Social Class Flashcards
(19 cards)
Material Deprivation
What is material deprivation, and how does it impact education?
Material deprivation is the inability to afford basic necessities (e.g. food, heating, clothing, educational resources). It negatively impacts educational achievement by causing poor concentration, increased absenteeism, and lack of access to study materials or safe study environments.
Material Deprivation
What statistics highlight the impact of material deprivation on educational achievement?
33% of children on Free School Meals (FSM) achieved 5+ A*-C grades, compared to 61% of non-FSM students.
By age 15, middle-class children have a 2.5-year reading age advantage over working-class children.
90% of Ofsted-rated “fail” schools are located in deprived areas.
Material Deprivation
What is “silt shifting” and how is it linked to material deprivation?
Silt shifting refers to schools offloading or excluding working-class pupils who are likely to underachieve to protect their position in league tables.
Housing and Living Conditions
How does poor housing affect educational performance?
Poor housing can impact child development and education by:
Limiting safe outdoor play.
Causing frequent school moves (e.g., temporary accommodation).
Leading to health issues from cold, damp homes.
Increasing psychological stress and sleep disruption.
Providing little or no space to study or do homework.
Diet and Health
What did Howard say about poverty, diet, and education?
Howard argued that children from poorer homes consume fewer vitamins and minerals, resulting in more school absences and lower concentration in class.
The Cost of Education
What does Bull say about the cost of education?
Bull argues that poor families lack financial support, which leads to missing out on educational resources and enrichment activities like school trips. This is known as the hidden cost of free education.
The Cost of Education
How do dropout rates illustrate inequalities in higher education?
16.6% dropout rate at London Metropolitan University (serving many disadvantaged students).
Only 1.5% dropout at Oxford University, which admits over 50% of its students from private schools—showing how economic capital influences university success.
Fear of Debt
What did Callender and Jackson find about working-class attitudes towards university?
They found that working-class students are more debt-averse, seeing the cost of university as a greater con than benefit. The most debt-averse students were five times less likely to apply to university than debt-tolerant students.
Fear of Debt
What financial policies aim to reduce class inequality in education?
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
Bursaries and Pupil Premium
Student loans
However, critics argue these measures are often inadequate and fail to fully level the playing field.
Cultural Deprivation
What is cultural deprivation and how does it affect education?
Cultural deprivation is the idea that working-class families inadequately socialise their children, leading to a lack of language skills, values, and attitudes needed for school success.
Cultural Deprivation
What did Bernstein say about speech codes?
Bernstein identified:
Restricted code (used by the working class): informal, context-bound, less vocabulary.
Elaborated code (used by the middle class): formal, context-free, used by teachers, textbooks, and exams—thus advantaging middle-class students.
Cultural Deprivation
What is habitus and how does it relate to education?
Coined by Bourdieu, habitus refers to the cultural norms, values, and dispositions of a particular social class. Middle-class habitus aligns more closely with the school system, giving those students an advantage.
Evaluation of Cultural Deprivation
What is a major criticism of cultural deprivation theory?
Blackstone and Mortimore argue it’s victim blaming. Working-class culture is not deprived—it’s different. The real problem lies in systematic bias within a middle-class-dominated education system.
Evaluation of Cultural Deprivation
How do irregular work patterns affect working-class parental involvement?
Shift work and job insecurity often mean working-class parents can’t attend school events, parents’ evenings, or engage consistently with their child’s education.
Cultural Capital
What is cultural capital, and who coined the term?
Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu defined cultural capital as the knowledge, attitudes, values, and language of the dominant (middle-class) culture, which helps students succeed in education.
Cultural Capital
How does cultural capital benefit middle-class children?
Parents help with homework and communicate with teachers confidently.
They understand school processes (e.g., reading Ofsted reports).
They expose children to “high culture” through museums, books, holidays.
They move to better school catchment areas.
Cultural Capital
Why is cultural capital not enough to explain class differences in achievement?
Even when working-class children have similar cultural capital, middle-class children still do better, due to additional economic capital and higher aspirations (e.g., 7% of UK children attend private schools).
Sugarman: Working Class values
What did Sugarman identify as key working-class attitudes that hinder achievement?
Fatalism – belief that status is fixed.
Collectivism – valuing group over individual success.
Immediate gratification – preferring short-term rewards.
Present-time orientation – focusing on the now rather than the future.
