unit 1A - topic 2 - secondary socialisation

Question 1

How does education play a role in secondary socialisation?

Answer 1

Formal curriculum teaches timetabled lessons (maths etc).
Hidden curriculum unofficially teaches background assumptions and expectations of school, and norms and values of wider society (sanctions, rules, peer groups, school motto etc.)

Question 2

What do functionalists believe about the hidden curriculum?

Answer 2

Teaches value consensus to increase social cohesion and sense of solidarity in young people. Everyone learns a similar hidden curriculum and therefore are socialised similarly. Hidden curriculum = positive form of social control.

Question 3

What do marxists believe about the hidden curriculum?

Answer 3

Neo-marxists Bowles and Gintis (1976) - correspondence principle.
Hidden curriculum teaches norms and values that correspond with the workplace, benefiting capitalism.
Teaches acceptance of HIERARCHY, motivation by EXTERNAL REWARDS, passive SUBSERVIENCE: this creates IDEAL WORKFORCE.

Myth of meritocracy: school doesn’t actually treat everyone equally. Working class students are treated badly by education system, but hidden curriculum makes them believe it is their fault.

Question 4

Discuss a study that supports the idea that meritocracy is a myth

Answer 4

Sutton Trust (2005-2019)

People in top jobs 5x more likely to come from private school.
1/3 of MPs went to private school (7% of whole pop.)
27% of MPs went to Oxbridge.

So, paying for more expensive education —> better paying / higher status job.

Question 5

What is a peer group?

Answer 5

Group of roughly same age and social status. Likely to influence each others’ decisions.

Question 6

What positive functions do peer groups perform for members?

Answer 6

Emotional support
Role modelling
Friendship
Fun

Question 7

Hey (1997)

Answer 7

Peer groups in working/middle class teenage girls use INFORMAL SANCTIONS.
:( Negative sanctions: insults, excluding deviant peers

Cliques according to Class:
WC: ‘slag’ insult used for promiscuity. Dressed more provocatively, more makeup.
MC: encouraged being sexually adventurous. Casual dress.

ANIMOSITY BETWEEN GROUPS!

Question 8

Poole (2002)

Answer 8

Influence of Islamaphobia in the media.

Group 1: had diverse circle, Muslim friends. More likely to reject Islamaphobic news, believing they are exaggerations.
Group 2: no Muslim friends. More likely to believe links made between Islam and terrorism, thinking Muslim people = dangerous.

So, peer group is MORE influential than media (although media is powerful to non multicultural groups)

Question 9

Smith et al (2008)

Answer 9

CYBERBULLYING.
Peer groups HIGHLY influential, both +tive and -tive

20% teens experienced CYBUL.
1/3 victims kept CYBUL. secret.
Girls more than boys.

Sample: questionnaire 100 teens in 14 schools, yr 7-10.

Megan Meier, Ryan Halligan, Rebbeca Sedwick all committed suicide bc of cyberbullying

Question 10

Turkle (2011)

Answer 10

ALONE TOGETHER

Digital world + addiction to social media isolates us —> less satisfying communication —> breakdown of face-to-face relationships.

Parents = bad role models, using phones too much in front of children. Setting disconnectedness as the NORM!

Goldilocks Effect: physically together, mentally alone. Relationships are in the inbetween.

Question 11

Walter (2010)

Answer 11

LIVING DOLLS: negative impact of media on women.

New sexism: women judged on physical appearance more.
—> HYPERSEXUAL CULTURE, OBJECTIFICATION of women

Internet + media allow:
-pornography, sexualised images of women (UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS)
-emphasis on clothes, plastic surgery (EATING DISORDERS)

Increasing pressure to look GOOD for MEN.

Question 12

Hakim

Answer 12

Post-feminism

CRITIQUES WALTER: women exercising sexual FREEDOM online. CHOOSING a hypersexual culture.
Break away from traditional views on women!
men AND women should USE their sexual capital for their own gain (e.g. popularity, careers)

Question 13

Sewell (1997)

Answer 13

Media shaped ethnic identities.

African-Caribbean male youth: rap stars = role models, resulting in HYPER-MASCULINE and GANGSTA values.
Results in under-achievement in school and EXCLUSION rates ^

Rap stars compensate for lack of father figure (50% Black British families r single parent)

Encouraging CONSUMER CULTURE, HYPERSEXUALITY, GANG CULTURE, MISOGYNY etc.

Question 14

Nayak

Answer 14

CRITIQUING SEWELL!

Rap culture influences ALL ethnicities.
White boys influenced by black street culture AS WELL.

Question 15

How does religion play a role in secondary socialisation?

Answer 15

Offers MORAL VALUES (influencing values, social attitudes, behaviour).
Offers RITUALS + CEREMONIES (creating social unity, reinforcing identity + community)
Offers DISTINCTIVE NORMS

Question 16

Burchill (2000)

Answer 16

MOBILE PRISONS!!!

Critical of hijab, saying it is repressive SOCIAL CONTROL.
Qu’ran says women should exercise modesty, men have misinterpreted this as having to cover up women physically. Controlling women, reinforcing PATRIARCHY.

Question 17

Watson (1994)

Answer 17

Counters Burchill.

Veil = symbol of FREEDOM not oppression.
Hijab = CHOICE used to liberate women from male gaze. Not imposed by male family members.

Question 18

Ghuman (1999)

Answer 18

Primary socialisation differs with ETHNICITY + RELIGION.

1st gen Asian parents (often Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam) raise children:
- values of obedience, respecting elders, humility
- social conformity, collectivism, interdependence
- religion
- dangers of dating etc
- mothertongue crucial
Taught via DELIBERATE INSTRUCTION

Question 19

Modood (2nd/3rd gen children)

Answer 19

CRITIQUING GHUMAN

2nd/3rd gen immigrant children moving AWAY FROM TRADITION. Rebelling against parents’ expectations
(e.g. sex before marriage).

Question 20

What is the relationship between religion and age?

Answer 20

OLDER more LIKELY to be RELIGIOUS.
With increasing secularisation, younger generations less likely to be religious.
Religion helps deal with LIFE CRISES which are faced by older people more (e.g. death of peers)

Question 21

Bruce (2002) - religion

Answer 21

CULTURAL DEFENCE.

Older people use religion to HOLD ON to TRADITION. World is changing too fast, confusing, but religious norms and values provide STABILITY. Feeling of SAFETY, ‘defence’.

Religion reinforces norm of CONSERVATISM in OLD AGE.
Reinforces identity of older people as RESISTANT TO CHANGE.

Question 22

What is secularisation and how prominent is it in Britain?

Answer 22

Society’s long term move AWAY from RELIGIOUS beliefs/practices. Towards secular, non-religious insitutions.

Many think Britain is secular, BUT 58% of people in 2011 said they believe in God.

Question 23

What is occupational socialisation?

Answer 23

Type of Sec. Soc. where employees learn a NEW set of norms/values in order to FIT IN and be COMPETENT in a NEW WORKPLACE.

Question 24

Describe the two types of occupational socialisation?

Answer 24

FORMAL SOC. — management take official and intentional responsibility, e.g. training courses/dress codes.
INFORMAL SOC. — peer groups, unofficial culture. Rituals + norms (may not be approved of by management) e.g. jokes on newcomers.

Question 25

What is a glass ceiling?

Answer 25

INVISIBLE barrier of institutional MISOGYNY that prevents women from reaching top jobs. They can see their male colleagues rise ahead of them but can’t themselves.

Question 26

Gannon (1999) - Women and Ageing

Answer 26

Glass ceiling for OLDER women in particular.

Discriminated bc of AGE + GENDER.
STATUS REDUCED after MENOPAUSE— links to society seeing womens’ value based on sexuality and child bearing.
Informal social control for women.

Question 27

What is canteen culture?

Answer 27

INFORMAL culture of POLICE officers as they hang around station + spend off-duty hours together.

Question 28

Waddington (1999) - canteen culture

Answer 28

POSITIVE: listening to ‘war stories’, sharing practical advice, etc.
— deal with STRESS
— boosts occupational SELF-ESTEEM
— reinforces sense of MISSION

NEGATIVE: low-level racism, homophobia, misogyny etc.

Question 29

What is resocialisation?

Answer 29

Process of socialising an individual AGAIN caused by a change in situation (e.g workplace), teaching them NEW norms and values.

Question 30

Skeggs (1997)

Answer 30

RE-SOCIALISATION:

working class women retraining to become health care workers. Dressing style changed: more demure, less makeup, to FIT IN with new role.

Gender and class have a link.

Question 31

Describe and evaluate Hey’s methodology

Answer 31

Ethnography. Qualititative methods. Interviews, overt non-participant observation.

GOOD: qualitative methods allow more detail, explanation, validity; ethnography allows relationship of trust to be built; respondent validation
BAD: Observer effect? Cherry picking/researcher imposition?