Topic 3 Internal Class Differences Flashcards
What does Howard Becker say about labelling?
- teachers judged pupils according to how closely they fitted an image of the ‘ideal pupil’.
- Pupils work, conduct and appearance were key factors influencing teachers’ judgements.
- Teachers saw middle class children as closest to the ideal.
- Lower working class children are furthest away from it because they regarded them as badly behaved.
What did Hempel-Jorgensen find?
- She found that different teachers had different notions of the ideal pupil and they’re subjective to the location and social makeup of the school.
- Working class schools - the ideal pupil is quiet, passive and obedient, defined by behaviour not ability
- Middle class schools had few discipline problems. Their ideal pupil is creative, high academic ability
What does Rist argue about labelling?
- studied an American Kindergarten
- He found the teacher used info of pupils home background and appearance to separate in groups at different tables
- She showed the fast, middle class learners the greatest encouragement.
- Gave working class lower level books and fewer opportunities to demonstrate their abilities.
What did Dunne and Gazeley argue about labelling in primary schools?
- They argued schools persistently produced working class underachievement because of labels and assumptions of teachers.
- They interviewed 9 state schools
- Found teachers normalised working class underachievement and were unconcerned by it.
- Whereas, teachers believed they could overcome middle class underachievement.
- Teachers labelled working class parents as uninterested and middle class parents as supportive.
Who discussed notions of the ideal pupil?
Howard Becker discussed that, based on his study of 60 Chicago high school teachers, he found teachers judged pupils according to how closely they fitted an image of the ‘ideal pupil’.
What did Rist discuss?
He carried out a study of an American kindergarten and he found that the teacher used information about children’s home background and appearance to place them in sperate groups, seating each group at a different table. Those who she labelled fast learners tended to be middle class of neat and clean appearance, she sat them the nearest to her and showed them the great encouragement.
How did Jacobson and Rosenthal carry out their study of the self fulfilling prophecy?
They told the school that they had a test to identify pupils who would ‘spurt’ ahead. It was in fact a standard IQ test, but the teachers believed what they had been told. They tested the pupils and randomly picked 20% of pupils and falsely told the school these children were ‘spurters’. They returned a year later, and 47% of these ‘spurters’ had made significant progress. Rosenthal and Jacobson suggest the teachers’ beliefs about the pupils had been influenced by the supposed test results. The teachers had then conveyed these beliefs to the pupils through the way they interacted with them.
What is streaming and how does it impact class achievement?
Streaming involves separating children into different ability groups, each group is taught separately. If in lower sets, a pupil is given low status knowledge and entered in low tier exams which they then end up not being successful. They are locked into their teachers’ low expectations of them. They get the message that their teachers have written them off as no hopers.
According to Lacey, what happened to those placed in low streams?
They start to believe they’re hopeless and start giving up. They believe the teachers have given up on them and they will never be successful. This ruins their self-esteem and because they think they’re incapable, they stop trying.
What is the A-C economy and educational triage?
The A-C economy is a system in which schools ration their time, effort, and resources, concentrating them on those pupils they perceive as having the potential to get five grade Cs at GCSE and so boost the schools league table position. Gilbourn and Youdell call this process ‘educational triage’. Schools categorise students into those who will pass anyway, those with potential and hopeless cases. Working class pupils are more likely to be labelled as lacking ability, as a result they are more likely to be classified as hopeless cases and ignored.
Why does marketization benefit the middle class?
They are seen as more appealing to schools and are selected by the better schools. Schools believe middle class will gain them a higher-ranking position in the league table therefore they cream skim and silt-shift, and the middle class are in a better position, because they usually get chosen.
What are Nike identities?
They are the identities of the working class that are built because of the anti-school subculture. The working class get symbolic capital from their friends by abiding the school rules and wearing Nike clothing. The symbolic violence from school led them to seek alternative ways of creating self-worth, status, and values.
What are the problems with labelling theory?
The labelling theory is deterministic as it implies once someone is labelled, a negative effect will occur. It ignores that some pupils deny their labels.
According to Gillbourn and Youdell, what is the educational triage?
This is when schools sort students into 3 sections; middle class who will achieve anyway, working class that are ignored and will fail, and middle class underachievers
