External Class Differences in Achievement Flashcards
(29 cards)
7% of children in private schools are
nearly half of all students entering the elite universities such as oxford and cambridge
External factors
Factors outside the education system such as the influence of home and family background and wider society
Three main aspects of cultural deprivation
language
parents education
and working class subculture
Cultural Deprivation
- Where a pupil lacks the basic ‘cultural equipment’ gained through primary socialisation- language, self-discipline and skills.
- CD theorists argue that WC families fail to socialise their children properly, so they end up culturally deprived.
- This means many WC pupils lack the cultural equipment to do well at school, so they underachieve.
- Cultural deprivation- language, parent’s education and working-class subculture.
Criticisms of Cultural Deprivation Theory
Keddie (1973)- cultural deprivation is a myth- it’s just a victim-blaming explanation that ignores WC failure being down to an education dominated by MC values.
* Troyna & Williams (1986)- Teacher’s speech hierarchy of MC speech, WC speech and black speech is the problem, not the pupil’s language.
* Blackstone & Mortimore (1994)- reject the idea that WC parent’s don’t take an interest in education, and say that work hours prevent them from engaging in events like parent’s evening.
Language
language is essential in childs education because it affects their intellectual development and ability to benefit from process of schooling
Hubbs-Tait et al–parents use language that challenges their children to evaluate their own understaning-“what do you think”
Ferstein(2008) found educated parents more likely to use language in this way.Less edcuated parents use language in way to children to make simple discriptive statements
resulitn lower performance
Also found they are more likely to use praise-encourages children to develop own competence
These differences in how parents use language linked to social class
Engelmen– language used in lwoer class homes is deficient. use gestures and single works
As a result their children fail to develop necessary language skills They grow up incapable of abstract thinking and unable to use language to explain describe,enquire or compare becuase of this they are unable to take advantage of the opportunites that school offers
Speech codes-Basil Bernstein
Identifies differences in WC and MC pupil’s language, and says the WC don’t fail because they’re culturally deprived, but because school fails to teach them the elaborated code.
Restricted code (WC):
* Limited vocabulary- short, descriptive, unfinished and grammatically simple sentences.
* Predictable speech- involves single words or gestures.
* Context-bound- speaker assumes listener shares same experiences.
Elaborated code (MC):
* Wider vocabulary- long and grammatically complex sentences.
* More varied speech- expresses abstract ideas.
* Context-free- speaker doesn’t assume listener has same experiences, so they use language to clearly spell out meanings.
Explanation of speech codes and eval
Explanation:diffferences in speech code give mc children ana dvantage this is because elaborated cose language is used by teachers textbooks in bernsteins view it is most effective tool for analysisng and reasoning and expresssing thought which is essential skills in edu
early socialisation into e code means mc chidlren are already fluent users of code when they start and more likely to succeed.
However unlink Cd theoriests bernstein recongises the school and not just home influecnes childrens achievment.He argues the wc pupils fail not because they are culturally deprived but because schools fail to teach them how to use elaborated code
Parent’s attitudes to education
can affect a child’s achievement in school.
* Douglas (1964)-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 achievement.
* Feinstein (2008)- argues that parent’s own education is the most important factor that affects student’s achievement.
Parents attitudes to Education(Parenting Style)
Educated parents:
* Emphasise consistent discipline and high expectations of children
This supports achievement by encouraging active learning and exploration.
Less educated parents:
* Harsh/inconsistent discipline, emphasis on ‘behaving yourself’ and ‘doing as you’re told’.
This prevents children from learning independence and self control, which leads to poor motivation and problems interacting with teachers.
Parents attitudes to Education(Parentals Educational behaviours)
Educated parents are more aware of what their child needs to help their educational progress, so they’ll engage in behaviours like- reading to children, teaching
letters/numbers, paint/draw, help with homework and be actively involved in schooling.
* They’re also able to get expert advice on childrearing, and are more successful in starting good teacher/student relationships
* They recognise the educational value of museum trips, libraries, etc.
* WC families may not know what will help their child to succeed in education, so they won’t engage in activities like this, which can cause them to be less successful at
school.
Parents attitudes to Education(Use of Income)
Better educated parents have higher incomes, that they spend on their child’s educational success, as well as having the funds/knowledge about nutrition to support the child’s development.
* Bernstein and Young (1967)- MC mothers are more likely to buy educational toys, books and more.
This 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.
Class, income & parental education-
- Feinstein: parental education influences children’s achievement- regardless of class or income.
- Even within a given social class, more educated parents tend to have more successful children.
This helps explain why not all WC students do equally bad, and why not all MC students are successful.
Working Class subcultures
CD theorists argue that lack of parental interest in education is a reflection of the subcultural values of the WC.
Subculture: Group in society whose attitudes and values differ from mainstream culture.
* 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.
Working Class subcultures:Sugarman
Different values exist because MC jobs are secure and offer prospects for continuous individual advancement.
This encourages ambition, long-term planning and a willingness to make sacrifices.
* WC jobs are less secure, with no career structure where you can advance, as well as few promotional opportunities and earnings peaking at an early age.
Parents pass the views of their class to their children, MC values equip for success, and WC values equip for underachievement/failure.
Barry Sugarmann argues that w/c subcultures has four key features that act as a barrier to educational achievment
Fatalism-A belief in fate, ‘what will be, will be’- nothing can be done to change your status.
MC contrast: meritocracy- you change your position through your own efforts.
Collectivism:Valuing being part of a group over succeeding as an individual.
MC contrast: an individual shouldn’t be held back by group loyalties.
Immediate Gratificaiton:Seek pleasure now, no making sacrifices for future rewards.
MC contrast: emphasis on deferred gratification, sacrifices now for rewards later
Present-time orientation: Seeing now as more important than the future, therefore having no long-term goals/plans.
MC contrast: Have a future-time orientation- seeing planning for the future as more important.
compensatory education
These programmes aim to tackle CD by giving extra resources to schools in deprived areas.
* They intervene early in the child’s socialisation to minimise CD as much as possible.
* EG- Sure Start & Educational Priority Areas.
-Operation ead Start in the United States -multi billion dollar scheme
Material Deprivation
This refers to poverty and a lack of resources, and is seen as a factor in pupil’s underachievement
Poverty and educational underachievement are closely linked:
Poverty is closed linked to educational underachievement
Department for Education
(2012)- barely 1/3 od pupils eligible for FSM got 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C, compared to 2/3 of pupils who did and aren’t FSM.
Flaherty (2004)-
family’s money problems are a huge factor in young pupils’ poor attendance.
Exclusion & truancy are more likely for children from poor families. 1/3 of persistent truants leave with no
qualifications, and many of those excluded don’t return to mainstream.
Almost 90% of failing schools are in deprived areas.
Factors of Material Deprivation
housing, diet & health, financial support & costs of education and fear of debt
Material Deprivation:Housing
- 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.
Material Deprivation: Diet and Health
- Howard (2001)- 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.
Material Deprivation: Financial support & the cost of education:
Lack of financial support in poorer families means children go without equipment and miss educational
opportunities that raise achievement.
- Bull (1980)- 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.
Material Deprivation: Fear of debt:
- Callendar & Jackson (2005)- 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 (2012)- when tuition fees rose in 2012, the number of UK applicants fell by 8.6%.
