Streaming

Question 1

Describe streaming

Answer 1

Seperates children into different ability groups and taught separately
Have low expectations of WC - lower stream - get the message that teachers have written them off
Difficult to move up to higher streams
Self fulfilling prophecy live up to low expectations
MC benefit - develop self concept, confidence, work harder
Douglas - aged 8 improved IQ by aged 11 in higher streams

Question 2

Describe streaming and the A to C economy

Answer 2

Study of 2 London secondarys - Gillborn and Youdell show how teachers use stereotypical notions of ability to stream
Less likely to see WC as having ability - placed lower
Denies them of knowledge amd opportunity needed to gain good grades - widens class gap
Link streaming to league tables - schools focus time, resources, effort on pupils that will get 5 C’s improving their position
Categories - those who will pass anyway, those with potential will be helped, hopeless cases doomed to fail

Question 3

Describe Educational Triage

Answer 3

Sorting - Describes process on battlefield whereby medical staff decide who is to be given scarce medical resources (1 - walking wounded can be ignored, 2 - those who will die anyway, 3 - those with a chance of survival given treatment)

Question 4

Describe abolishing streaming

Answer 4

Stephen Ball (1981) - looked at beachside comprehensive which was abolishing streaming - mixed ability instread
Pupil polarisation disappeared
Teacher labelling persisted leading to a self fulfilling prophecy - MC outperformed Wc
Trend in the UK have been towards more streaming and more variety of school types, MC academic, WC vocational)

Question 5

Criticisms of streaming

Answer 5

accused of determinism assumiung pupils who are labelled have no choice but to fulfil prophecy and fail, Fullers study shows this isn't true
Marxists - ignoring wider structures of power within which labelling takes place, blames teachers but not explanantion
Labels aren't merely the result of teachers prejudices but steak from the fact teachers work in a system that reproduces class divisions