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Class differences in achievement - Internal Factors - Coggle Diagram
Class differences in achievement -
Internal Factors
Labelling,
attaching a meaning or definition to a person
Teachers' labelling students by abilities and attitudes, even class backgrounds - w/c negatively, m/c positively
Becker:
found that teachers' judged pupils according to how closely they fitted an image of the 'ideal pupil', m/c closest to the ideal as they are typically better behaved
Hempel-Jorgensen:
found teachers have different notions on what an ideal pupil is
In a largely w/c school, the ideal pupil was defined as quiet, passive and obedient (children were defined in terms of behaviour)
In a largely m/c school, the ideal pupil was defined instead in terms of personality and academic ability
Some argue that secondary schools continue to produce w/c underachievement because of labels and assumptions of teachers
Teachers 'normalise' the underachievement of w/c pupils and that there was nothing that could over come it
Rist:
found that teachers used information about children's home background and appearance to place them in separate groups
faster learners, teachers defined as 'tigers' tended to be m/c and of neat appearance. Who were seated nearer to the teacher and showed them more encouragment
slower learners, teachers defined as 'clowns' tended to be w/c and were seated further away
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy,
the prediction that comes true simply by virtue of it having been made - labelling can affect pupil's achievement by creating a sefl-fulfilling prophecy
Rosenthal + Jacobson:
suggests that teachers' beliefs about the pupils had been influenced by test scores
Step 1, the teacher labels a student (intelligent) and makes predictions about them (good academic progress)
Step 2, the teacher treats the pupil accordingly (giving them more attention)
Step 3, the pupil internalises this expectation and it becomes apart of their self-image, so they become that pupil
Streaming,
separating children into different ability groups or classes called 'streams'
Studies show that the self-fulfilling prophecy is likely to occur when children are streamed
w/c furthest from 'ideal pupil' so more likely to find themselves in lower streams
children in lower streams 'get the message' that their teachers have written them off as no-hopers
Creating a self-fulfilling prophecy in which pupils live up to their teachers low expectations by underachieving
Gillborn + Youdell
: found that teachers use stereotypical notions of 'ability' to stream pupils
w/c placed in lower streams and entered into lower-tier GCSEs, this denies them the knowledge and opportunity needed to gain good grades
They link streaming to the policy of publishing exam league tables
Called 'A-toC economy', where schools focus their time, effort and resources on those pupils they see as having the potential to get grades C's and so boosting league table position
Argue that A-to-C economy produces an 'educational triage' (sorting) Schools categorise pupils into three:
Those who will pass anyway and can be left to get on with it
Those with potential, who are helped to get a grade C or better
Those who are helpless cases, doomed to fail
Pupils' Subcultures, a group of people who share similar values and behaviour patterns
Lacey:
found that subcultures are created through, Differentiation and Polarisation
Differentiation - process of teachers categorising pupils
Polarisation - in the process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite 'poles'
Pro-School Culture
Pupils who accept school rules and values
Pupils placed in high streams, largely m/c, tend to remain committed to school
Anti-School Culture
Pupils who reject school rules and values
Pupils placed in lower streams, largely w/c, suffer from loss of self-esteem, labels of failure pushes them to search for alternative ways of gaining status, like among their peers
Abolishing Streaming
Ball:
found that when school abolished streaming, the basis for pupils to polarise into subcultures was largely removed and influence of anti-school culture declined
The Variety of Pupil Responses
Woods
: argues that other responses are made to labelling and streaming....
Ingratiation - being the teacher's 'pet'
Ritualism - going through the motions an staying out of trouble
Retreatism - daydreaming and mucking about
Rebellion - outright rejection of everything the school stands for
Furlong
: many pupils are not committed to one response, moving between different types of response and acting differently in lessons with different teachers
Criticisms: showing that schools are not neutral or fair institutions