External class differences in acheivment

Question 1

Cultural deprivation

Answer 1

when pupils lack cultural equipment from primary socialisation which includes things like language, self discipline and skills.

CD theorists fail to socialise their kids adequately so they end up culturally deprived meaning that WC pupils lack the cultural equipment to do well so they underachieve

Cultural deprivation ihas 3. aspects - language, parents education and WC subculture.

Question 2

Critisisms of cultural deprivation theory

Answer 2

Keddie - its a myth and its just victim blaming explanation that ignores WC failure being down to an education system that dominates MC values

Question 3

Language

Answer 3

Speech code differences put WC pupila at a disadvantage as elaborated code is used in schools

MC code is also seen as the correct way to speak and write as it gives essential skills for education such as analusis reasoning and clearly expressing thoughts

meaning that MC pupils that are raised with elaborated code feel at home in school while WC pupils feel less included and fail

Question 4

Hubbs-Tait et al

Answer 4

found childrens cognitive ability improved when parents used challenging language like what do u think helping children evaluate their own understanding

Question 5

Feinstein

Answer 5

found educated parents are more likely to use challenging language like this (what do u think) and WC language was more simple

Question 6

Bernstein - Speech codes

Answer 6

Identifies the differences in WC and MC pupils language and says that WC dont fail because theyre culturaly deprived but because school fails to teach them elaborated code

Restricted code - limited vocab - short unfinished and gramatically simple sentences
predictable speech - involves single words or gestures
context bound - speaker assumes listener shares the same experience

Elaborate code
Wider vocab - long and gramatically complex sentences
more varied speech - express abstract ideas
context free - doesnt assume listener shares same experience so they use language to spell things out.

Question 7

parents education

Answer 7

parents attitudes to education can affect a childs achievement in school

Douglas says that WC parents placed less value on education, making them less ambitious for their children, taking less interest in their education and giving less encouragement.

They visited school less and didn’t discuss progress.
This resulted in children with low levels of motivation and achieve

Question 8

Feinstein - Parents education

Answer 8

argues that parent’s own education is the most important factor that affects student’s achievement. Since MC parents have better education, they can advantage their children to an advantage. This is in ways like:

Parenting style, parents educational behaviours, use of incomes and class, income and parental education

Question 9

parenting style

Answer 9

educated parents emphasise consistent discipline and high expectations of children suppoting their achievement by encouraging active learning and exporation

less educated parents had harsh and inconsistent discipline and emphasised on behaving urself and doing as ur told which prevents children from learning independence and self control leading to poor motivation and problems interacting w teachers

Question 10

parents educational behaviours

Answer 10

educated parents are more aware of what their child needs tonhelp their educational progress so they engage in behaviour like reading to their children teaching letters and numbers helping with homework drawing and being activly involved in schooling

they are also able to get expert advice on childrearing and are more successful in starting good teacher student relationship

they recognise the educational value inof museum trips and library

WC families may not no what will helpmtheir child succeed in education so they wont engage in activities like this causing them to be unsuccessful in school

Question 11

use of income

Answer 11

better educated parents have higher incomes that they spend on their childs educational success as well as habing the funds and knowledge about nutrition to support the childs development

Bernstein and Young saw that MC mothers are more likley to buy educational toy books and more which encourages reasoning skills and stimulates intellectual development

WC homes are more likely to lack these resources so they start school with educational skills that need progress

Question 12

Class income and parental education

Answer 12

Feinstein - parentsl education influences childs achievement regurdless of class or income
even within

Helping to explain why not all WC studentd do equally bad and why not all MC students are successful a given social class more educated parents tend to have more successful children

Question 13

Working class subculture

Answer 13

CD theorists argue that lack of parental interest in education is a reflection of the subcultural values of the WC.

Large sections of the WC have different goals, values, attitudes and beliefs from the rest of society. This is why their children underachieve/fail at school.

Working-class children internalise the values of their culture through primary socialisation- this results in underachievement at school because education hold
MC values/beliefs/attitudes.

Question 14

What is Fatalism?

Answer 14

A belief in fate, ‘what will be, will be’ - nothing can be done to change your status.

MC Contrast with meritocracy where one can change their position through their own efforts.

Question 15

Define Collectivism.

Answer 15

Valuing being part of a group over succeeding as an individual.

MC Contrast with the idea that an individual shouldn’t be held back by group loyalties.

Question 16

What does Immediate gratification refer to?

Answer 16

Seeking pleasure now, with no making sacrifices for future rewards.

MC Contrast with deferred gratification, which emphasizes sacrifices now for rewards later.

Question 17

What is Present-time orientation?

Answer 17

Seeing now as more important than the future, therefore having no long-term goals/plans.

MC Contrast with future-time orientation, which values planning for the future.

Question 18

What is compensatory education?

Answer 18

Compensatory education refers to educational programs designed to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Examples include Sure Start and Educational Priority Areas.

Question 19

material deprivation

Answer 19

poverty and a lack of resources, and is seen as a factor in pupil’s underachievement.

Question 20

Department of education

Answer 20

only 1/3 of pupils eligible for FSM achieving 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C compared to 2/3 of non-FSM pupils.

Question 21

What are the consequences of poverty on school attendance?

Answer 21

Exclusion and truancy are more likely for children from poor families, with 1/3 of persistent truants leaving with no qualification

Many excluded students do not return to mainstream education.

Question 22

Flaherty

Answer 22

a family’s money problems are a huge factor in young pupils’ poor attendance.

Question 23

What percentage of failing schools are in deprived areas?

Answer 23

Almost 90% of failing schools are in deprived areas.

Question 24

What factors contribute to material deprivation?

Answer 24

Factors contributing to material deprivation include housing, diet & health, financial support & costs of education, and fear of debt.

Question 25

housing

Answer 25

Poor housing affects pupil’s education- like overcrowding stopping them from having a place to focus and study, or having disrupted sleep from shared rooms. (which affects performance in class). Young children’s development is impaired through lack of space for safe exploration, and constantly moving from temporary accommodation affects schooling too. Poor housing can also cause pupils to become ill frequently, which affects attendance and therefore learning quality.

Question 26

diet and health

Answer 26

Howard says young people from poor homes have lower intakes of vitamins/minerals/energy. This affects education weakening their immune system, causing low attendance Wilkinson (1996)- children from poor homes are more likely to have emotional/behaviour problems, which negatively impacts their educational achievement.

Question 27

financial support and cost of education

Answer 27

Lack of financial support in poorer families means children go without equipment and miss educational opportunities that raise achievement.Bull says this is the cost of free schooling. Tanner et al (2003)- found costs of books, transport, uniform, etc put a heavy burden on poor families. Hand-me downs/cheaper items can result in children being bullied/isolated/stigmatised by peers- Flaherty says this is why 20% of those eligible for FSM don’t take them. Smith & Noble (1990)- poverty acts a barrier to learning, like not being able to afford tuition or private school.

Question 28

fear of debt

Answer 28

Callendar & Jackson found that WC pupils are averse to going to university because of the debt that comes with it- they saw debt as something negative and to be avoided. They found MC pupils are without this attitude to debt, making them 5x more likely to apply to uni than WC pupils. UCAS (when tuition fees rose in 2012, the number of UK applicants fell by 8.6%.

Question 29

What is cultural capital?

Answer 29

Cultural capital is the knowledge, skills, values, abilities, and tastes of the middle class (MC).

Question 30

Why is MC culture considered a type of capital?

Answer 30

MC culture is an advantage in school because their abilities and interests are valued.

Question 31

How is working class (WC) culture perceived by schools?

Answer 31

WC culture is seen as rough or inferior, which devalues pupils from this background.

Question 32

What is the impact of having cultural capital on education?

Answer 32

Having cultural capital often equals success in education, as it aligns with a MC habitus, leaving WC pupils to underachieve.

Question 33

What did Bourdieu (1984) propose about cultural capital?

Answer 33

Bourdieu proposed that cultural, educational, and economic capital can all be converted into one another.

Question 34

What was the focus of Sullivan's (2011) study?

Answer 34

Sullivan used questionnaires to survey 465 pupils in 4 schools about their reading, visiting, and TV habits to assess cultural capital.

Question 35

What did Sullivan find regarding cultural capital?

Answer 35

She found that those who read complex fiction and watched serious documentaries had more cultural capital due to a wider vocabulary and cultural knowledge.

Question 36

Why did MC pupils still perform better despite cultural capital findings?

Answer 36

MC pupils performed better potentially because they have economic and educational capital alongside cultural capital.

Question 37

How can economic capital be converted into educational capital?

Answer 37

Wealthy parents can convert economic capital into educational capital by sending their children to the best private schools.

Question 38

What is an example of cultural capital affecting educational success?

Answer 38

MC pupils with cultural capital are more equipped to meet the demands of the school curriculum and obtain qualifications.