Topic 1; external factors that influences educational achievement - social class

Question 1

what are speech codes and what sociologist came up with the idea?

Answer 1

Bernstein - difference in speech codes put the working class students at a disadvantage as the elaborated code is part of the school culture that tends to be middle class (textbooks, exams, teachers) and so the middle class are at an advantage because they have been socialised early into the elaborated code

Question 2

how does parents’ education influence the education of their offspring and what sociologist came up with the idea?

Answer 2

Douglas - working class parents place less value on education; they are less ambitious for their children and place less encouragement for them to partake in educational activities - as a result their offspring also place less value on education and so due to their lack of motivation to succeed they are likely to under achieve

Question 3

what are working class subcultures and what sociologist came up with the idea?

Answer 3

Sugarmann - there are four key acts that act as a barrier to educational achievement;
- fatalism - nothing you can do to change
- collectivism - put more value on being part of a group than being an individual
- immediate gratification- rather seek pleasure now than making sacrifices in order to get rewards later on
- present time orientation - having no long term goals as the individual values the present more than the future

Question 4

how does material deprivation influence working class underachievement?

Answer 4

poor housing - overcrowding means that there is no room for pupils to complete educational activities such as reading and homework, it also means that there is a high chance of disturbed sleep that will likely impact on performance at school. Families living in temporary accommodation will have to move around frequently which will likely disturb their education
diet and health - poor nutrition may weaken the immune system which may result in more absences from school (Howard)

Question 5

what is cultural capital and what sociologist came up with the idea?

Answer 5

Bourdieu - middle class pupils with cultural capital are better equipped to meet the demands of the school curriculum; parents are able to convert their cultural capital into economic capital so that they can go to a private school