Topic 2 - Class differences in achievement internal factors Flashcards
internal factors:
factors within schools and the education system, such as interactions between pupils and teachers and inequalities between schools
what are the internal factors that affect achievement:
labelling
self fulfilling prophesy
streaming
labelling:
The process of attaching a definition or meaning to an individual or group; e.g. teachers may label students as ‘troublemakers’.
These labels are often based on stereotypes, which are generalised assumptions about a group’s characteristics (their attitudes, beliefs, behaviours etc.), where it is assumed that all members of the group share these characteristics, e.g. “All working-class boys are…”
Howard Becker (1971) Ideal Pupil
Interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers.
Found teachers judged pupils on how closely they fitted the image of the ‘ideal pupil’.
**Middle class seen as closer to this ideal due to their conduct, work and appearance.
Working class seen as further away from **the ideal, as they were seen as badly behaved.
Hemel-Jorgensen (2009)
teachers’ notionsof ideal pupil vary according to the social class make-up of the school
Hemel-Jorgensen (2009) – teachers’ notions vary according to the social class make-up of the school –
Working-class Aspen Primary school ideal pupil:
quiet, passive and obedient (discipline is a problem) children are defined in terms of behaviour not ability.
Hemel-Jorgensen (2009) – teachers’ notions vary according to the social class make-up of the school –
Middle-class Rowan Primary school ideal pupil:
(few discipline problems)
ideal pupil is defined in terms of personalty and academic ability
Dunne and Gazeley:
Suggested that the way teachers explained and dealt with underachievement caused class differences in attainment.
Dunne and Gazeley: Teachers dealing with underachieving working-class pupils:
‘normalised’ the pupils’ underachievement
felt they had no control over their pupils’ underachievement
entered them for easier exams, underestimating their abilities
blamed pupils’ home background - uninterested and unsupportive parents.
Dunne and Gazeley: Teachers dealing with underachieving middle-class pupils:
believed that the pupils could overcome underachievement
would set them extension tasks.
Rist’s study of an American kindergarten (5-6 year olds) found:
The teacher used information about a children’s home background and appearance to separate them into groups.
Once in groups she sat the students she viewed as brightest – the ‘tigers’ - as closest to her and those who she viewed as less bright - the ‘clowns’ - further away.
‘Clowns’ were given lower level reading and less opportunity to show their abilities.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
1) Teacher labels a pupil and on that basis makes predictions about him/her
2) Teacher treats pupil accordingly, acting as if prediction is already true
3) Pupil internalises the teacher’s expectation, which become part of his/her self-concept, and fulfils the prediction.
Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968)
Told an American primary school that they had a test to identify ‘spurters’ (in reality, just a standard IQ test).
Tested all pupils but picked 20% at random – but told the school these were ‘spurters’.
A year later almost half of those identified had made significant progress.
Greater effect on younger children.
This supports the idea of SFP – R&J believe the supposed test results influenced the way teachers behaved towards pupils.
Setting
putting pupils into groups based on their ability in specific subjects, e.g. a pupil may be in set 1 for maths and set 5 for geography.
Streaming
putting pupils into the same class for all subjects based on their perceived ability, e.g. the ‘A’ stream (high ability) class pupils stay together for all subjects.
Gillborn and Youdell found
Gillborn and Youdell found teachers use stereotypes to place pupils in streams.
Effects of Streaming WC pupils:
Streaming involves separating children into different ability groups or classes called ‘streams’.
Studies show that the self-fulfilling prophecy is particularly likely to occur when children are streamed.
Working-class children are more likely to find themselves put in a lower stream as we can see from the studies above.
Difficult to move up and down streams once labelled.
Teachers lock children in to their own expectations.
This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy in which the pupils live up to their teachers’ low expectations by underachieving.
Douglas found that children placed in a lower stream at age 8 had suffered a decline in their IQ score by age 11.
Effects of Streaming MC pupils:
Middle-class pupils tend to benefit from streaming.
They are placed in higher streams, reflecting teachers’ view of them as ideal pupils.
They develop a more positive self-concept, gain confidence, work harder and improve their grades.
Douglas found that children placed in a higher stream at age 8 had improved their IQ score by age 11.
Educational triage
Gillborn and Youdell argue that the C - A economy produces educational triage. School categorise pupils into tree types:
1) Those who will pass anyway and can be left to get on with it
2) Those with potential, who will be helped to get a grade C or better
3) Hopeless cases who are doomed to fail
Teachers do this using a stereotypical view of work in class (and black) pupils as lacking ability. As a result they are likely to be labelled as ‘hopeless cases’ and simply ‘warehoused’ in the bottom sets. This produces a self-fulfilling prophecy and failure. Thus the need to gain a good League table position drives the educational triage. This becomes the basis for streaming where teachers’ beliefs about the lack of ability of working-class pupils are used to segregate them into lower streams or sets where they receive less attention, support and resources; this results in Lower levels of achievement for working class pupils.
Subcultures
A subculture is a group within a culture that differs from the general consensus. They have a unique set of norms and values that don’t necessarily align with the wider culture.
When discussing subcultures that pupils form as a response to labelling, Lacey (1970) refers to four key terms:
Differentiation
Polarisation
Pro-school subculture
Anti-school subcultur
Differentiation
process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability, attitude and or behaviour. streaming is a form of differentiation. low able students are deamed as inferior, those who are high able are deamed at superior.
Polarisation
the process where students respond to streaming by moving towards one of the two opposite poles. students that are polarised can form pro school or anti school subcultures for example
Pro-school subculture
pupils who are places in high streams are committed to the values of the school, they gain their status in the approved manner, through academic success. their values are those of the school
