Class differences in Education Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is a child from a working class background more likely to do?
start school unable to read.
fall behind in reading, writing numeracy.
suffer from mental health problems, illness, poor attendance + poor performance.
be placed in lower sets.
study vocational subjects.
achieve lower scores in SATs + GCSEs.
attend a failing school.
What is a child from a working class background less likely to do?
be in a nursery/ preschool play group.
leave school with 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE.
progress to university.
What are the theories of material deprivation?
linked to economic poverty.
lack of financial resources/ facilities which would enhance educational progress.
low income creates a barrier to learning.
overall, WC kids are disadvantaged.
What are examples of material deprivation?
inability to afford: books stationary uniform transport school meals
overcrowding in the home
no access to the internet
no heating, mould on the walls (effects health)
Statistic to show poverty is closely linked to educational achievement:
90% of failing schools are located in economically deprived areas.
Research has shown that economic poverty is not a recipe for educational success.
How is housing an example of material deprivation?
overcrowding - harder to study, do h/w + lead to disturbed sleep from sharing bedrooms.
poor housing effect on child’s health + wealth fare leading to more accidents.
cold/damp housing - ill health .
Temporary accommodation - child suffers from phycological distress, schooling disruption.
How does diet and health link to material deprivation in education ?
HOWARD (2001) - young people from poorer homes have a lower intake of energy, vitamins + minerals. Poor nutrition affects health + weakens immune system - lowering energy levels. this leads to difficulty concentrating in class + more absences from school from school likely to have emotional/ behavioural problems.
WILKINSON (1996) - among 10 yr olds, the lower the social class, the higher the rate of hyper-activity, anxiety + conduct disorders . all of which are likely to have negative effects on education.
BLANDEN AND MACHIN (2007) - children from low income families more likely to engage in externalising behaviour (fighting + temper tantrums) which disrupts their schooling.
How does finance link to material deprivation in education?
TANNER ET AL (2003) - found costs of items such as transport, uniforms, books, art equipment etc. place heavy burden on poor families.
SMITH AND NOBLE (1995) - poverty acts as a barrier to learning in other ways eg. inability to afford private education, tutoring + poorer quality schools.
RIDGE (2002) - children in poverty are more likely to take on jobs that have negative impacts on school work.
Going to Uni involves getting into great debt to cover tuition fees, books + living expenses. attitudes towards debt may deter WC students from going to uni.
CALLANDER + JACKSON (2005) - Their research found WC students more debt-averse + saw more costs than benefits from going to uni.
What is the theory of cultural deprivation?
linked to home + cultural background/ parental values.
its the view that, as a result of socialisation patterns, WC parents don’t instil encouragement to be aspirational + ambitious. WC is understood as ‘inadequate’ - fails to nurture, stimulate + enrich educational interest. Therefore, WC children lack the ‘cultural equipment’ essential for educational success, therefore at an disadvantage.
What are some examples of cultural deprivation?
Lack of emphasis on education + learning.
lack of cultural environment (travel to different places, visiting museums/ galleries).
A ‘book poor’ home - little access to reading material.
lack of intellectual stimulation.
What is intellectual development ?
refers to development of thinking + reasoning skills. eg, the ability to solve problems + use ideas/ concepts.
WC lack books, educational toys + activities that would stimulate a child’s intellectual development.
They start school w/o having developed the intellectual skills required to progress.
BERNSTEIN + YOUNG (1967) : intellectual development
MC mothers are more likely to choose toys that encourage thinking + reasoning skills + prepare children for school.
What does DOUGLAS say about attitudes + values in educational achievement ?
How are BLACKSTONE + MARTIME (1994) critical of this?
he claims that the most important factor affecting educational progress was the degree of parental interest shown in the child’s education. MC parents take a greater interest in their children’s education and value it more - which motivates children to do well.
this is shown through parents: helping with h/w, attending parents evenings etc.
EVALUATION
they argue WC parents are less likely to access school events because of transport costs, work shift patterns, child care costs for younger siblings.
SUGARMANN (1970) on how class differences in attitudes and values contribute to cultural deprivation:
he argues that the WC subculture has key features that act as a barrier to educational success:
present time orientation > Thinking + living in the present. contrasts future time orientation which planning/ thinking of the future. WC = present time (the absence of a career structure) and MC = future time (encouraging/aspirational)/
immediate gratification > wanting benefits rewards now. contrasts deferred gratification which is sacrificing short term rewards for longer term benefits + rewards in the future.
fatalism > belief that you cannot change how things are. They are pre - determined and predestined. contrasts activism.
collectivism > group collective effort is required to generate change. contrasts individualism - emphasises you being in charge. control. WC may join trade unions to help promote change.
SUGARMANN claims that differences in the workplace reflect differences in attitudes and values. These differences are internalised and pass down onto the next generation through the socialisation process. the subcultural values of the working class place them at a distinct disadvantage in the education system because they clash with MC values and the ethos of the school. School is an extension of MC values - therefore mc pupils equipped for success.
Research by HYMANN (1967) on the values of the working class:
he found that values of the WC act as a self-imposed barrier to educational and career success.
they believe they have less oppurtunity for individual advancement and place less value on achieving high status jobs - so they see no point in education. Subcultural beliefs and values place a greater value on securing a good steady job straight from school.
BEREITER + ENGLEMAN (1966) on the importance of differences in language and how they contribute to cultural deprivation:
they claim that language used in lower class homes is deficient - children fail to develop necessary language skills required in school. because of the importance of speech to communication + learning, it affects our capacity to be educated and to articulate our understanding. therefore cause great implications on our educational achievement.
What is BERNSTEIN’S (1975) socio-linguistic theory?
He sought to explain how a person’s social class position shapes the SPEECH CODES that people use. He distinguished two types of speech codes:
THE ELABORATED CODE: accurate delivery of info, more complex, wide range of vocab, more complex, explicit. the code used in education. the ‘correct’ way to speak + write.
THE RESTRICTED CODE: short sentences, unfinished, grammatically single, implicit.
the elaborated code is vital for educational success. it is more effective for explicitly conveying meaning, analysing info, for logically + rationally developing an argument. middle class children (as frequent users of the elaborate code) will therefore feel at home in a school setting and for that reason are more likely to succeed. WC children are likely to feel excluded, are less successful as schools fail to teach them the elaborate code.
What is cultural capital?
This refers to knowledge, attitudes + values, tastes + abilities of the MC.
Kids acquire an understanding of what the education system requires for success. ~
MC culture gives advantage to those who possess it.
What are examples of cultural capital?
the opposite of culturally deprived.
includes:
appreciation for the arts, culture, lit, politics.
how they’re socialised
food, travel (being able to afford opportunities to experience other cultures), reading, keeping up with affairs, visiting museums.
BOURDIEU’s (1977) distinctive cultural explanation for the differences in attainment between the social classes:
He doesn't blame the WC for cultural inequality that passes from one generation to the next. He blames the class system for giving MC pupils advantages that enables them to succeed in education. he uses the term CULTURAL CAPITAL to refer to knowledge, attitudes, values, abilities of the middle class - which they gain through their privalleged upbringing. the middle class pupils with cultural capital are likely to meeet the demands of scchool curriculum + reward with qualifications > educational capital. schools are not neutral places - they are biased in favour of the middle class. schools reproduce culture of the dominant class. kids in the upper and middle classes have an inbuilt advantage > their culture has capital. WC pupils feel devalued and rejected. they respond by truanting (skivving).
Sullivan (2001): cultural capital
she tests bordieau ideas by using questionaires ti cinduct a survey of 465 pupils in 4 schools. To asssess cultural capital, she asked them about a range of activities: reading, TV viewing habits and wether they visited galleries, museums and the theatre. she also tested their vocab/ knowledge of cultural figures. she found those who read complex fiction and watched serious documentries developed higher vocab and greater cultural knowledge, indicating greater cultural capital. the children with greatest cultural capital were children of graduates and these pupils were more likely to be successful at GCSE and middle class.
Evaluation of the theories of cultural capital:
this theory makes huge generalisations or assumptions. just as all the working class are not the same, not all middle class are the same. too many stereotypes. alot of the research was conducted in the 60s/70s seen as outdated. society has changed more qualifications. the heavy made industry has been desonated (Margret Thatcher) thereforem more wc pupils are inclined to stay in school.
what are the criticisms of the cultural and deprivation theories?
KEDDIE (1973) - describes the cultural deprivation theory as a myth. she dismisses the idea that failure at school can be blamed on a culturally deprived home background, arguing that a child cannot be deprived of its own culture (everyone has there own culture so they cannot be deprived of it). she argues WC children are culturally different, not culturally deprived. the reason they’re failing is because they are put at a disadvantage by an education system that is dominated by MC values.
KEDDIE: claims its victum blaming - it deflects attention away from problems children face IN school and blames their home background, rather than focusing on discrimination in schools and teachers anti-working class prejudices.
Troyna and Williams (1986): critique view that WC speech is restricted and inadequate. they claim that the problem is not the working class language but schools attitude towards it. claim teachers have 'speech hierarchy'. they label MC speech highest and Wc speech lowest.
BLACAKSTONE + MORTIMORE (1994): recognise WC parents may attend fewer parents’ evenings etc. however, argue this is not because they lack interest, but because they work longer or irregular hours and would lose income if they took time off work. plus may want to help their child progress but lack the education to do so . also some evidence schools with predominantly working class pupils have less effective systems of parent-school contacts, difficult for parents to stay in touch.
The interactionist theory on education: summary
interactionists working within social action approach - interpretive sociology. they have shifted the focus of analysis onto the processes internal to the school. through detailed, in-depth, qualitaitive studies, they have illuminated the way schools and figures with them contribute to differences in achiement.
they attempt to understand the meanig of interaction and how individuals define situations, how they see themselves. to them, your SELF_CONCEPT is produced in your interactions with others (how you see yourself is partly formed by the view that you think others have of you).
also argue PUPILS SELF CONCEPT is influenced by teachers and other pupils. drawing on concept of labelling , believe teachers have specific expectations of pupils + more general expectations of streams + sets. when labels become fixed, the teacher starts to interpret a pupil’s behaviour in light of the label. this effects the SELF_CONCEPT of an individual - they may begin to act in terms of it. when a person conforms to the label applied to them, a SELF_FUFILLING PROPHECY occurs.
