Social Class External Factors Flashcards
What are the 3 factors in Cultural Deprivation
Language
Parenting
Sub-cultures
How does Language affect educational achievement according to Bernstein
Two Speech Codes
Elaborate code
Restricted code
Education system uses elaborate code, those who use this code feel at home and succeed as they are able to understand teachers, resources and exams. Those who don’t use elaborate code feel alienated and their achievement is low (this tends to be working class)
What are the features of Elaborate Code
Wide range of vocabulary Longer, grammatically complex sentences Polysyllabic words context-free Abstract ideas can be communicated
What are the features of Restricted Code
Limited Vocabulary Short, unfinished sentences Monosyllabic words Context bound grammatically simple sentences
What advantage does the differences in speech codes give middle class pupils
Middle class pupils commonly adopt Elaborate Code
They are therefore able to
Understand textbooks and resources easily
Able to express ideas in the correct written manner in examinations
Able to understand the words used and spoken by their middle class teacher
What did Hubbs-tait find
When parents used language to challenge children to evaluate their own understanding their cognitive performance improved.
How did Hubbs-tait’s findings benefit middle class students
Middle class parents were more likely to challenge and question their children in this way. Working class parents were not likely to challenge their children. Therefore middle class benefited from this
What did Bereiter and Engelmann find
Working class families often communicated with gesture or single words and disjointed sentences
Give 2 evaluations of Bernstein
Many members of the middle class do not speak fluently and have varying degrees of elaborate code, It is over generalised to say all working class and middle class speak in certain ways
Labov argued from his informal interviews with working class children in Harlem that the working class language code was not inferior, just different. He argued working class language was more direct and didn’t contain unnecessary detail
How does Parenting affect educational achievement according to Douglas
Working class parents placed less value on education and did not have high expectations for their children in gaining qualifications. Working class parents would give less encouragement, attend less parents evenings. Their children therefore did not value school as highly as middle class children who were encouraged by parents
What did Feinstein argue
That a parents own education is the most important factor influencing achievement as they are more advantaged in how they socialise their children. Found that Middle Class parents were
More consistent in discipline
Encouraged active learning and exploration
Better able to support their child’s educational progress
More likely to spend time with their child and read to them
Parents of Working class backgrounds tended to be the opposite
Explain how subculture contributes to Cultural deprivation
Parents interests in their children’s education reflects the subcultural values of their class. Children internalise these values and goals, depending on their social class it can lead to them succeeding or failing in schools
What did Sugarman identify
the key differences between the subcultural values and goals of the middle and working class
Time Orientation - Working class- Present time orientation - Middle class - future time orientation
Gratification - Working class - Immediate Gratification - Middle class - Deferred Gratification
Collectivism vs Individualism - Working class - collective action (trade unions) - Middle class - individualistic action (success through individual work)
Attitude to luck - Working class - Fatalistic - Middle class - Make your own luck and chance
What compensatory Education policies have been implemented and to tackle which factor affecting Educational Achievement
Operation Head start
Sesame Street
EPA / EAZ
Sure start
Tackle cultural deprivation in deprived areas and schools
What does Keddie think of Cultural Deprivation
Cultural deprivation theories are 'culture blaming' and argues it is a myth that the culture of working class is 'lacking' She argues the culture of working class is not inferior to that of the middle class it is simply different.
It is the failings of the working class education system that does not support all of its learners that is to blame
How do Blackstone and Mortimore evaluated Cultural deprivation
disagree that working class parents are less interested in their child's attainments but are simply unable to attend parents evenings due to work commitments in the evening, and are put off by the middle class ethos It is also noted that schools with mainly working class students have poorer home-school contact systems
How does Reay evaluate Cultural deprivation
Schools play an active role in influencing children’s values. Reay argues that teachers have lower expectations of Working class students resulting in a self-fulfilling prophecy
What is Material Deprivation
lack of basic necessities such as an adequate diet, housing, clothing and money to buy things. Poverty is often linked to educational underachievement
What did Smith and Noble identify as barriers to learning resulting from Material Deprivation
Students who cannot afford school uniforms, trips and transport to and from are more often bullied and made to feel isolated by their peers leading them to not want to attend school
Families with low income are less likely to have access to a computer and internet access as well as their homes being poorly heated with no or limited space designated for homework. Cold and damp housing can lead to ill health and absence from school
Older students from deprived families are more likely to have part-time employment or have to care for younger siblings and have less time to focus on their learning outside of school
Families are unable to purchase or rent houses in areas with more desirable schools as they cannot afford the cost resulting in no choice of school in the open enrolment process
Families are unable to afford to send their child to private school or pay for additional tuition
How is poverty linked to educational underachievement
in 2012 only 1/3 of students eligible for free school meals achieved 5 A* - C GCSE grades compared to 2/3 of those not entitled
Around 90% of failing schools are in deprived areas
Children from poorer homes are more likely to truant and be excluded from school. 1/3 students who persistently truant leave school with no qualifications
How did Howards finding relate to Material Deprivation
he claims that due to financial limitations the diet of students from poorer homes often lacked vitamins and minerals resulting in a weaker immune system resulting in difficulties in their concentration and health - reducing the achievement of these families
What did Bull illustrate about Material Deprivation
Children from materially deprived backgrounds often miss out on experiences that would enhance their education: he refers to this as the ‘cost of free-schooling’. These can include Uniform, stationary, calculators, school trips, sports equipment etc.
often students feel isolated and stigmatised and have lower self-esteem if they are not able to ‘fit in’ 20% of those students who are entitled to free school meals do not take advantage of this as they often feel teased and victimised
What policy was introduced to try relieve the problems of material deprivation
Educational Maintenance Allowance - brought in by New Labour but removed by the Coalition
What was Callender and Jackson’s study
Questionnaire survey - nearly 2000 prospective university students - established w/class were more debt averse and the cost of tuition fees meant they were 5 times less likely to apply to uni than m/class W/class who do go to uni are less likely to get financial support from their families. W/class spent twice as much time in paid work supporting their studies compared to m/class. They are also more likely to drop out. Only 30% of Uni students are from Working class backgrounds
