Roles and processes in schools

Question 1

What are the 2 ways of ‘ranking’ students?

Answer 1

Setting and streaming

Question 2

What are the characteristics of the ideal pupil?

Answer 2

Female, white, middle class

Question 3

What are the 2 language codes outlined by Bernstein

Answer 3

Restricted and elaborated

Question 4

Labelling

Answer 4

Teachers attach labels that often have little to do with their ability, instead they are formed based on their comparison to the ideal pupil.

Question 5

What does Becker say about labelling in schools

Answer 5

Teacher and pupil interactions are based on the label of the ideal pupil which can lead to a self - fulfilling prophecy

Question 6

What did Fullers study on black girls show in relation to labelling and self fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 6

Black girls she researched were labelled as low achievers, but their response to this was to study harder to prove their teachers wrong

Question 7

Rosenthal and Jacobson study on labelling

Answer 7

Told teachers that a proportion of their students were ‘brighter’ than the rest. After a year, these students progressed further than the rest.

Question 8

EVAL - problems with labelling theory

Answer 8

• deterministic
• ignores the fact that students have full autonomy
• focuses on negative affects of labelling