines from the 70s to now
70s: emphasis on the importance of marriage
now: images of independent and assertive women
List some of the changes in the family.
- Increase in the divorce rates
- Increase in cohabitation
- Increase in lone-parent families
- Decrease in first marriages
Changes in women’s employment - list some of the changes from the 70s to now.
- 1970 Equal Pay Act makes unequal pay illegal
- 1975 Sex Discrimination Act makes gender discrimination in the workplace illegal
- Pay gap has halved form 30% to 15% since 1975
- Rising rate of women in employment
- Some women breaking through the glass ceiling
What sociologists studied girls’ changing ambitions?(4)
- Sharpe
- O’Connor
- Beck and Beck-Gernsheim
- Fuller
What was found in Sharpe’s study?
Interviews with girls showed an increase in their ambitions from the 70s to the 90s.
What did O’Connor say about girls’ changing ambitions?
Marriage was not a major part of girls’ life plans more recently.
What did Beck and Beck-Gernsheim say about girls’ changing ambitions?
The modern trend towards individualisation mans that independence is more highly valued than in the past and careers promise women recognition and economic self-sufficiency.
What did Fuller say about girls’ changing ambitions?
Educational success was a central part of girls’ identities. They believed in meritocracy and aimed high.
What sociologists studied class, gender and ambition?
- Raey
- Biggart
- Fuller
What did Raey say about class, gender ambition?
wc girls continue to have traditional stereotypes that gain them status when lived up to. They don’t see many opportunities as available to them because of their class position.
What did Biggart say about class, gender and ambition?
Working-class girls see motherhood as the only liable option.
What did Fuller say about class, gender and ambition?
wc girls expressed a desire for low-level jobs only
Give 2 examples of equal opportunity policies.
GIST and WISE
How did the introduction of the National Curriculum benefit girls in education?
Because it meant they would be taught all the same things as boys.
What sociologist talks about equal opportunity polices?
Jo Boaler
What does Jo Boaler say about equal opportunity policies?
They are a key reason in the changes in girls’ achievement due to the barriers being removed and being in a more meritocratic system.
How has positive role models in schools impacted girls’ achievement?
There has been an increase in female teachers and head teachers who inspire girls to work hard in education in order to achieve a good job.
What sociologists talked about the impact of GCSEs and coursework on the gender gap in educational achievement?
- Gorard
- Mitsos and Browne
What did Gorard say about GCSEs and coursework?
The gender gap was fairly constant until GCSE’s were introduced so the gender gap is due to the changed system rather than a general failing of the boys.
What did Mitsos and Browne say about GCSEs and coursework?
Girls are better with coursework because they take more time and care with their work, are better at meeting deadlines and bring the right equipment into lessons.
What sociologist criticised Mitsos and Browne?
Janette Elwood
What did Elwood say about GCSEs and coursework?
Exams have much more of an impact on the final grade than coursework does so it is unlikely to have much of an impact.
What did French and French argue about teacher attention?
Boys got more attention because of teacher disapproval
What did Francis say about teacher attention?
Boys were disciplined more and felt picked on by teachers who had low expectations of them
What did Swann argue find teacher attention?
Boys tend to dominate whole class discussions, whereas girls work better in small groups or pairs and were better at listening and cooperating. Because of this, girls get more positive attention from teachers
Which sociologists studied teacher attention?
- French and French
- Francis
- Swann
Who argued that boys got more teacher attention through disapproval?
French and French
Who argued that boys dominated whole class discussions, where as girls, who were better at listening and cooperating, worked better in pairs and small groups, gaining them more positive teacher attention?
Swann
Who argued that boys were disciplined more and felt picked on by teachers who had low expectations of them?
Francis
Which sociologist studied the challenging of stereotypes in the curriculum?
Weiner
What did Weiner find about challenging stereotypes in the curriculum?
Since the 80s, teachers have challenged sexist stereotypes and many sexist images have been removed from learning materials.
Which sociologists studied the impact of selection and league tables on the gender gap?
- Jackson
- Slee
What did Jackson argue about selection and league tables?
League table publications meant that schools could be more selective, leading to more girls getting accepted into better schools because they are seen as more attractive, thus leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy where girls’ confidence is boosted.
What did Slee argue about selection and league tables?
Boys are seen as less attractive to schools because they are more likely to have behavioural difficulties, leading to exclusion.
