Class differences-middle class children do better at GCSE's, stay longer + more go to uni
Eternal factors
Cultural Deprivation-WC children are
culturally deprived=don't succeed in edu
Intellectual development-WC children
don't develope thinking+reasoning skills
due lack of books, edu toys/activities
Bernstein+Young found MC
mothers- more likely to choose
intellectually stimulating toys
Compensatory education-policies designed to
tackle cultural deprivation (intervene early in
socialisation to compensate)
Eg Operation Head Start in US to instill motivation
+develope learning skills by improving parenting
skills setting up nurseries+home visits or Edu Action Zones
Keddie argues WC children are culturally different
+edu system is dominated by MC, Troyna+
Williams argue it's the schools attitude to language,
Blackstone+Mortimore WC parents attend fewer
parents evenings because of work+they may want to
help their child progress but lack the knowledge
Language
Bereiter+Engelmann-lower classes communicate by gestures+
single words/disjointed phrases=fail to develop language skills
Bernstein
The restricted code; WC limited vocab, short
simple words, predictable speech, speaker
assumes listener has had same experiences
The elaborated speech code; MC opposite, meanings
spelled out (used in text books+exams+by teachers)
Parental attitudes+values;WC parents value
edu less have less ambitions for children=
children less motivated/supported
Lack of parental interest, reflects WC subculture
Hyman argues values + beliefs of the
subculture are a self-imposed barrier-lower class
believe they have less opportunity=value edu less
Sugarman; features of barrier-fatalism,
collectivism, immediate gratification+present
time orientation, (internalised by children)
Material deprivation; poverty is
closely linked to under acheivement
Housing; overcrowding-no room to study, lack of
sleep, no room to explore/play for young children
Temporary housing-psych damage+disrupts edu
Diet+health; poor nutrition=
bad health+low energy
Financial support+the costs of edu;WC miss out
+children have to have hand-me-downs=bullied WC
children may also take on jobs, disrupting edu
Cultural/material factors; some poor
children do well=religion may play a
part+the school may play a part
Cultural capitol
Bourdieu; 3 types of capital (can
all be converted into each other)
Cultural capital-knowledge,
language, abilities, attitudes + values
of the middle class=an advantage
Edu+economic capital MC parents more able to
buy house in catchment area of good schools. MC
parents can pay for good schools+extra tuition
Sullivan used questionnaires+tests of vocab
+knowledge of cultural figures on 465 pupils
Those who read complex fiction+watched TV documentaries=complex language
+greater cultural knowledge=cultural capital (children of graduates/MC)
Gewirtz studied marketisation+interviewed
teachers+parents, found differences in
economic+cultural capital=3 types of parents
Privileged-skilled choosers; MC well-off,
confident+well edu=take advan of all choices
Time+skill for visits, know how admission
system works, understand deadlines+waiting
lists Economic capital for better edu
Disconnected-local choosers WC resticted by lack of
economic+cultural capital Less aware+less confidence
Semi-skilled choosers mainly WC
but ambitious for their children
Internal factors
Labelling
Secondary school; Becker; teachers judged pupils according
to the 'ideal pupil' by their conduct+appearance (MC closest fit)
Primary school; teacher used childs background+appearance to
place them as 'tiger'(MC seated near+encouraged)'clowns'/'cardinals'
High/low status knowledge; Keddie; A stream-taught theoretical high status
knowledge/C stream-descriptive low status knowledge with same curriculum
The self-fulfilling prophecy
Teacher expectations; Rosenthal+Jacobson new
test to id students who will spurt ahead, 20% chosen
Yr later those students had improved significantly
Once streamed it is hard to move up, streams
=self-fulfilling prophecy MC benefit from streaming
Pupil subcultures (develop through
Lacey's differentiation +polarisation)
The pro-school subculture; (MC) Their
values are those of the schools They
gain status through edu success
The anti-school subculture; (WC)low stream=lose self-esteem Search for
alternate ways of gaining status truanting, not doing homework=edu failure
Ball; comprehensive abolished streaming in favour of mixed ability=influence
of anti-school subculture declined though labelling continued
Other pupil responses; ingratiation(teachers pet), ritualism
(going through the motions), retreatism (messing about)+rebelling
Eval-Determinism-assumes labelled pupils have no choice
but to fulfill prophecy Fails to explain why teachers label
Marketisation+selection policies
League tables create an A to C economy-schools
concentrate on pupils with potential
This process is called edu triage-sorting pupils
into those who will pass away, those with
potential + hopeless cases
Schools-under pressure to select MC students to get
good results=high in league table Other schools then
have to take WC students=low in league tables
Some schools try to create a traditional image to attract MC students