Differential Achievement and Class (Internal) Flashcards
Labelling
The process in which students are assigned certain characteristics or identifies by authorities figures, often based on stereotypes or preconceived notions. This can have an effect on their self perception and can make students fall into either a self-fulfilling prophecy (live up to the label) or self-negating prophecy (rebel against the label).
The Ideal Student Concept
Becker (1971) did a study on labelling by interviewing 60 Chicago high school teachers. Teachers judged pupils according to how closely they fitted an image of the ‘ideal pupil.’ Teachers based their label on the conduct, dress and work of pupils. MC were closest to ideal student whereas WC were the furthest away as they were seen as badly behaved.
Views of the Ideal Student
Hempel-Jorgensen (2009) studied 2 English primary schools for what they viewed as the ‘ideal student.’
The working class school had a major discipline issue, the ideal students was defined by behaviour not ability (e.g. quiet, passive and docile).
As the middle class school had few discipline issues and viewed the ‘ideal student’ by academic ability and personality, rather than behaviour.
The Self - Fulfilling Prophecy
Through Labelling students can conform to the predictions that their teachers have made of them, negative or positive.
Stage 1 - Teacher labels a student.
Stage 2 - Teacher teaches the student accordingly.
Stage 3 - Students internalises the teachers expectation and it becomes part of their self-image as they conform towards it.
How Labels Can Change Student Progress
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) told a school they would to an IQ test to identify students who would ‘spurt’ ahead (‘spurters’).
They picked a random 20% of students and said they were the ‘spurters’ to the teachers.
A year later, those who had been labelled as ‘spurters’ made significant progress in education.
Streaming
Streaming is the process of separating students into different ability groups of classes called ‘streams’ - each group is taught separately from the others.
Streaming Based on Stereotypical Notions
Gillborn and Youdell (2001) studied 2 London Secondary Schools and found out that teachers use stereotypical notions of ‘ability’ to stream students.
Teachers are less likely to see WC and black pupils as having ability. They were placed in lower streams and entered for lower-tier GCSE’s. This widens the class gap in underachievement.
A-to-C Economy
The publishing of League Tables attracts parents and students, which give the school more funding.
Gillborn and Youdell believed that schools focus their time, effort and resources on pupils they see as having potential to get grade 5/C’s and above in order to boost the school’s League Table ranking.
Educational Triage
Gillborn and Youdell call this the Educational Triage as they believe school put students into one of 3 groups, stereotypical views influence this decision:
Students who can pass and achieve high grades regardless.
Students with potential , who are helped to get a grade C or above.
Students who are ‘hopeless cases’ and are left as they are doomed to fail.
Pupil Subcultures
Subcultures are a group of individuals within a cultural group who share similar values and behaviour patterns. School subcultures often emerge as a response to labelling by teachers or streaming.
Who Explains How Subcultures Develop?
Lacey (1970) explains how pupil subcultures develop.
Differentiation
The process of teachers categorising students according to how they perceive their attitude / ability / behaviour. This can be done through streaming.
Polarisation
The process of students responding to streaming by moving to 1 of 2 opposite pole or extremes. Streaming can polarise students into an anti-school subculture or a pro-school subculture.
