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education Flashcards

(100 cards)

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1
Q

what is the functionalist view of the role of education

A

education socialises individuals into shared norms and values (value consensus)

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2
Q

who argued that education acts as a bridge between family and wider society?

A

Parsons

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3
Q

what does meritocracy mean in the context of education?

A

everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed based on ability and effort

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4
Q

what are two key functions of education according to Durkheim?

A

social solidarity and specialist skills.

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5
Q

how does education create social solidarity?

A

by transmitting society’s culture from one generation to the next

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6
Q

Give one criticism of the functionalist view of education

A

it ignores inequalities and that not all students have equal opportunities

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7
Q

what do marxists believe is the main role of education

A

to reproduce and justify class inequalities

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8
Q

what is the ‘hidden curriculum’

A

informal learning of norms, values and beliefs outside formal lessons

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9
Q

according to Althusser, what does education act as?

A

Ideological State Apparatus

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10
Q

what is correspondence principle?

A

Bowles and Gintis’ idea that school mirrors the workplace

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11
Q

what is material deprivation?

A

lack of physical resources like adequate housing and diet

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12
Q

give an example of how material deprivation affects educational achievement

A

poor housing = lack of space to study = lower attainment

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13
Q

what is cultural deprivation?

A

lack of appropriate norms, values, knowledge to succeed in education

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14
Q

What did Bernstein say about speech codes?

A

working-class children use restricted code; middle-class use elaborated code

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15
Q

how does Bourdieu explain class differences in achievement?

A

through the concept of cultural capital

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16
Q

what is educational capital?

A

middle-class parents’ knowledge of how to support their child’s schooling

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17
Q

what does reay argue about working-class mothers and education?

A

they are less able to influence the schooling process compared to middle-class mothers

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18
Q

name one policy that tried to tackle class inequality in education?

A

Education Action Zones (New Labour)

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19
Q

are working class underachievements purely cultural?

A

no - structural inequalities like poverty matter too.

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20
Q

what is labelling theory?

A

teachers attach positive/negative labels to students based on social class.

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21
Q

which gender currently outperforms the other at most educational stages?

A

Girls

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22
Q

what internal factor has led to improved female achievement?

A

feminisation of education (Sewell)

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23
Q

what external factor has led to improved female achievement?

A

changing attitudes towards women (impact of feminism)

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24
Q

What did McRobbie’s study of magazines find?

A

shift from emphasis on marriage to emphasis on career for girls

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25
what does the decline in traditional male jobs suggest?
'crisis of masculinity' (Mac an Grail)
26
what is meant by "laddish subcultures"
anti=school male peer groups who devalue academic achievement
27
how has coursework benefitted girls?
girls are better organised and meet deadlines
28
are boys always underachieving?
no, middle class boys still succeed; working-class girls underachieve too
29
why might teachers treat boys and girls
gendered expectations of behaviour and performance
30
name a government policy aimed at improving boys' underachievement
raising boys' achievement project
31
which ethnic group tends to achieve the highest GCSE scores?
Chinese pupils
32
name two ethnic groups that tend to underachieve
Black Caribbean and Pakistani pupils
33
what is cultural racism?
assumption that white culture is superior to others
34
what did gillborn and yodel find about teacher's expectations?
teachers were quicker to discipline Black pupils
35
what is ethnocentric curriculum?
curriculum that values white, British culture over others.
36
give an example of how family structure can influence ethnicity and achievement.
Sewell - lack of 'father figures' in Black Caribbean families
37
what is compensatory education?
extra support for disadvantaged groups to 'make up' for deprivation
38
name one initiative to raise achievement among ethnic minorities
Operation Head Start (USA) EAL programs UK
39
what does the model minority myth argue?
asian pupils are seen as hardworking and successful, making inequalities
40
criticisms of cultural explanations
blames the victim- ignores racism and material deprivation
41
What is setting and streaming?
Placing students into groups based on ability for all or some subjects.
42
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
Students internalise teachers' labels and act accordingly.
43
What does Becker mean by the 'ideal pupil'?
Middle-class, white, female pupils who are hardworking and obedient.
44
What is pupil subculture?
Groups formed by pupils in response to labelling and school organisation.
45
. What did Ball find in his study of Beachside Comprehensive?
Streaming led to polarisation into pro- and anti-school subcultures.
46
What does marketisation mean?
Introduction of competition and choice into the education system.
47
What was Gillborn and Youdell’s concept of 'A-C economy'?
Schools focus on students who can achieve C grades to boost league tables.
48
What is educational triage?
Prioritising students based on their likelihood of success.
49
Give an AO3 criticism of marketisation.
Benefits middle-class families with cultural and material capital.
50
What does Ball argue happens without streaming?
Anti-school subcultures decline.
51
What was the aim of the 1944 Education Act?
To create meritocracy through the Tripartite System.
52
Name the three types of school created by the Tripartite System.
Grammar, Secondary Modern, Technical Schools.
53
Why was the Tripartite System criticised?
It reproduced class inequalities.
54
What was introduced by the 1965 Labour government?
Comprehensive schools.
55
What did the 1988 Education Reform Act introduce?
Marketisation, league tables, national curriculum.
56
What is parentocracy?
Power shifted to parents through school choice.
57
How has globalisation affected UK education?
Policies influenced by international comparisons (e.g., PISA tests).
58
What was an aim of New Labour policies (1997-2010)?
To promote equality of opportunity.
59
Name one policy under New Labour to help disadvantaged pupils.
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
60
What are free schools?
State-funded but set up and run by groups outside local authorities.
61
What is exogenous privatisation?
Outsourcing education services to private companies.
62
What is endogenous privatisation?
Making schools operate like private businesses internally.
63
Give one example of exogenous privatisation.
Private companies running school services (e.g., catering, IT).
64
What does Ball argue about the ‘cola-isation’ of schools?
Schools are used to promote brands rather than genuine educational improvement.
65
How does globalisation link to education policies?
International standards pressure governments to reform education systems.
66
What does Hall argue about academies?
They represent the handing over of public services to private capital.
67
Give an AO3 criticism of privatisation.
It leads to inequality and profit over education quality.
68
What is the global education policy market?
Educational ideas and policies spread internationally through global networks.
69
Give an example of globalisation's impact on curriculum.
Greater emphasis on skills for a global economy (e.g., STEM subjects).
70
What is PISA and what does it measure?
International assessment of students' skills in reading, maths, science.
71
What was the aim of Sure Start Centres (1998)?
To give early help to disadvantaged children and families.
72
What was the purpose of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)?
Financial support for 16–19-year-olds from low-income backgrounds to stay in education
73
Why was EMA scrapped in 2010?
It was seen as expensive and ineffective by the Coalition government.
74
What was the Coalition’s main education policy focus (2010-15)?
Increasing academies and introducing free schools.
75
What do critics say about free schools?
They benefit middle-class parents and increase inequality.
76
How did the Pupil Premium try to reduce inequality?
Extra funding for disadvantaged pupils.
77
Give one criticism of the Pupil Premium.
Ofsted found that it was often not spent effectively.
78
What is the effect of league tables on schools?
Schools may focus on "teaching to the test" to improve their rankings.
79
What does Ball argue about educational choice?
Only middle-class parents truly benefit from school choice.
80
What is cream-skimming?
Good schools can select higher-ability pupils, leaving disadvantaged ones behind.
81
What did Willis’ study ‘Learning to Labour’ find about working-class boys?
They formed anti-school subcultures that valued masculinity and manual work.
82
What does Archer mean by "Nike identities"?
Working-class students invest in branded clothes for self-worth.
83
What is symbolic violence according to Bourdieu?
The devaluation of working-class culture by the education system.
84
What is habitus?
Deeply ingrained social norms, values, and expectations within a class.
85
How do middle-class habitus and education interact?
Schools reward middle-class habitus, disadvantaging working-class pupils.
86
What is educational self-exclusion?
When students remove themselves from educational success due to feeling alienated
87
How does school ethnocentrism affect minority ethnic groups?
It marginalises their cultural identities.
88
What is institutional racism in education?
Discriminatory practices and policies built into the education system.
89
What does Mirza argue about teacher racism?
Some teachers hold racist attitudes, but Black girls resist these labels.
90
What was Sewell’s finding on responses to racism?
Black boys adopt different strategies — conformists, innovators, retreatists, rebels.
91
Why might official statistics be useful when studying education?
They are quick, cheap and allow for large-scale comparisons.
92
What is a problem with using official statistics in education research?
Definitions (e.g., of "truancy") may vary between institutions.
93
What type of method did Paul Willis use?
Qualitative — participant observation and interviews.
94
Why are unstructured interviews useful in education research?
They uncover students’ real attitudes and experiences.
95
What ethical problems arise when researching pupils?
Issues of power, consent, and protecting vulnerable groups.
96
How might a researcher's class or ethnicity affect education research?
It can create barriers or bias in responses (interviewer effect).
97
What is a gatekeeper in educational research?
Someone who controls access to research settings (e.g., headteachers).
98
Give one advantage of using questionnaires in schools.
Easy to collect lots of data quickly from many pupils.
99
Give one disadvantage of using questionnaires with students.
Students may misunderstand questions or give socially desirable answers.
100
What is the Hawthorne effect in education research?
Pupils or teachers change their behaviour because they know they are being studied.

Sociology (3 decks)

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