Topic 1 - Class differences in achievement (1) external factors Flashcards
Which class tends to do better in educational achievement?
Middle class
What is one explanation for class differences in educational achievement?
Better-off parents can afford for their children to go to private schools
What percent of Britain do private schools educate?
How many people that go to Cambridge or Oxford were educated in private school?
7%
almost half
What does Private education not account for within class differences?
Differences within state education
What are Internal and External factors?
Internal - Factors within schools
External - Factors outside of schools
What did the Centre for Longitudinal studies find (2007)?
By age 3 children from disadvantaged background are already up to one year behind those from privileged homes. The gap widens with age.
What is cultural capital?
Includes skills such as language, self discipline and reasoning skills
What do sociologists say about working class parents?
They don’t adequately socialize their children meaning they are culturally deprived
What are the three main aspects of cultural deprivation?
- Language
- Parents education
- Working class subculture
What did Feinstein find?
Educated parents tend to use language that challenges their children to evaluate their own understanding or abilities
What did Feinstein find about Parents who praise their children?
The children develop a sense of their own competence
What did Engelmann claim?
Language used in lower class homes is deficient.
What do restricted language codes cause?
Children fail to develop the necessary language skills and are incapable of abstract thinking. Limits opportunities at school.
What speech codes do Middle class use vs Working class?
Middle - Elaborated code
Working - Restricted code
What is one way speech codes affect children in school?
Middle class children are already used to the speech codes used in schools so feel 'at home'. Working class children are not and feel excluded from school.
What did Douglas (1964) find?
Working class parents placed less value on education
What does Feinstein argue in regards to parents education?
Parents education is the most important factor affecting children’s achievement - sometimes educated working class can do better than uneducated middle class
What is the (typical) middle class parenting style?
Middle - emphasize consistent discipline and high expectations which supports achievement
What is the (typical) working class parenting style?
Working - Harsh, inconsistent discipline that emphasizes ‘doing as your told’. Prevents them learning independence and self motivation leading to poor motivation at school
Who found that middle class mothers are more likely to buy educational toys, books and activities which encourage reasoning skills?
Bernstein and Young
What are some ways middle class parents education benefits their children over working class?
- Parenting style
- Parents educational behaviors
- Use of Income
What does Sugarman say are the four key features that act as a barrier to educational achievement?
- Fatalism: belief in fate
- Collectivism: value being part of a group over individual
- Immediate gratification: Seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices in order to get rewards in the future
- Present-time orientation: seeing the present as more important than the future, no long term goals
Which class follow Sugarman’s key features?
Working class
What is compensatory education?
Education programs that aim to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation by providing extra resources.
What are some examples of compensatory education in the UK?
- Educational Priority Areas
- Education Action Zones
- Sure Start
What does Keddie argue in regards to cultural deprivation?
she argues that it is a myth and that working class aren’t culturally deprived, just culturally different. They only fail because the education system is dominated by middle-class values
What do Troyna and Williams argue?
Its not the child’s language that’s at fault but the schools attitude towards it. Teachers have a speech hierarchy: Middle - Working - Black
