The Achievement Gap Flashcards
why should there be no achievement gap?
- education is free
- every school follows the same curriculum
- everyone takes the same exams (national testing)
what are external factors?
factors within the home/wider society
what are the internal factors?
factors within the school
give four trends that show the gap in achievement in boys/girls?
- GCSE (2021) pass rate, girls= 80.6%, boys= 73.6%
- 57% of higher education students are females
- girls out perform boys in every SATs exam but perform the same in maths with 80%
- A-Levels 2021, most common grade, girls=A, boys=B
give some examples of external factors that have lead to the overachievement of girls?
- bedroom culture, girls read, write diaries,improved creativity, stricter curfews, socialisation, sleepovers with friends where they talk and listen.
- McRobbie’s magazines covers research, shift in what covers showed, from house-wives to careers.
- girls aspirations have changed, influenced by having their mother as a role model who is now the breadwinner
what external policies have affected the achievement of girls?
- Equal Pay Act
- Divorce Reform Act
- Sex Discrimination Act
what are some example of internal factors that affect the overachievement of girls?
- girls have more role models, as there is more female teachers (in 2019 in primary schools, there was 75.8% female)
- girls receive positive attention and labels due to being perceived as hard-working as they are socialised to be quiet and polite
- way curriculum is taught favours girls
- educational policies created helped girls, eg GIST/WISE, introduction of coursework, able to access same subjects as boys
what are the external factors that affect the underachievement of boys?
- encouraged to be disruptive, loud and attention-seeking, which has been normalised, they have less social control, and parents are less strict
- crisis of masculinity, lack confidence, low self esteem
- encouraged to be outside and not to read, they are more exposed to adult context from an early age.
- negative thoughts towards education
what are some example of internal factors that affect the underachievement of boys?
- more negative attention from teachers , gain negative labels, less teacher support
- boys are more likely to join anti-school subcultures due to hegemonic masculinity
- decreased expectations from teachers, cooled down from universities/higher education
- less male teachers so not as many role models
- self-fulfilling prophecy is internalised from negative labels, more exclusions, reducing opportunities
what are four examples that show that one gender is more common in certain subjects?
- 93% of computing students= male
- 79% of physics students= male
- 33% of public service students= female
- 29% of drama students= male
what are gender routes?
the pathway into jobs and careers
- subject choice
- our choices at A-levels/apprenteships shape our career opportunities.
children’s care route was dominated by females, by how much?
99%
construction route was dominated by males, by how much?
98%
what are the four explanations of the gender differences in subject choice?
- early socialisation
- gendered subject image
- peer pressure
- career opportunities
what did ELWOOD say about early socialisation and what does this mean?
- family/media gender domains
- tasks/activities seen as ‘girls’/’boys’ territory
- feel more comfortable sticking to this
what did KELLY say about gendered subject images?
- boys pick science because…
- teacher more likely to be male
- examples teachers use more likely to engage/interest boys
what did COLLEY say about gendered subject images?
- boys pick ICT because..
- involves working with machines/more hands on
- usually completed alone
what does peer pressure in subject choice lead to, what did DEWAR say about this?
- leads to more negativity, harassment and peer pressure (subjects falling out of domain)
- DEWAR= male students called females lesbians/butch if they do sports
- boys less likely to do drama/dance, fear of being judged as gay.
explain the idea of career opportunities that are sex-typed to do with career choice?
- girls= hsc, prepare them for feminine jobs
- unlikely boys pick nursing/childcare, due to stigma attached of men working with children/too feminine
what is the impact of single-sex schools?
- no gender differences/scripts
- girls/boys take any subject regardless of gender script
- EVIDENCE= girls in single sex schools are 2.5X more likely to take physics than those in mixed schools
what are the problems of gender subjects according to COLLEY?
-subjects that girls pick, lead to low status and low-paid jobs, compared to subjects that boys pick
what are 4 social class and achievement patterns?
- college, MC=a-levels, WC=vocational
- disadvantaged-25% achieve 5/above at GCSE, with free school meal pupils less likely to pass
- living in deprived areas= more likely to be excluded
- more MC go to Uni, but has seen a rise in WC (18,900 in 2021 going to Uni)
what does educational achievement rise with?
family income
what percentage of children from high professional families achieve 5 or more GCSEs A*-C?
77%
what percentage of children from unemployed families achieve 5 or more GCSEs A*-C?
33%
what is the percentage gap between family achievement at GCSE?
44% in longitudinal UK 2007
what is material deprivation?
lack of material necessities/money needed for educational success.
-eg= uniform, books, equipment, food, technology
what did DOUGLAS find about housing and educational success?
- a strong link between inadequate housing and success
- overcrowding- 10x likely to catch meningitis
- dark, cold,damp= 25% higher risk of ill health
what percentage of failing schools are in deprived areas?
90%
1/4 of students live in temp accomadation, how many days of school do they miss?
55days
what did HOWARD say about how diet/health can affect schooling?
- lower intake of energy, vitamins/minerals, poor nutrition, weakens the immune systems
- more likely to become ill and stay off school
what did WILKINSON say about health and schooling?
- higher rates of hyperactivity, behavioural problems and mental health issues
- teachers will - label students, and they may not concentrate on work
what id the hidden cost of free schooling?
£1614 for basic school expenses
what can schools offer to help this hidden cost, and why can’t everyone have it?
- uniform grant, up to £150 off uniform/child, helping overcome the divide
- not every local council offers it
what is one impact of social class and achievement?
leads to the snowball effect, underachievement
-introduction of compensatory education/policies tried to reduce these negative effects
what are 7 examples of material deprivation?
- lack of school uniform
- lack of money for school trips
- housing overcrowded
- part time job/carer of family member
- lack of nutrition
- lack of travel
- lack of resources
what is cultural deprivation?
the lack of cultural knowledge, societal values, language development and parental influence, needed for educational success
what are the 3 examples of cultural deprivation?
- language codes (bernstein)
- parental involvement (douglas)
- attitudes and values (sugarman)
explain language codes in terms of WC and MC
- WC= restricted speech code, limited, informal, slang, ungrammatical, affects success
- MC= elaborated speech code, formal, well-developed,wider vocab, sophisticated, used by teachers, textbooks, exams, so they are more likely to achieve, helps them get higher chances/jobs
explain parental involvement?
- WC=less, lack educational toys/books, lack help/time with homework, parents don;t encourage HE, want focus on external goals
- MC= loads, educational knowledge to help with homework, value HE, more likely to attend meeting, and invest more time
explain attitudes and values in terms of deprivation?
- WC= fatalistic, immediate gratification, collectivism, present-time orientation
- MC= deferred gratification, individualism, future-time orientation, meritocracy
what is habitus?
the habits shared by one social class
what does the habitus of the middle class lead to?
leads to cultural capital and success, putting them at an advantage in the UK education system.
what did SULIVAN say about MC habitus?
the more MC habitus you have = the more cultural capital
what are 3 things that the MC do to have a high habitus?
- educational visits to museums for leisure
- going on holidays abroad, to ‘broaden horizons.’
- watching documentaries/news rather than reality TV/soaps
what is education built on and what does this lead to?
built around MC habitus
- biased towards MC , more superior
- devalues WC habitus, culture is not valued/enough
- WC perceived as inferior, negative labels and underachievement.
what are the four points brought about by the habitus?
- symbolic capital
- symbolic violence
- nike identities
- higher education/long-term effect
describe symbolic capital?
- schools built on MC habitus
- smooth transition for MC students
- MC receive positive status/recognition, so are seen as worthy
- WC experience culture class, where they are deemed as tasteless/worthless, keeps them inferior and in their place.
describe symbolic violence?
- creates invisible harm, where they deny positive status and recognition
- occurs when holder of symbolic capital uses power against those who hold less
- education triage, setting and streaming, vocational subjects, ‘cooling down’ all have effects from this violence
describe nike identities?
- WC look to gain status outside of school
- judge eachother by branded sports clothing, while MC where gucci
- clash with teachers, withdraw from trying to achieve status in academic success
- heavily policed, non-conformity, seen as social suicide
- those who could not afford nike were mocked
describe higher education?
- WC experience barriers to HE success
- less likely to go UNI, as their habitus is seen as less impressive compared to MC
what are the 4 barriers that WC experience?
- lack of familarity, enrolled on inappropriate courses
- lack of funds, limited choice, length of time
- fear of debt, deterred them
- fear of cultural isolation, lowers morale/commitment
who were the top performing pupils in GCSEs based on ethnicity?
chinese pupils
-girls are 20% over national average
who were the lowest performing group in GCSEs based on ethnicity?
Black Caribbean
-boys are 20% below the national average
what are the 3external factors that can affect ethnicty and achievement?
- material deprivation
- cultural deprivation
- racism in wider society
what are the 3 internal factors that can affect ethnicity and achievement?
- ethnocentric curriculum
- teacher labelling
- institutional racism
what are the 3 cultural factors that effect achievement based on ethnicity?
- parental involvement
- language barriers
- high values
explain ethnocentric curriculum?
- curriculum gives priority to white culture, ignores other cultures
- invisibility of other cultures/focus on issues, like slavery, can affect student’s self-esteem.
- teach about white men in history, english and science
what did BALL say about the ethnocentric curriculum?
- the curriculum in british schools promotes Britishness.
- ‘little Englandism’
what are 3 arguments against ethnocentric curriculum?
- may ignore Asian culture, but Indian and Chinese pupils’ achievement is above nat. av
- school celebrate more cultures, now more religions are taught
- more ethnicities being taught, positive role models in history (eg- Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King)
explain institutional racism?
- discrimination built into processes and procedures in schools
- 17% of black applicants accepted into HE, this was 30% less than white applicants
- black students more likely to be in lower sets, black males = 40% below nat. av
- government not doing anything about it.
what did MORZA say about institutional racism?
‘coloured blind’, racism goes unchallenged
what is the argument against institutional racism?
-increased multiculturalism, extra language support, prayer rooms are required
explain teacher labelling with ethnicity?
- judgements have become radicalised, with students receiving negative labels
- black students challenge authority= negative labels
- asian students= more passive
- students internalise labels, teacher treat accordingly
what is an example of black students and being excluded, and what is the impact of this?
- black pre-schoolers= 3.6x more likely to be excluded
- impact= affects achievement, not in school so would be behind, fatalistic
what is the argument against teacher labelling and ethnicity?
- FULLER (1984)
- self-refuting prophecy
- black girl students were motivated by the labels.
