Class: Inside Of School Factors, Pupil Subcultures

Question 1

Hargreaves

Answer 1

• found two main subcultures in a single sex modern school; conformist subculture (boys who worked hard, followed school rules and tried to achieve success) and delinquent subcultures (boys who rejected values of the school and achieved status through rebelling)
• selection of streams was closely related to behaviour, the more the top streams were rewarded for behaviour, the more they conformed to this and achieved well
• boys in lower streams suffered sense of status frustration and created an anti school subculture where they could gain status amongst their peers

Question 2

Mac an ghail

Answer 2

• Identified a number of male peer groups among your 11 students such as academic achievers, macho lads, new enterprise, real Englishman
• Suggest that alongside pro and anti-school subculture there are other peer groups which may have more mixed attitudes towards schooling

Question 3

Willis

Answer 3

• examined the 12 working class boys to understand why working class kids get working class jobs
• found evidence of counter school culture shop floor culture, resistance and social reproduction, hegemonic masculinity, preparation for work and the influence of home backgrounds
• highlights how anti-school subculture is rooted in working class culture and reinforce within school environment can lead to the achievement of working class peoples