Class Education Flashcards
(14 cards)
What does Bernstein (1971) say?
(Hint: how students speak affects how they perform)
Middle-class children use elaborated code (formal, clear)
Working-class children use restricted code (context-based, informal)
→ Schools operate in elaborated code, so WC pupils are misunderstood or underestimated, leading to underachievement.
Eval: Criticised for cultural determinism — Troyna & Williams say the issue is teacher bias against WC speech, not the language itself.
What does Bourdieu (1984) say?
Middle-class pupils have cultural capital (skills, attitudes, tastes) that match school expectations
WC pupils lack this and feel excluded or ‘wrong’
→ This leads to lower confidence, less engagement, and educational failure.
Eval: Sullivan (2001) supports this but says cultural capital alone doesn’t fully explain underachievement — economic capital also matters.
What does Becker (1971) say?
(Hint: teacher expectations matter)
Teachers have a stereotype of the “ideal pupil” – often middle-class
Working-class pupils are labelled negatively
→ Labels become internalised, affecting behaviour and achievement (self-fulfilling prophecy).
Eval: Fuller (1984) shows not all students accept labels — some black girls worked harder to reject low expectations.
What does Willis (1977) say?
(Hint: rebellion and long-term failure)
WC boys form anti-school subcultures, seeing school as pointless
They reject school values but still end up in WC jobs
→ Shows how rebellion reinforces social class inequality.
What does Lacey (1970) say?
(Hint: how grouping affects attitudes)
Streaming leads to polarisation – pupils in lower sets develop anti-school views
→ These students give up on trying, which limits their achievement.
What do Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) say?
(Hint: the power of belief in the classroom)
Teachers were told random students were “spurters”
Those students improved due to raised expectations
→ Teacher expectations can directly affect student achievement.
Eval: Ethically questionable experiment; also, not all pupils internalise these expectations — depends on individual resilience.
What does Sugarman (1970) say?
(Hint: values and ambition)
WC subculture values immediate gratification and fatalism
Education requires long-term planning and delayed rewards
→ This mismatch leads to lower motivation and early drop-out.
Middle-class children use elaborated code (formal, clear)
Working-class children use restricted code (context-based, informal)
→ Schools operate in elaborated code, so WC pupils are misunderstood or underestimated, leading to underachievement.
Eval: Criticised for cultural determinism — Troyna & Williams say the issue is teacher bias against WC speech, not the language itself.
What does Bernstein (1971) say?
(Hint: how students speak affects how they perform)
Middle-class pupils have cultural capital (skills, attitudes, tastes) that match school expectations
WC pupils lack this and feel excluded or ‘wrong’
→ This leads to lower confidence, less engagement, and educational failure.
Eval: Sullivan (2001) supports this but says cultural capital alone doesn’t fully explain underachievement — economic capital also matters.
What does Bourdieu (1984) say?
Teachers have a stereotype of the “ideal pupil” – often middle-class
Working-class pupils are labelled negatively
→ Labels become internalised, affecting behaviour and achievement (self-fulfilling prophecy).
Eval: Fuller (1984) shows not all students accept labels — some black girls worked harder to reject low expectations.
What does Becker (1971) say?
(Hint: teacher expectations matter)
WC boys form anti-school subcultures, seeing school as pointless
They reject school values but still end up in WC jobs
→ Shows how rebellion reinforces social class inequality.
What does Willis (1977) say?
(Hint: rebellion and long-term failure)
Streaming leads to polarisation – pupils in lower sets develop anti-school views
→ These students give up on trying, which limits their achievement.
What does Lacey (1970) say?
(Hint: how grouping affects attitudes)
Teachers were told random students were “spurters”
Those students improved due to raised expectations
→ Teacher expectations can directly affect student achievement.
Eval: Ethically questionable experiment; also, not all pupils internalise these expectations — depends on individual resilience.
What do Rosenthal & Jacobson (1968) say?
(Hint: the power of belief in the classroom)
WC subculture values immediate gratification and fatalism
Education requires long-term planning and delayed rewards
→ This mismatch leads to lower motivation and early drop-out.
What does Sugarman (1970) say?
(Hint: values and ambition)
