Class Internal Factors Flashcards
What is labelling?
To attach a definition or meaning to someone
Labelling in primary schools
Rit’s study of an American kindergarten
M/C labelled as tigers -> put on tables closer to teacher and shown greater encouragement
W/C labelled as clowns -> put on tables further away, given lower level resources and less opportunity to show ability
Labelling in secondary school
Dunne et al
Teacher set catch up for M/C that are failing but entered failing w/c in for lower exams -> underestimate their ability/ potential
Teachers normalise underachieving in the W/C -> main reason cos of home bg -> W/C parents labelled as uninterested in kids ed but M/C is labelled supportive cos can pay for extra tutoring
What did Becker say about the ‘ideal pupil’?
Studied 60 Chicago high-school teachers -> they based opinion of pupils on how close they matched ‘ideal pupil’ stereotypes
Work, appearance and conduct = key factors in judgment
M/C closest to stereotypes cos W/C seen as badly behaved
What did Helmple-Jorgensen say about ‘ideal pupil’
Studied 2 English primary schools
Found teachers have different ideas of ideal pupils
Aspen
In W/C primary ideal pupil was passive quiet and obedient cos of lots of bad behaviour
Rowan
In M/C ideal pupil based on personality and academic ability cos low behav probs
Criticisms of labelling
Assumes kids have no choice but to accept label -> fuller et al Black girls overcame lower set label
Doesn’t explain why teachers label kids
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy
When a person has internalised and let the label come true
What are the steps to the self-fulfilling prophecy
- Pupil is labelled by teacher
- Reacher treats pupil according to label and acts as though label is true
- Pupil internalises label and it become part of their self image
Teacher expectations - self-fulfilling prophecy
Rosenthal et al
Gave pupils normal IQ test but told teachers those that did better were ‘spurters’
20% picked at random to be ‘spurters’ -> when returned year later 1/2 the ‘spurters’had improved significantly
Believed that results influenced by teachers belief bout the test.
Shows interactionalist principle : what ppl believe true will have real affects
Streaming - self-fulfilling prophecy
When kids placed in a lower set they are basically trapped ~ get the message that they are no-hopers but M/C benefit cos ideal pupil
Douglas’s found those in lower ste suffered decline in IQ
The A - C economy (Gilbourn et al)
Focuses on those that will get at least 5 Cs to boost league table position
Links to educational triage
. Those that will always pass
. Border C/D - targeted for help
. Hopeless cases
Likely to be labelled at 11 as one of these. It’s used to segregate them into the bottom set
Pupil subcultures ~ Lacey
. Differentiation = kids sorted on ability eg streaming
. Polarisation = respond to streaming by moving to one of two poles
. Pro-school - in high sets and committed to sch values
. Anti-achool - in lower sets and sch places inferior status on them ->leads to self-fulfilling prophecy
Abolishing streaming ~ Ball
Found getting rid of it meant less moving to extreme poles
Differentiation still happened
. M/C labelled as cooperative so got better exams
Shows class inequ still cont cos of teacher labelling
Pupil responses ~ Wood
. Itergration - teachers pet
. Ritualism - going through the motions and staying out of trouble
. Rebellion - rejecting all that sch stands for
. Furlong - not committed to one response ->changes depending on class and teacher
Pupil class ID and the school
Habitus
The ways thinking and acting shares in a class -> groups formed in response of its position in the class structure
M/C have the power to impose theirs on ed which gives M/C students the advantage
