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Class and Differential Achievement in Education - Coggle Diagram
Class and Differential Achievement in Education
Social Class
Tends to Affect Educational Achievement
Pupils from professional backgrounds are significantly more likely to enter higher education than those from unskilled backgrounds
Pupils from MC backgrounds are more likely to study for A-Levels, whereas WC pupils are more likely to take vocational qualifications
Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to start school being able to read
Pupils from unskilled backgrounds on average achieve lower scores on SATs and in GCSEs and are more likely to be placed in lower streams or sets
Eysenck
(1971) and others
Different socio-economic groups have different relative IQs, and this accounts for discrepancies in educational achievement
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Very controversial
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Also difficult to work out wether or not ant potential IQ differences would be more more important to achievement than social factors
Processes Inside School
Labelling, Streaming and Subcultures
Negative labelling can lead to a negative self-fulfilling prophecy of failure
Becker and Keddie
(1971)
Teachers tend to evaluate pupils in comparison to an imaginary ideal student, by looking at their social class
Ball
(1981)
Found that the pupils in top streams tended to be from higher social classes
As a response to negative labelling and frustration with low status, pupils may from anti-school subcultures
Woods
(1983)
Argued that there are lots of different reactions to school, but non-conformist reactions were more likely to come from WC students
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Useful when looking at day-to-day experiences in schools
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Don't explain how factors outside of school can influence achievement
E.g. Poverty, cultural deprivation
Material Deprivation Outside School
Can Affect Achievement
Economic poverty is a big factor in low achievement in school
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation
(1997)
Classified 1 in 10 children as poor
Defined as being in a family that couldn't afford at least 3 things others took for granted
Halsey
(1980)
Found that the most important factor preventing WC students staying on at school was a lack of financial support
Douglas
(1964)
Found that children in unsatisfactory living conditions didn't do very well in ability tests compared to kids from comfortable backgrounds
E.g. poor housing, lack of nutritious food and overcrowding
Unemployment or low income means less money for books, internet access and school trips.
Low income families can't afford nurseries and private schools and they can't afford to support their kids through university
Poverty and unsatisfactory living standards may cause health problems and absence from school
Cultural Deprivation Outside School
Can Affect Achievement
WC culture and parenting aren't aimed at educational success
Douglas
(1964)
Thought that the level of parental interest was the most important factor in affecting achievement
E.g. MC parents are more likely to attend open evenings
WC parents may not go to open evenings because they work inconvenient shifts, not because they're uninterested
Some sociologists say that WC kids may not have the knowledge and values that help achievement
Books, museum visits, home internet access and parental knowledge of education may help MC pupils to succeed
Some styles of parenting emphasise the importance of education more than others
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Generalises a lot about differences between MC and WC life
Ignores WC families who do place a high value on education
Tends to assume WC families have no culture at all, or that WC culture can't be relevant to school
Ethnocentric
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Method may be unsound
E.g. Attending parents' evening might not be a good measure of parental interest
Some say
Class Affects Attitudes
to Education
Sugarman
(1970)
Pupils from non-manual backgrounds and manual backgrounds have different outlooks
The pupils from manual backgrounds lived for immediate gratification
The pupils from non-manual backgrounds were ambitious and deferred their gratification
Feinstein
(2003)
Found social class continued to have a significant impact on educational achievement
Argued that redistributive policies should carry on throughout a student's entire education, rather than being restricted to their pre-school years
E.g. Sure Start
Hyman
(1967)
The values of WC are a self-imposed barrier to improving their position
WC tend to place a low value on education
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Don't explain how factors inside school affect acievement
Differences in Achievement
Bernstein
(1970)
Found that WC pupils in the East End of London weren't comfortable with the style of language required by school
Used a restricted code - short forms of speech
In terms of language, at a disadvantage
MC students knew how to use the same elaborated code as the teachets
A much more wordy style of speech with everything made very explicit
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Variations within the MC and WC
Different sections vary in how they use the elaborate code
The 'posh language' of teachers
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Some have developed his ideas to say WC speech patterns are inferior or somehow 'wrong'
Labov
(1973) thinks the elaborated code is just different
Bourdieu
(1971, 1974)
Reckons MC students are at an advantage because they have the right kind of 'cultural capital'
The right language, skills, knowledge and attitudes
Thought that the more cultural capital you have, the more successful you'll be in education
Believed WC pupils don't have access to cultural capital
MC families pass on cultural capital and expectations to children
Cultural reporduction
:( Halsey et al
(1980) found that material factors are important
Lack of money may stop kids from staying on at school or going to university
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Not all WC students fail, even if they don't have cultural capital