Internal relationships and processes in schools Flashcards
(20 cards)
HIDDEN CURRICULUM
What is the hidden curriculum in schools?
The hidden curriculum refers to the informal, unspoken lessons students learn in school that are not part of the official curriculum. These include norms, values, attitudes, and behaviours that reflect broader societal expectations—such as obedience, punctuality, and acceptance of hierarchy.
HIDDEN CURRICULUM
Which sociological concept does the hidden curriculum link to, and how?
t links to the Marxist correspondence principle (Bowles and Gintis), which argues that schools mirror the workplace. For example, students learn to value extrinsic rewards (like exam results), preparing them to work for pay rather than for job satisfaction.
HIDDEN CURRICULUM
Why is the hidden curriculum said to no longer be ‘hidden’?
Because it’s now explicitly discussed and analysed, especially in subjects like sociology. This self-awareness challenges the idea that it operates unconsciously or invisibly.
LABELLING THEORY
What does labelling theory suggest about teacher behaviour?
Teachers label students not by ability but based on characteristics such as class, ethnicity, gender, or behaviour. These labels influence how students are treated, and in turn, how they see themselves.
LABELLING THEORY
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy in education?
It’s the process by which students internalise a label given by teachers and begin to act in accordance with it. For example, being labelled “low ability” may lead a student to believe they can’t succeed, and as a result, they stop trying—thus fulfilling the prophecy.
LABELLING THEORY
What did Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study find about labelling?
In their field experiment, 20% of students were randomly labelled as “intellectual spurters.” Teachers treated them as gifted, and these students showed greater academic progress, demonstrating the power of teacher expectations.
LABELLING THEORY
What are criticisms of Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study?
IQ tests are unreliable for measuring ability.
Teachers were not observed in the classroom, so we lack detail on how the labelling affected their behaviour (limited qualitative insight).
SETTING AND STREAMING
What is the difference between setting and streaming?
Setting: Students are grouped by ability in individual subjects (e.g., top set in Maths but bottom in English).
Streaming: Students are grouped into one ability stream across all subjects.
SETTING AND STREAMING
How is setting and streaming linked to marketisation?
Marketisation and competition have normalised setting and streaming. It supports the idea of meritocracy and allows schools to showcase high-achieving groups in league tables.
SETTING AND STREAMING
What is educational triage, and who developed this concept?
Developed by Gillborn and Youdell, educational triage refers to the way teachers categorise students based on their likelihood to succeed:
Those who will pass anyway.
Borderline pupils who can pass with help.
Hopeless cases who are seen as unlikely to pass, so less effort is spent on them.
SETTING AND STREAMING
What are the negative consequences of setting, streaming, and triage?
Lower teacher expectations for students in lower sets.
Self-fulfilling prophecies.
Reduced access to opportunities (e.g., not being entered for higher-tier exams).
Stigma and difficulty escaping the lower streams.
THE IDEAL PUPIL
What is the ‘ideal pupil’ and who studied this concept?
The “ideal pupil” is a stereotype held by teachers of what a good student looks like—typically someone who is hardworking, well-behaved, and from a middle-class background. Gillborn and Youdell studied this and found middle-class pupils were more often seen as motivated and cooperative, while working-class pupils were labelled as disruptive or lazy.
THE IDEAL PUPIL
What methodological strengths and weaknesses were there in Gillborn and Youdell’s study?
Strengths: Used interviews and observations, which provided valid, in-depth insights.
Weaknesses: Study was limited to two London schools, which reduces representativeness (low generalisability).
STUDENT SUBCULTURES
What are pupil subcultures and how do they form?
Subcultures are groups of pupils who share values and behaviours. According to Lacey, they form through differentiation (teacher labelling and treatment) and polarisation (students responding to this treatment by aligning with either pro- or anti-school values).
What is the difference between pro-school and anti-school subcultures?
Pro-school subcultures: Tend to follow rules, value education, and seek academic success.
Anti-school subcultures: Reject school rules and seek status through non-academic means (e.g., misbehaviour).
What did Mac an Ghaill find about working-class male subcultures?
Mac an Ghaill found four types of working-class male identities:
Academic achievers
Macho lads (similar to Willis’ “lads”)
New enterprises
Real Englishmen
This challenges Willis’ idea that all working-class boys resist education in the same way.
Which sociologists studied subcultures of:
African-Caribbean males?
Sewell
Which sociologists studied subcultures of: Black females?
Fuller
Which sociologists studied subcultures of: White working-class females?
Ringrose
