Topic 1- Education

Question 1

What is the definition of culture?

Answer 1

Things that are learned and shared by a society or group of people, passed down through generations.

Question 2

What are values?

Answer 2

General principles or goals, a guide for society for what is good and what we should aim for.

Question 3

What are norms?

Answer 3

The specific rules that govern behaviour in particular situations.

Question 4

What are sanctions?

Answer 4

Anything that encourages people to conform to norms, rewards are positive sanctions, punishments are negative sanctions, they are a form of social control.

Question 5

What is Socialisation?

Answer 5

Learning all the things that are necessary for us to be accepted as full members of society, socialisation begins when we are born and continues throughout your life.

Question 6

What does it mean to internalise culture?

Answer 6

Where norms and values become a part of us.

Question 7

What is Primary Socialisation?

Answer 7

We learn norms and values from within a family environment.

Question 8

What is Secondary Socialisation?

Answer 8

Where we learn norms and values from outside the family, for example, at school, in religious groups or with friends.

Question 9

What is the difference between ascribed and achieved status?

Answer 9

Ascribed status is the status that we are born with, achieved status is the status we work towards and achieve.

Question 10

What is a role?

Answer 10

A set of norms, behaviour that is expected from your status.

Question 11

What are the two types of identity?

Answer 11

The Self- A person’s subjective awareness of their personality, helps to shape how they project their personality.
Social Identity- How a person is viewed by others, how a person manages social expectations.

Question 12

What is Social Stratification?

Answer 12

Inequalities between groups, use the concept of ‘life chances’ to describe these things, different gender and ethnic groups tend to have differing ‘life chances’.

Question 13

Cultural Deprivation

What do Hubbs-tait et al say about a parents’ communication in relation to a child’s cognitive development?

External Factor 1 (language, parents’ education, WC subculture)

Answer 13

A child’s cognitive performance improves when parents use language that makes children evaluate their own understanding, so parent’s involvement is an important factor.

Question 14

Cultural Deprivation

What does Feinstein say about language used by parents?

External Factor 1(language, parents’ education, WC subcultures)

Answer 14

Eduacted parents are more likely to use praise and metacognitive language (explaining how you get to certain conclusions).

Question 15

C.D

What to Bereiter and Engelmann say about the language used in lower class homes and what is it’s impact on the children?

E.F.1(language, parents’ education and WC subcultures)

Answer 15

Their language is deficient, therefore, childrem don’t gain the necessary language skills and are incapable of abstract thinking.

Question 16

C.D

Who came up with speech codes and what are they?

E.F.1(language, parents’ education, WC subcultures)

Answer 16

-Bernstein
-Restricted Code= used by the WC, limited vocab, not analytical
-Elaborated Code= used by the MC, wider vocab, communicates abstract ideas

Question 17

C.D

What did Douglas say about working class parents?

E.F.1(language, parents’ education, WC subcultures)

Answer 17

Working class parents place less value on education and take less of an interest, leaving kids less motivated.

Question 18

C.D

What do Bernstein and Young say about a parent’s usage of income in relation to a childs’ learning?

E.F.1(language, parents’ education, WC subcultures)

Answer 18

-Middle class mothers buy educational toys and educational activities, whereas, working class parents don’t have the money to provide these things
-Middle class mothers also buy healthier food (better undertsanding of nutrition)

Question 19

C.D

What does Sugarman say are the 4 key features that act as a barrier to educational achievement or the working class subculture?

E.F.1 (WCS)

Answer 19

-fatalism= nothing you can do to change your status
-collectivism= belonging to a group is more important than individual success
-immediate gratification= preferring pleasure now, not sacrificing for the future
-present-time orienatation= not have long-term goals or plans

Question 20

C.D

What was Operation Head Start?

E.F.1 (WCS)

Answer 20

-‘planned enrichment’ of the deprived childs’ environment to develop their skills
-TV Sesame Street was made to transmit values, attitudes and skills for educational success

Question 21

Opposition to C.D

Which Sociologists believe that cultural deprivation is a myth?

E.F.1 (opposition)

Answer 21

Troyna and Williams= language isn’t the problem, there is a ‘speech hierarchy’

Question 22

Material Deprivation

What housing problems could impact a child’s learning?

External Factor 2 (housing)

Answer 22

-overcrowding= unable to complete educational activities
-lack of space= more risk of accidents, cold/damp housing could make a child ill and absent from school
-temporary accommodation= more stress on the child

Question 23

M.D

Which sociologists discuss diet and health to do with material deprivation? And what do they say?

E.F.2 (diet and health)

Answer 23

-Howard= people in poorer homes have poorer nutrition causing more illness and therefore more absence
-Wilkinson= the lower the social class, the higher the rate of hyperactivity, anxiety and other disorders
-Blanden and Machin= WC children more likelu to be involved in ‘externalising behaviour (fights), causing exclusions from school

Question 24

M.D

Which sociologists discuss the cost of education to do with material deprivation? And what do they say?

E.F.2 (The cost of education)

Answer 24

-Bull= ‘the costs of free schooling’
-Tanner et al= the cost of school equipment and clothes places a heavy burden on poorer families (children may have to have hand me downs)
-Flaherty= fear of stigma (pupils may be reluctant to receive help)
-Smith and Noble= poverty acts as a barrier as people can’t afford tutoring if it’s needed
-Ridge= found that poorer kids take on jobs, meaning less time is spent of learning

Question 25

M.D

Which sociologists discuss the fear of debt relating to material deprivation? And what do they?

E.F.2 (Fear of Debt)

Answer 25

-Callender and Jackson= WC students are more debt averse, more costs than benefits at uni, they are 5 times less likely to apply
-Reay= WC students are more likely to apply to local unis, saving the cost of accommodation and travel cost, they were also able to work part-time
-National Audit Office= WC students spend twice as much time in paid work, in order to reduce their debts