subcultures and pupil responses Flashcards
what are pupil responses?
- groups of students who share values, norms and behaviour
- gives them a sense of identity and provides them with status
- subcultures emerge as a response to how pupils have been labelled, and as a reaction to setting and streaming
what is differentiation?
the process of teachers placing pupils into sets according to their perceived ability
what is polarisation?
- the process in which pupils respond to setting
- the creation of two opposite extremes (pro and anti school subcultures)
LACY - behaviour patterns
“the boy who takes refuge in such a group because his work is poor finds that the group commits him to a behaviour pattern which means his work will stay poor”
in other words, joining an anti school subculture is likely to become a self fulfilling prophecy of educational failure
PETER WOODS - responses to labelling
- argues there are more than two responses to labelling and that subcultures are exaggerated
- says pupils act different in each class
INGRATION - being the ‘teachers pet’
RITUALISM - going through the motions and staying out of trouble
RETREATISM - daydreaming and mucking about
REBELLION - outright rejection of everything the school stands for
STEPHEN BALL - abolishing sets
argues we should abolish setting/streaming in favour of mixed ability teaching
FOR:
- help each other
- helps with confidence
- teachers can focus on particular students
AGAINST:
- can’t focus on particular subject areas
- causes disruption
evaluation of labelling
- it tells us what is going on in schools
- draws attention to what goes on in schools
- pupils don’t respond in a predictable way
- some pupils ignore labelling
what is labelling?
categorising/stereotyping someone because of the way they look/act
FOR EXAMPLE: labelling someone as smart because they are engaged in lessons
what is stereotyping?
assuming what someone is like without actually getting to know them
FOR EXAMPLE: assuming that someone is unintelligent because they dress scruffy
