class differences in schools (internal) Flashcards
what is labelling?
teachers make assumptions about pupils and classify them accordingly.
judged on appearance, speech, politeness and enthusiasm
HOWARD BECKER - labelling interviews
argued teachers have a concept regarding what makes an ‘ideal pupil’
carried out interviews with 60 teachers and found that they judged pupils on how close they fitted this image
the middle class fitted this image, so received positive labels
DUNNE + GAZELEY - labelling
carried out interviews with secondary schools and found that teachers felt underachievement was normal for WC pupils
teachers also labelled WC parents as uninterested which led to teachers entering WC pupils for easier exams and failing to see their potential
MC underachievers were given extension work for support
conclusion: these assumptions contributed to WC underachievement
RAY RIST - primary labelling
study showed that labelling occurs from the outset of education
teacher used child’s appearence to place them in seperate groups
those presumed to be high achievers were named ‘tigers’ and given lots of encouragement
other two groups were called ‘cardinals’ and ‘clowns’ and were mostly from working class backgrounds. they were seated at the back and given little encouragement
what is the self-fulfilling prophecy
when a prediction about a person or group comes true simply because it was made
ROSENTHAL & JACOBSON - IQ test
told a school in the USA that they had an IQ test to identify ‘spurters’
it was an ordinary IQ test and they randomly selected 20% of pupils and claimed they were the ‘spurters’
within a year this 20% had made the most progress
R&J argued this demonstrates the self fulfilling prophecy
GILLBORN & YOUDELL - streaming and setting (education triage)
found teachers often place pupils in sets according to labels/stereotypes
unequal access to knowledge for foundation tier exams
teachers have high expectations for the top set pupils
working class pupils then suffer from self fulfilling prophecy
G+Y identify this as an educational triage - schools focus on the top sets as schools face pressure from the league tables
what are pupil subcultures?
cultures within a culture, with their own values and norms
often emerge as a response to labelling/streaming
anti-school subcultures are usually found in bottom sets (low self esteem, labelled as failures, gain symbolic capital by rejecting school)
COLIN LACY - differentiation and polarisation
DIFFERENTIATION
the process of teachers placing pupils into sets according to their perceived ability
POLARISATION
how pupils respond to streaming (pro/anti school subcultures)
higher sets stay committed to school values / low sets reject school system
STEPHEN BALL - streaming
argues we should abolish streaming in favour of mixed ability teaching to avoid polarisation and the formation of anti school subcultures
EVANS - class identity and self exclusion
found WC girls from sixth form were reluctant to apply for elite unis
didnt feel they would fit in - (their WC habitus beliefs about realistic opportunities)
strong attachment to locality
leads to self-exclusion
studies show that the middle class education system devalues the experiences and choices made by working class pupils
to be successful WC pupils must abandon their WC identity
what is habitus?
the learned, taken for granted ways of thinking and acting shared by a particular social class or group
it includes lifestyle and consumption patterns and beliefs about what is realistic for members of that group to aim for
schools have a middle class habitus and working class culture is seen as inferior
BOURDIEU - symbolic violence
schools devalue the working class habitus: their appearance, accents and tastes are all seen as worthless
working class pupils experience the world of education as alien and unnatural
to be successful working class children would have to change how they talk and present themselves (loose their identity)
ARCHER - nike identities
pupils feel schools look down on them aka symbolic violence
as a result of this pupils create their ‘own style’ as part of identity by investing heavily in branded clothing such as nike
these styles create self work aka symbolic capital and peer group acceptance
street culture and branded sportswear was seen as a key part of WC boys habitus
this is strongly gendered and girls adopt a hyper-heterosexual feminine style
nike identities are a form of exclusion and cause conflict with the schools middle class habitus and can lead to pupils being labelled as rebels and marginalised by the school
