Education sociologists

Question 1

Durkheim

Answer 1

Anomie occurs when there is no social solidarity so individuals lack norms and values, not feeling connected to society
Eduction is a way of combatting anomie, stopping alienation
Assesmblies- schools place emphasis on being good and looking out for one another

Question 2

Parsons

Answer 2

Schools function of role allocation (selecting and allocating pupils to their future work roles they would be best suited to based on abilities)
Social inequality
Secondary socialisation
Collectivism in the family to individualism (prepare it sacrifice bonds for career progression) e.g through competition between schools, prepares pupils for being judged against colleagues at work)
Sex role theory- instrumental role for male, expressive for women

Question 3

Davis and Moore

Answer 3

Schools function of role allocation (selecting and allocating pupils to their future work roles they would be best suited to based on abilities)
Social inequality is necessary to ensure the most important roles in society are filed by the most talented people
Society has to offer higher rewards to encourage people to compete
Education “sifts and sorts” according to ability- the most able gain the highest qualifications, which gives them entry to the most important and highly rewarded positions
Education improves ability
Human capital
Promotes ideas of social mobility and meritocracy

Question 4

Althusser

Answer 4

Structural Marxism- social institutions shape behaviour, ruling class actively seeks to control wc
Ideological state apparatus- school closely mirrors the workplace, preparing pupils for the workplace by making it seem normal and inevitable
Education reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation
Education legitimates class inequality

Question 5

Bowles and Gintis

Answer 5

Correspondence principe- hierarchies of authority with headteachers/ bosses making decisions, workers/ pupils at the bottom obeying, alienation and boredom, rewards, competition , hierarchy of levels
School rewards personality traits that make a submissive worker e.g punctuality gets high grades, creativity gets low grades
School produces obedient worker drones that capitalism needs, doesn’t help personal development
Education prepares workers to be exploited

Question 6

Willis

Answer 6

Anti school subcultures rejecting norms, values, rules and ethos of the school (hidden curriculum) often rebellious and disruptive
Especially wc boys resisting indoctrination

Question 7

Butler

Answer 7

State education is used to reduced social and economic inequality

Question 8

Kelly

Answer 8

Effect of globalisation on education policy:
- educational policies may be increasingly designed to produce workers who can compete in the global economy, economic factors influence educational policies
- reduced emphasis on social policies such as creating equal opportunity or encouraging social integration
- eduction systems around the world become more similar as they try to achieve the same objectives, increasing worldwide trend of marketisation
- multinational corporations involved in education, school improvement programmes (e.g Pearson in british, American school systems)
- autonomy of teachers might be undermined

Question 9

Ball

Answer 9

Eduction institutions that operate globally run as businesses e.g unis
- setting up subsidiaries in other countries (Lancaster uni has a joint venue in China)
- offering online courses to global audience
- trying to attract overseas students (they can be charged higher fees than domestic students)
Employee staff from wide variety of countries
Multinational companies and education- they reduce the control of national governments over policies, move towards neoliberal policies

Question 10

Hymen

Question 11

Bernstein

Answer 11

Language: identified 2 forms of speech pattern elaborated and restricted code related to attainment levels
Textbooks, teachers, exams in elaborated code
Mc have been socialised into both, wc limited to restricted code so disadvantaged

Question 12

Douglas

Answer 12

Wc parents place less value on education, less ambitious, less encouragement
Self imposed barrier to educational success

3. Intellectual development
   Impact of parents reading with children
   Impact of lack of educational toys and activities

Question 13

Sugarman

Answer 13

Mc and wc subcultures contain different attitudes= class differences
We subculture emphasises:
- fatalism (accept situation instead of improving it, no promotions)
- collectivism (loyalty and valuing the group rather than being successful as an individual, not encouraging high achievement)
- immediate gratification over deferred gratification (seeking pleasure now rather than putting off rewards, work now instead of uni)
This disadvantages them

Question 14

Keddie

Answer 14

Wc are just culturally different, not ‘deprived’
Cultural deprivation is a myth, it is victim blaming. She dismisses the idea that failure at school can be blamed on a culturally deprived home background

Question 15

Howard

Answer 15

Diet and nutrition is a form of material deprivation. Lower intakes of energy, vitamins➡️more time off school➡️behavioural and emotional problems

Question 16

Bull

Answer 16

Financial support is a form of material deprivation
‘Costs of free schooling’- resources, school trips, uniforms, transport

Question 17

Becker

Answer 17

Labelling theory
Interactionists say a person’s self concept develops from interactions with others (teachers, pupils) and this self-concept impacts their educational achievement
Teachers subconsciously label pupils as clever, naughty and interact differently with pupils based on their label

Self fulfilling prophecy theory
A person internalises the label, accepts it, and lives up to it
Predictions that teachers make about pupils future success comes true
Teaches my be more likely to label wc pupils (especially boys) negatively, and therefore lowers their achievement by expecting lower attainment

Question 18

Rist

Answer 18

1970s USA kindergarten pupils were seated at 3 tables based on “ability”. However Rist argued this was actually just the degree to which they conformed to the teacher’s mc standards

Question 19

Boaler

Answer 19

Ability grouping in sets reproduces social class inequality ‘psychological prison’

Question 20

Bourdieu

Answer 20

Cultural capital- the knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes, abilities of mc
Wealth of cultural capital advantages students by developing intellectual interests and an understanding of what the education system requires for success
Enriches learning beyond national curriculum

Question 22

Gerwitz and Ball

Answer 22

Competition between schools benefits mc, who can use their cultural and economic capital to gain access to more desirable schools

Question 23

Marx

Answer 23

Bourgeoise and working class creates potential for class conflict if wc realise they’re exploited
Wc are alienated, poorly paid

Question 24

Stanworth

Answer 24

There are still higher expectations of boys, teachers are more likely to recommend boys for HE than girls at some academic level

Question 25

McRobbie

Answer 25

‘Bedroom culture’ reading is feminised Girls’ leisure activities encourage use of language (talking with friends, reading, writing) so they have better literacy skills

Question 26

Connolly

Answer 26

Literacy differences were consistent between social classes, highlighting gender as a key factor

Question 27

Mitsos and Browne

Answer 27

Women movement has provided incentives and directions for young women Girls do better in coursework than boys due to organised and mature manners

Question 28

Sharpe

Answer 28

Interviewed girls in 1970s and 90s, found a major shift in how girls viewed their future and now more value financial independence over family

Question 29

Bertocchi and Bozzano

Answer 29

Improvement in female educational achievement is due to increasing post school expectations for women

Question 30

Beck

Answer 30

Second modernity Risk and uncertainty in society today Individualism- increasing emphasis on YOU rather than community so your educational success, financial independence

Question 31

Mac an Ghaill

Answer 31

Crisis of masculinity- reaction to changing structure of employment and decline of traditional male wc jobs

Question 32

Jackson

Answer 32

Boys laddish behaviour is due to hegemonic masculinity. Students appear to reject school work but secretly did it at home. This favours mc boys who have resources at home

Question 33

Francis

Answer 33

Laddish behaviour is resistance due to fear of being labelled a ‘swot’ because that would undermine their masculinity Classrooms are gendered, boys dominate Teacher had lower expectations of boys and discipline them more harshly

Question 34

Ward

Answer 34

Many wc boys still value education despite traditional behaviour

Question 35

Ball, Bowe and Gerwitz

Answer 35

Cream skinning to get best pupils in their school

Question 36

Gorard

Answer 36

Girls’ results increased when GCSE coursework was introduced, linked to better literacy skills

Question 37

Spender

Answer 37

Teachers interact more with boys than girls

Question 38

French and French

Answer 38

Similar attention to both genders for academic reasons but boys get more overall attention due to misbehaving and discipline

Question 39

Gillborn and Youdell

Answer 39

Found relatively low attainment of Black Caribbean is due to institutional racism as children were seen as less able and placed in lower sets where they were systematically neglected Teachers have radicalised expectations of black pupils and discipline them quickly Black pupils felt underestimated by teachers and picked on stemming from teacher racism rather than pupil behaviour

Question 40

Modood

Answer 40

Pakistani ad black pupils less likely than white to be placed in HE

Question 41

Cline

Answer 41

Racism common from other pupils

Question 42

Shaun

Answer 42

Asian girls - gang girls: received to integrate into mainstream culture as a reaction to perceived racist behaviour - survivors - rebels - faith girls

Question 43

Sewell

Answer 43

Black Caribbean were conformists, innovators, retreatists, or rebels

Question 44

Tickly

Answer 44

African Caribbean interviews sound invisibility in the curriculum

Question 45

Mirza

Answer 45

3 types of racist teachers: - treat pupils equally but don’t challenge racism - low expectations of black pupils - actively discriminating

Question 46

Bourne and Osler

Answer 46

Black pupils more likely to be sent out of class and expelled

Question 47

Archer

Answer 47

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