topic 2 - class differences in achievement internal factors Flashcards
how do teachers attach labels
by using their stereotyped assumptions of the pupil’s class background instead of ability
outline Becker’s study
interviews with 60 Chicago high school teachers he found that they judged pupils according to how closely they saw them as an ideal pupil based on their work, conduct and appearance
according to who’s study did teachers see working-class children as the furthest away from the ideal pupil as they were regarded as being badly behaved
Becker
more recent study
outline Aspen primary school
- Aspen primary school was a largely working-class school where behaviour was a major issue so the ideal student was define as passive, quiet and obedient
outline Rowan primary school
predominantly middle-class so the ideal pupil was define by their personality and academic ability rather than being a non misbehaving student
what does the primary schools study show
different teachers have different ntoions of the ideal pupil
who argue that schools reproduce working class underachievement due to negative labelling
Dunne and Gazeley
outline DandG’s study
interviewed nine English state schools and found that teachers normalised working cass pupil’s underachievement and saw middle class underachievement as something they could overcome
why did teacher’s think like this
Dunne and Gazeley’s study of 9 state schools
they saw middle class parents as more interested in their child’s education e.g. by paying for music lessons or attending parents evenings and labelled them as supportive
saw working class parents as unbothered and uninterested
as a result of this mindset, how did the teachers treat WC and MC underachievers
dunne and gazeley’s study of 9 state schools
- teachers set MC underacheivers extension work but entered WC underachievers for lower tiered exams thereby normalising their underachievement
- since they undermined WC students’ abilities they saw high achieving WC pupils as overachieving
Rist’s study of labelling in primary schools
the clowns/cardinals and tigers
- American kindergarden schools
- middle class pupils were seen as fast learners so were seated closest to the teacher to show them greater attention and labelled them as tigers
- working class students were seated further away, labelled as clowns/cardinals, were given easier tasks such as lower-level reading books and were given little opportunity to showcase their abilities
what is a self fulfilling prophecy
a prediction that comes true by the virtue of it being made, e.g. labelling leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy of internalising the label
explain the process of how labelling leads to a self fulfilling prophecy
- teacher labels student as intelligent and assumes they will be a high achiever
- devotes more time and energy to encourage this child for example by expecting a higher standard of work
- the pupil internalises the teachers expectations which becomes a part of their identity: the teacher thinks i am intelligent so i am, this boosts their confidence and ensures they achieve well
therefore the prediction has come true
outline Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study
- conducted at Oak community school
- approached teachers by saying they had formulated a special test which would identify which students would be spurters
- in reality it was a simple IQ test
- at random picked 20% of students and told the teachers they were the spurters
what was the result of R and J’s study
- when returning a year later, 47% of the chosen 20% had made significant academic progress
- this illustrates that teachers beleived what they were told and this had been conveyed in the way they then interacted with the students
overall, what does R and J’s study demonstrate
what people believe to be true will have real effects, even if they belief is not necessarily true
define streaming
the process of separating children into different groups based on ability
how does streaming lead to a self fulfilling prophecy
- using Bechers studies we know that teachers do not expect highly of WC students
- so they are placed in lower sets
- difficult to move up or down so students are locked into the teacher;s perception of them which forms a part of their identity
what did Douglas find
students who were placed in a low stream at age 8 had suffered a decline in the IQ score by the age of 11 and v.v
what do Gilborn and Youdell say
- streaming is linked to puplishing of league tables
- schools must gain A-C grades to reach higher positions on the league tables and therefore attract more students and funding
- to ensure this, they will devote their ‘scarce resources’ towards the students they believe can achieve this (educational triage)
what is the educational triage
- schools and teachers separating children into those who will pass anyway, those who will achieve grades C or above with some intervention and helpless cases who were often WC class students as they are lablled as less able
what is the negative effect of the educational triage and streaming for WC students
they are segregated into lower streams so lack attention and support and also beliebe they are helpless which leads to low levels of achievement
what does Lacey say
pupil subcultures emerge due to differentiation and polarisation
differentiation
the process of teachers categorising pupils acccording to how they perceive their ability e.g. streaming where students who are seen as more able (MC) are given high status by being places in higher sets and v.v
polarisation
student response to streaming as they polarise into pro and anti school subcultures
what happens to students placed in higher streams/sets
largely MC
they remain committed to the values of the school so gain status in an approved manner through academic success
- therefore, they form a pro-school subculture
what happens to students placed in lower streams/sets
largely WC
- suffer a loss of self esteem as the school has undermined their self worth by placing them in a position of low status
- to gain alternative status they invert the schools values
- so they create an anti-school subculture
what is an anti-school subculture and what does it lead to
- the process of students finding alternative ways of status e.g. validation from peers through truancy, disobedience etc
- creates an inescapable position for the student as though they have achieved status, such behaviour patterns do not improve their education achievement
- instead their situation worsens, leading to a self-fulfilling prohecy of educational failure
explain Haregreaves study
- found similar notions in a secondary modern school
- boys in the lower streams were triple failures (failed 11+, low stream, and labelled as worthless louts)
- solution to this status issue was to seek out eachother to gain status - went to those who flouted the school’s rules the most
who identified that even when streaming is abolished labelling and differentiation still continues and how
can be eval for whether labelling or streaming is more important/for if
- Ball
- through his study of Beachside comprehensive school which was undergoing abolishing streaming
- this lead to reduced polarisation, but teachers continued to differentiate
- since the Edu reform act 1988, teacher differentiation has widened past class, to include gender and ethnicity
therefore what are two possible reponses to streaming or labelling
pro and antischool subculutre according to Lacey
how does Woods differ from Lacey
argues there are multiple other responses
1. ingratiation (teacher’s pet)
2. ritualism (staying out of trouble)
3. retreatism (daydreaming)
4. rebelion (outright rejection of school’s values)
how does Furlong develop from this further
- students do not remain in one response and are more likely to act differently with different teachers
EVAL ONE
what has labelling theory been accused of
being too deterministic as it assumes those who have been labelled will most definitely internalise it and therefore inevitably fail - see fuller topic 3
EVAL 2
how do Marxists criticse labelling theory
ignores the wider structural causes of power which influence teachers to label students
what else contributes to class differences in achievement
pupils class identities as these conflict with schools values
what do Archer et al use to explore the interaction between pupil’s class identities and and achievement
Bourdieu’s concept of habitus
define habitus
dispositions such as ways of thinking and acting that are associated with a particular social class e.g. tastes, phiolosophies of life and expectations of what is realistic for people like themselves
how is a habitus formed
it is a reponse to a group’s position in the class structure
what do the middle class have the power to do
define its habitus as superior which enables it to influence institutions such as schools which come to favour their habitus
how do middle class students benefit from this superiority
as schools place a higher value on their habitus, they gain symbolic capital
- this results in a stronger sense of self worth
why are working class students disadvantaged because of this
schools reject the working class habitus and deem them as tasteless, placing them in a position of inferiority
- the conflict with W/C’s habitus and the school’s M/C habitus causes symbolic violence
- W/C students begin to feel alienated or othered by the education system
explain Archer’s study which evidences the effects of symbolic violence
W/C students are forced to choose between educational achievement or their identities as to be successful they would have to adopt the habitus which the school favoured
- as a result they felt unable to access posh, middle class spaces such as university
how did Nike identities develop
as the school and society undervalued W/C students identities, they sought alternative ways of gaining status and self-worth such as indulding in styles, in particular consuming branded clothing such as Nike
How did adopting Nike identities earn students the symbolic capital the school denied them of
- styles were heavily policies by peers
- not adopting such an identity was classed as social suicide
- the right appearance earned validation and therefore symbolic capital
How did this search for alternative ways of gaining status lead to further conflict with the school and therefore what
the styles working class students adopted breached the dress code of schools (as they favoured middle class styles and opposed street wear)
- symbolic violence occured again
- teachers labelled them as rebels
- even though they gain status from their peers, as the schools reject this, they return to a cycle of underachievement
How do Nike identities lead to working class pupil’s rejection of higher education
- they view is as undesirable: it would not suit their preferred lifestyle or habitus
- unrealistic: HE is ‘not for people like us’, but rather for posher and ‘smarter’ people
Outline Ingram’s study
W/c students still succeed even though they face symbolic violence
- to understand the relationship between educational success and a w/c identity
- studied two groups of w/c Catholic boys from the same highly deprived neighborhood in Belfast
- one group passed 11+ another failed and went to a local secondary school
What was the difference between the two schools
The grammar school had a strong middle class habitus of high expectations and educational achievement
The secondary local school had a habitus of low expectations and underachievement
What did Ingram find to be inseparable and why
- having a w/c identity was inseparable from belonging to a w/c locality which was a dense network of family and friends
- this was because their locality provided them with a sense of belonging as it accepted their habitus so they wanted to conform to the expectations of the neighbourhood
Why was this an issue
The grammar school w/c boys faced tension between the habitus of the w/c neighbourhood and that of their m/c school
Why was
Example of this conflict
Callum - ridiculed by his peers in school on a non-uniform day for wearing a tracksuit
- an example of symbolic violence where schools stigmatise w/c students who are then forced to reject their own identities in order to gain academic achievement
Outline Evan’s study
21 w/c A level students from a south London comprehensive school who were reluctant to apply to elite universities such as Oxbrige
How is this an example of self exclusion
- many working class students view places as Oxbrige as unrealistic
- this way of thinking becomes a part of their identity preventing them from entering themselves into such spaces
Another example of self exclusion
Archer and Ingram:
The girls also had a strong attachment to their locality as only 4/21 intended to move away from home limiting their opportunities to attend better further away universities
Therefore…
Even when w/c students are able to go to university, the habitus of higher education causes tension with their w/c identities which limit their opportunities to succeed
