Class Differences In Achievement EXTERNAL

Question 1

What are the 3 external factors for class differences in achievement?

Answer 1

1. Cultural deprivation
2. Material deprivation
3. Cultural capital

Question 2

Cultural deprivation definition

Answer 2

Theory that many working class and black children are inadequately socialised leading to them being culturally deprived and therefore lack the right culture needed for educational success

Question 3

Cultural capital definition

Answer 3

The knowledge, attitudes, values, language and abilities that the middle class transmit to their children. Bourdieu argues that educational success is largely based on possession of cultural capital, thus giving middle class children an advantage.

Question 4

Material deprivation definition

Answer 4

Poverty; a lack of basic necessities
In education, the material deprivation theory explains working class underachievement as the result of a lack of resources.

Question 5

Which sociologist focused on speech codes and language and when?

Answer 5

Bernstein 1975

Question 6

Speech codes

Answer 6

• restricted code: used by w/c, limited vocab, short simple sentences, context bound
• elaborated code: used by m/c, wider vocab, longer more complex sentences, context free
• elaborated code used in schools and by teachers giving m/c advantage and making them more likely to succeed

Question 7

Which sociologists argued that parents education is a key factor in children’s achievement?

Answer 7

DOUGLAS 1964
FEINSTEIN 2008

Question 8

DOUGLAS 1964 (parents education) CD

Answer 8

DOUGLAS 1964 found working class parents placed less value on education and were less ambitious for their children (visited schools less often, less likely to discuss children’s progress with teachers) so children had lower levels of motivation and achievement

Question 9

FEINSTEIN 2008 (parents education)

Answer 9

Argued parents education is the most important factor and since middle class parents tend to be better educated their children gain an advantage

Question 10

Who agrees that the working class subculture acts as a barrier to educational achievement?

Answer 10

Sugarman 1970

Question 11

Subculture definition

Answer 11

A group whose attitudes and values differ from those of the mainstream culture

Question 12

What are the 4 key features of the working class subculture?

Answer 12

1. Fatalism
2. Collectivism
3. Immediate gratification
4. Present time orientation

Question 13

Working class subculture overview

Answer 13

-Large sections of the w/c have different beliefs and attitudes from the rest of society and this is why their children fail at school
- w/c children internalise the beliefs of their subculture through the socialisation process and this results in them underachieving
- m/c values equip children for success whereas w/c values fail to do so

Question 14

Parenting style (Feinstein)

Answer 14

educated parents emphasises discipline and high expectations which supports achievement. Less educated parents have inconsistent discipline which means children have poorer motivation and problems interacting with teachers.

Question 15

Parents educational behaviours (Feinstein)

Answer 15

educated parents more aware of what helps children progress (form good relationships with teachers, value educational visits)

Question 16

Language parents education (Feinstein)

Answer 16

educated parents more likely to use praise which encourages their child whereas less educated parents use language in was that require children to make simple statements and this results in lower performance.

Question 17

Use of income (Feinstein)

Answer 17

educated parents spend their income in ways that promote their children’s educational success (educational toys, books) whereas w/c homes lack thee resources so children start school without the intellectual skills

Question 18

Fatalism

Answer 18

Belief in fate
- w/c believe there is nothing u can do to change ur status
- contrasts m/c who emphasise u can change ur position through ur own efforts

Question 19

Collectivism

Answer 19

Valuing being part of a group more than succeeding as an individual
- contrasts m/c view that u should not be held back by group loyalties

Question 20

Immediate gratification

Answer 20

Seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices to get rewards in the future
- contrasts m/c value of deferred gratification

Question 21

Present time orientation

Answer 21

Seeing the present as more important than the future so not having long term goals or plans
- contrasts m/c culture which has a future time orientation

Question 22

Why do the differences in values exist according to sugarman?

Answer 22

• m/c jobs are secure which encourages ambition and long term planning and effort into gaining qualifications
• w/c jobs less secure and have no career structure

Question 23

What is compensatory education?

Answer 23

Compensatory education programmes aim to tackle cd by providing extra resources to schools in deprived areas

They intervene early in the socialisation process to compensate for the deprivation they experience at home

Question 24

Compensatory education examples

Answer 24

• operation head start in the USA was a scheme to provide free pre school education in poorer areas in the 1960s
• in Britain, sure start and educational action zones were aimed at educating pre-school children in disadvantaged areas so when they go to school they can break the cycle of disadvantage

Question 25

Who described cultural deprivation as a myth?

Answer 25

Keddie 1973

Question 26

Keddie 1973

Answer 26

- describes cultural deprivation as a myth and sees it as a victim blaming explanation - dismisses the idea that failure at school can be blamed on a culturally deprived home background - argues w/c children fail because they are put at a disadvantage by an education system dominated by m/c values - argues that rather than seeing w/c culture as deficient, schools should recognise and build on its strengths and should challenge teachers anti- working class prejudices

Question 27

Housing (material deprivation)

Answer 27

- overcrowding/cold damp rooms means student has nowhere quiet to do hw and disturbed sleep from sharing rooms - homeless/temporary accommodation may mean frequent moves and changes of school and disrupted education - poor housing can cause ill health meaning more absences

Question 28

Diet and health (material deprivation)

Answer 28

- poor diet can lead to illness, absences and a lack of concentration due to hunger - HOWARD 2001 argues people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals - WILKINSON 1996 says there are higher rates of hyperactivity and behavioural disorders (negative effect on education) in children from poorer homes

Question 29

Financial support, costs of education & fear of debt (material deprivation)

Answer 29

- poorer families can afford fewer educational opportunities (trips, computers, tuition) and this may result in them feeling isolated or bullied - CALLENDER & JACKSON 2005 found w/c students are more debt averse and saw more costs than benefits in going to uni and this influenced their decisions to going to uni - more debt averse students (w/c) over 5 time less likely to apply to uni than debt tolerant students (m/c)

Question 30

What are the 3 types of capital?

Answer 30

1. Cultural 2. Educational 3. Economic

Question 31

Who proposed the idea of the 3 types of capitals?

Answer 31

Bourdieu 1984

Question 32

Cultural capital overview

Answer 32

- knowledge, values of middle class. Middle class culture is a type of capital as it gives an advantage to those who possess it - argues that through their socialisation middle class children have the ability to analyse and express abstract ideas so develop intellectual interests and understanding of what the education system requires for success (gives them an advantage) - education system not neutral and favours middle class culture - w/c finds school devalues their culture as inferior and their lack of cultural capital leads to exam failure and they feel as if education is not for them so they truant or not try

Question 33

Economic capital

Answer 33

The wealth that middle class families own

Question 34

Who tested Bourdieu’s ideas?

Answer 34

Sullivan 2001

Question 35

Sullivans research - testing cultural capital

Answer 35

- Sullivan used questionnaires to conduct a survey of pupils in 4 schools - to assess their cultural capital, she asked them about a range of activities (reading, tv habits, visiting museums) and tested their vocabulary and knowledge of cultural figures

Question 36

Sullivans findings

Answer 36

- found those who read complex fiction and watched serious to documentaries developed a wider vocabulary and greater cultural knowledge, indicating cultural capital - students with greatest cultural capital were children of graduates and were more likely to be successful at gcse

Question 37

Educational and economic capital

Answer 37

- Bourdieu argues that the 3 capitals can be converted into one another - m/c children have cultural capital so are better equipped to meet the demands of the curriculum and gain qualifications - wealthy m/c parents can convert their economic capital into educational capital by sending their children to private schools and paying for tuition

Question 38

Sullivans conclusions

Answer 38

- pupils with greater cultural capital tend to be m/c but cultural capital only accounts for part of the class difference in achievement - where pupils of different classes had the same level of cultural capital, m/c pupils still did better - greater resources and aspirations of m/c families explain the class gap in achievement