Anti-School Subcultures Flashcards
(25 cards)
Definition
Groups of students who reject school norms and values.
Key Sociologists
Paul Willis (1977)
Colin Lacey (1970)
Hargreaves (1967)
Paul Willis (1977)
“Learning to Labour” – working-class ‘lads’ reject school and see manual labour as superior.
Colin Lacey (1970)
Differentiation and polarisation lead to subcultures (e.g., pro-school vs anti-school)
Hargreaves (1967) - main
Streaming/setting creates labels that push students into anti-school subcultures.
Reasons for Development
- Labelling and streaming.
- Lack of success in mainstream education.
- Resistance to authority.
Consequences
- Reinforces class and educational inequality.
- Leads to underachievement.
Pupils who have been labelled or find themselves in the lowest sets are
also likely to
form anti-school subcultures
Hargreaves
studied streams in a secondary school
found that students in lower streams labelled as troublemakers rebelled against the values of the school.
They developed a non-conformist delinquent subculture in which getting in trouble was valued by their peers, doing HW and conforming were looked down upon
Willis
studied the ‘lads’. A group of working class boys who were disruptive, misbehaved and had a very negative attitude to education
Willi’s - what did the lads have
an anti-school subculture - they saw little point in
school work as they were going to take manual labouring jobs
willis - streaming and labelling
argued that streaming and labelling made
little difference
willis - what shaped the ‘lads’ attitudes
the class structure and subculture that shaped their attitudes ( not the way teachers treated them or the way schools were organised)
SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY
the concept which states that students become their label
Lacey - main
proposes that children placed in lower sets will instead ‘succeed’ by forming anti-school subcultures and misbehaving
“anti-school subculture”
- a group of students who reject the norms, values, and behaviors of the school environment and actively resist its educational goals.
- often have their own set of norms and values that are in direct opposition to those of the school
- leading to behaviors like truancy, disrespect for teachers, and academic underachievement.
Reasons for joining anti-school subculture
- Marginalization
- Labelling
- Cultural backgrounds
- Crisis of masculinity
- feminised education system
Marginalization
Feeling excluded or disadvantaged by the school syste
Labelling
Being negatively labelled by the school (e.g., as failures).
Cultural backgrounds
Cultural factors can influence students’ experiences and perceptions of education.
Crisis of masculinity
Some researchers suggest that the crisis of masculinity can contribute to anti-school subcultures among male students.
Anti-school subcultures are
difficult to…
access – researchers will be seen as
‘teachers in disguise’, particularly if they come
from more middle class backgrounds.
Labelling is often assumed to be
a …
reason for anti-school sub-
cultures and as such anti-school
subcultures will be wary of researchers
This subculture typically forms as a reaction against the…
- authority of the school and the teachers
- and it may be influenced by a desire for social acceptance or status among peers.
