Pupil identities and subcultures

Question 1

what are subcultures?

Answer 1

• group of people within a culture that differentiates from the parent culture which it belongs
• maintaining some of the foundation principles
• developes some of their own norms and values

Question 2

what is symbolic capital?

Answer 2

• the status, recognition and sense of worth that students receive from others

Question 3

what is symbolic violence?

Answer 3

• using symbolic capital in a neg way

Question 4

what is the working class dilemma?

Answer 4

• working class pupils trying to achieve symbolic capital
• from their friends or academic capital by rejecting the working class identity

Question 5

characteristics of pro school subcultures:

Answer 5

• committed to school values
• gain approval/status through academic success
• involved in wider life of school

Question 6

characteristics of anti school subcultures:

Answer 6

• lower streams
• rejection of school values
• truanting
• disruption
• not doing homework

Question 7

Mac an Ghaill (1994) types of pro school subcultures:

Answer 7

• the academic achievers
• the new enterprisers

Question 8

Mac an Ghaill: the academic achievers

Answer 8

• seek to achieve academic success by focussing on traditional academic subjects
• Maths, English, Science

Question 9

Mac an Ghaill: the new enterprisers

Answer 9

• rejected traditional curriculum
• motivated to study subjects like business and computing
• they see this as a route to academic success

Question 10

how pupil subcultures are formed: Lacey

Answer 10

• differentiation
• polarisation

Question 11

Differentiation: Lacey

Answer 11

• process of how teachers categorise pupils according to how they perceive their ability, attitude and behaviour
• streaming is a form of differentiation= categorises people into diff classes

Question 12

Polarisation: Lacey

Answer 12

• process by which pupils respond to differentiation
• moving towards one of the two opposite poles
• extreme pro or anti

Question 13

How schools shape pupil identities: Peer groups and symbolic capital

Answer 13

• reinforcing acceptable behaviours by ostracising those that don’t conform and giving status to those that do

Question 14

How schools shape pupil identities: Symbolic violence- Archer

Answer 14

• schools impose forms of symbolic violence against students whose identities are shaped by designer clothing or hyper-heterosexual feminine behaviour
• suggests to those students that education is not for them

Question 15

How schools shape pupil identities: schools environments- Reay

Answer 15

• students align their ability with the type of school they attend
• poor performing schools= poor students so more likely to form an anti school subculture
• vice versa

Question 16

How schools shape pupil identities: Ethnocentric curriculum- Ball

Answer 16

• current one is very focused on middle class white british culture
• ‘little englandism’
• turn ethnic minorities and girls who feel excluded away from education

Question 17

How schools shape pupil identities: Subject choice

Answer 17

• schools reinforce gender stereotypes in subjects
• girls=expressive subjects
• boys= instrumental
• this reinforces gender identity
• achieved by stereotypical images in school

Question 18

How schools shape pupil identities: Uniforms

Answer 18

• reinforces gender roles
• girls= wear skirts, blousers
• boys= shirts, ties
• shape class identity with schools demanding standards otherwise being sent home
• don’t take how to ethnic minorities dress into account

Question 19

How schools shape pupil identities: subcultures

Answer 19

• rejection by school can lead to w/c and m/e groups to identify as being authoritarian
• reject authority in all walks of life
• Willis= ‘lads’ study

Question 20

How schools shape pupil identities: Labelling

Answer 20

• positive and negative labels impacts self esteem
• students negatively labelled may assume academic achievement isnt part of their identity
• look to vocational courses in the future