social class and education Flashcards
what are the 5 internal factors of social class and education?
-labelling
-self fulfilling prophecy
-setting/streaming
-pupil subcultures
-pupil’s class identity
what is meant by ‘labelling’ as an internal factor?
-labelling theory
-often doesn’t have anything to do with the student’s actual ability
-can lead to the self-fulfilling prophecy
-Fuller’s 1984 rejection of label study on black girls in comp
-deterministic
-focuses on negative effects
-focuses too much on teacher agency
what is meant by the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ as an internal factor?
-students take on the label that has been given to them (either positive or negative)
-negative labels are usually given to WC students, who develop anti-school subcultures
-positive labels are usually applied to MC students which can lead to pro-school subcultures
-deterministic
-can reject label
what is meant by ‘setting/streaming’ as an internal factor?
-WC students are usually placed in lower sets, leading to lower self-esteem and therefore underachieving
-setting and streaming allow for high achieving students to be stretched and low achieving students to be supported, which can actually lead to higher achievement
what is meant by ‘pupil subcultures’ as an internal factor?
-either anti-school or pro-school subculture
-WC are more likely to be anti-school, where status is achieved through disruptive behaviour
-not all students become part of a subculture
what is meant by ‘pupil’s class identity’ as an internal factor?
-habitus - learned or taken for granted ways of thinking/being/acting that are shared by a social class (Bourdieu)
-MC have the power to set the habitus of schools, giving them an advantage
-WC habitus is devalued by schools, WC students feel they need to change who they are in order to be academically successful
-postmodernists argue class doesn’t have as much of an impact of student identity anymore because of pick and mix culture
what are the 3 external factors for social class and religion?
-cultural deprivation
-material deprivation
-bourdieu and capital
what is meant by ‘cultural deprivation’ as an external factor?
-some people fail education because of cultural deficiencies in the home and family, eg inadequate socialisation
split into 3
-language
-parents education
-working class subculture
what is meant by ‘language’ as an aspect of cultural deprivation?
-hubbs-tait - parents who challenge their children are more likely to cause higher cognitive ability (Feinstein said this was more likely to happen in MC families)
-bernstein - language codes
what is meant by ‘parents education’ as an aspect of cultural deprivation?
-Douglas - parental attitudes and their own level of education affects their kids educational achievement , WC place less value on education, less likely to academically push their children
-feinstein - MC socialise their kids differently due to their level of education
what is meant by ‘working class subculture’ as an aspect of cultural deprivation?
-sugarman - WC have their own subculture, 4 elements that prevent their educational achievement =
1-fatalism
2-collectivism
3-immediate gratification
4-present time orientation
-sugarman links this to the security of MC jobs which have room for progression through ambition, which is socialised into their children
what is meant by ‘bourdieu and capital’ as an external factor?
-bourdieu says there are three interlinked types of capital that combine material and cultural factors to explain why mc students to better (cultural capital [knowledge, values, attitudes and language of mc], economic capital [money and income], and educational capital)
-interlinked eg mc have economic capital (money) to go on holidays/to museums etc for cultural capital
-economic capital can be used for private schooling
what’s the study linked to bourdieu and capital?
Alice Sullivan 2001
-465 pupils across 4 schools, questionnaire, students who showed a greater cultural capital were children of graduates, but cultural capital was only part of the reason for differences in educational achievement
what is meant by ‘material deprivation’ as an external factor?
-lack of material necessities that aid educational achievement eg books
-WC have lower incomes so more likely to suffer material deprivation
-split into 2=
1-cost of education
2-housing and health
what is meant by ‘cost of education’ as an aspect of material deprivation?
-tanner- hidden costs of transport, uniforms, books, trips etc
-flaherty - stigma attached to those on FSM
-smith and nobel - WC can’t afford private education
-ridge - WC pupils may need to take on part time work as well as education
