Topic 4: Education attainment + social class Flashcards
Introduction?
Over the past 10-15 years, education in the UK has seen many changes. It’s clear that social background, not intelligence, significantly influences educational attainment, as intelligence is equally distributed across classes, genders, and ethnicities. However, working-class boys and some ethnic groups tend to achieve lower results compared to children from professional families, girls, and other ethnic groups.
Britain is a class-based society, and the idea of equal opportunity is often seen as a myth. Those born into lower social classes face limited chances of escaping hardship, while wealthier families often succeed. Sociologists typically categorize people into middle and working classes based on education, job type, and social background. Those from poorer backgrounds, such as those on free school meals, tend to have lower educational outcomes, which is reflected in government data.
Parents and attitudes to schools?
Most parents want their children to succeed in school, understanding that a good education leads to better life chances. Generally, those with higher education enjoy better health, housing, and opportunities. Parents view qualifications as the key to success. The government is concerned about ensuring all pupils, especially from working-class backgrounds, do well, as there is often a “wastage” of talent needed for a skilled workforce.
Cause of underattainment among working class pupils?
Sociologists propose various theories to explain the underachievement of working-class pupils, with conclusions shaped by their perspectives on how society functions.
Functionalists?
They claim that working class fails because schools are meritocratic + therefore they must not be the best pupils.
Marxists?
They believe that the education system exists to legitimise ruling class power,therefore the education system is biased against the working class + it exist only to oppress the poor pupils.
Interactionists?
They view schools as middle class insitutitions that teaches label working class children as failures.
Therefore children live up to their labels by failing
Further reasons to account for working class failure?
Working-class failure in education is often linked to material deprivation, such as lack of money for books, computers, or a suitable workspace. Poor housing quality and illness-related absences also contribute. Research by Smith and Noble (1995) highlights these challenges, while Leon Feinstein (2003) connects poor nutrition during pregnancy to lower achievement. Government data (2009) also suggests family stress as a significant factor in school failure.
Cultural deprivation?
Cultural deprivation theory suggests that working-class children have less cultural capital than middle-class children, which affects their education. Critics argue that this theory assumes working-class culture is inferior. Basil Bernstein controversially linked language skills to educational outcomes, claiming working-class children have lower language abilities. Douglas (1960s) suggested that working-class parents undervalue education and fail to read to their children, contributing to underachievement.
Cultural capital?
Cultural capital, a Marxist theory by Pierre Bourdieu (1970s), suggests that middle-class families possess knowledge and skills that benefit their children, such as influencing school policies, choosing the best schools, and interacting with teachers. Working-class families lack these skills, which limits their ability to support their children’s education
Cultiral reproduction theory?
Cultural reproduction theory, proposed by Bowles and Gintis (1976), argues that schools are middle-class institutions that socialize children to adopt capitalist norms and values. Their “correspondence principle” suggests that schools mirror the workplace, training working-class children for subordinate, low-status jobs.
School organisation?
Government research (2014) suggests that the issue lies within schools, as working-class children in “outstanding” schools are twice as likely to achieve 5 A* to C GCSEs compared to those in “satisfactory” schools. The research advocates for recruiting high-quality teachers, though poor schools struggle with funding, making recruitment difficult. It also claims that teachers often have low expectations of working-class pupils and suggests that teachers improve their skills and the school day be extended.
Labelling theories and self fulfilling prophecy?
Labelling theory suggests that teachers label working-class children as failures, which affects their self-identity. Becker (1952) supported this, and Ball (1981) noted that schools often group students based on behavior rather than ability. Goodacre (1986) found that working-class children were often undermarked. This can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, where children accept their negative labels. However, Sophia Mirza criticized this, arguing that children can reject negative labels. Some students form subcultures, rejecting school norms and gaining status through “bad” behavior, as suggested by Jackson (2002), particularly in response to overtesting and the pressure of educational success.
