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RELATIONSHIPS AND PROCESSES WITHIN SCHOOLS - Coggle Diagram
RELATIONSHIPS AND PROCESSES WITHIN SCHOOLS
the hidden curriculum
is the norms and values and social expectations indirectly conveyed to students by the styles of teaching and the organisational characteristics or education institutions
functionalism - hidden curriculum is good as it helps students with teamwork skills and healthy competition
marxism - hidden curriculum legitimised the ruling class vales - hardworking, docile, obedient, highly motivated
how is the HC transmitted?
hierarchy of management
1) headteacher
2) classroom teacher
3) kitchen and cleaning staff
4) pupils
punctuality - rigid pattern of the day, similar to work. frowned upon if students don't stick to the times of school
uniform - imposes identity of school over that of the individual
setting - defined by age and ability. links to stereotype of what you can do from class
organisation of classroom - teacher at front, students looking up and teacher looking down on students
expectations of certain pupils - labelling and knowing place in school/society
labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy
SFP - creating the effect of a sfp can be the result of teacher expectations, whereby whatever they anticipate can be the result of actual outcomes. this can happen in one of two ways:
pupils accept the label that teachers give them as being true and internalise it
they react against the labelling process and do not conform to negative assumptions
history
throughout the 1970s and 80s the sfp was a very influential concept and led to many educational reforms
the idea of placing pupils in different classes or schools based on ability was seen to damage the prospects of the less able considerably
recent changes
recently there has become less focus on the concerns of splitting pupils and an increase in the desire to achieve high grades and higher league table positions.
the introduction of the ofsted rating of schools somewhat re-introduced the idea of separating the weak from the strong
teacher pupil relationships
the interactions students have with their teachers has a significant effect in their educational experience
teachers prefer to teach pupils who they perceive to be: (ideal, middle/upper class) well behaved, motivated, mannered, reserved, compliant
these pupils are rewarded with praise and placement in higher sets
some teachers chose to work in working class schools - not as becker suggested - ideal pupil
becker
interactionist: ideal pupil being one who conforms to the middle class standards of behaviour
he also said that teachers did not naturally assign low ability to working class pupils
teachers rather have a 'common sense' understanding of ability which they think to be fair and without bias
gilborn and youdell
suggest that teachers discriminate against working class pupils by failing to recognise their intelligence because they do not exhibit it in the right way
instead teachers use blinkered judgement to allocate working class pupils to lower sets and foundation tier examinations
what will be the effect of this?
resentment - perceiving their treatment to be unfair
hostility
discipline problems - resulting in negativity in their achievement and their relationship with their teachers
ethnic minorities
differential treatment of em by teachers can have negative consequences for the teacher pupil relationship and for learning
many feel angry that they are singled out for punishment. this can lead to anti-school sentiments making interaction with teachers more confrontational
connolly believes that many black male pupils get drawn into this downward spiral of disengagement from schooling
pro- and anti-school subcultures
definition - a group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns
pro-school subcultures - some students accept the schooling system
anti-school subcultures - whilst others break rules and devote their attention to avoiding work
subcultures create:
inequalities
class differences
achievement differences
self fulfilling prophecy
pro-school subcultures
high streamed
middle class
high status - successful
committed to values of the school
anti-school subculture
low streams
working class
failure =low self esteem - school has undermined them, reinforcing inferior status
hargreaves - interviewed boys in secondary modern schools and found subcultures formed due to triple failures: 1) failing 11+ 2) low streams 3) labelled worthless louts. he also found high status in subcultures went to those who disobeyed school rules
evaluation
woods:
division between pro and anti school subcultures is too simplistic
variety of pupil responses will differ both within and between schools and pupils, and in different school situtations
the study of subcultures is much more complex than simply pro/anti school
do all pupils who are part of these subcultures fail?
view point is too deterministic - only one point of view
what about people who are part of a positive subculture who still fail?
would marxists agree with subcultures
not based on teacher individual prejudices but system pf class division
ignore wider structures of power within which labelling takes place
male, female and ethnic subcultures
mac an ghail
agree with wood - argued that it wasn't enough to split subcultures into pro and anti school subcultures because it is more complex than that
state there is a complexity of sub cultural responses
these are found by looking at the relationship between school work, masculinity and sexuality
from this he identified a range of subcultures
the 'macho' lads - this group was hostile to school authority and learning, not unlike the lads in Willis's study. willis had argued that work - especially physical work - was essential to the development of a sense of identity. by the mid 1980s, much of this kind of work was gone. instead, a spell in youth training, followed very often by unemployment, became the norm for many working class boys
the academic achievers - the group, who were from mostly skilled manual working class backgrounds, adopted a more traditional upwardly mobile route via academic success. however, they had to develop ways of coping with the stereotyping and accusations of effeminacy from the 'macho lads'. they would do this either by confusing those who bullied them, by deliberately behaving in an effeminate way, or simply by having the confidence to cope with the jibes
the 'new enterprisers' - this group identified a new successful pro- anti school subculture, which embraces the new vocationalism of the 1980s and 1990s. they rejected the traditional academic curriculum, which they saw as a waste of time, but accepted the new vocational ethos, with help and support of the new breed of teachers and their industrial contacts
real englishmen - these were a small group of mc pupils, usually from a liberal professional background. they rejected what teachers had to offer, seeing their own culture and knowledge as superior. they also saw the motivations of the 'achievers' and 'entrepreneurs' as shallow. while their own values did not fit with doing well at schools, they did, however, aspire to university and a professional career. they resolved this dilemma by achieving academic success in a way that appeared effortless
gay students - mac an ghail looked at the experience of a group of neglected students - gay students. this students commented on the homophobic nature of schools, which took for granted the naturalness of heterosexual relationships and the two parent nuclear family. these students shared different values to the perceived homophobic schools ad created a new subculture.
male subcultures
paul willis - learning to labour
wc lads who coped by 'having a laff'. these students went on to achieve employment but their coping strategies helped them deal with the monotony of the work they were destined for
but - economy has changed and the nature of wc jobs remaining is limited
working class boys
some sociologists believe wc boys havent realised the change in the job market and they struggle to get jobs - they are forced to join training schemes
so male anti-school subcultures are actually detrimental to their future
female subcultures
mac an ghail refer to the 're-masculinisation of the vocational curriculum'
higher status subjects such as BS, ICT and technology are being dominated by males
girls are enrolled on more stereotypical lower-level courses and complete WE in retail of community placements
lees - agrees with hargreaves that both pro and anti school subcultures exist but further subdivisions exists
some pro-school females find a nutural value and enjoyment in academic study
others take a more practice view of education as a means to an end later in life
on the other hand, they might ignore the attainment aspects of education, and instead focus upon it as a positive place to socialise
griffins conclusions : 3 possible routes for females which can all be pursued at the same time
labour market - securng a job
marruage market - permanent partner
sexual market - having sexual relationships whilst as the same time not damaging their reputation or marriage prospects
females view on the world of work
working class - work as a potential marriage market
upper class - career important for independence and achievement
griffin - white wc women in first 2 years of employment - rather and forming 'anti-authority' subcultures, formed small friendship groups and deviance defined by sexual behaviour
-in consistency between school subculture and workplace (unlike with boys)
ethnic subcultures
asian subcultures
supportive families for teacher judgement and behaviour policies
high value of education - good work ethic
lupton - adult authority similar at home to schools - male headship
respectful behaviour towards adults
pro-school subculture - school values are reinforced in home life/cultural expectations
created for a number of reasons:
language barrier
labelling
setting
parental influence/cultural differences
afro-caribbean subcultures
female - pro and anti-school subcultures
male - tending towards anti-school
cultural deprivation as a cycle where indequeate primary socialisation occurs
lacking a parental father figure - males - leading to low self-esteem and underachieve
ant education peer groups - peer pressure
male
tough love - ultra tough ghetto superstar
'not speaking well' - restricted code in language use as part for a subcultural group norm
conspicuous consumption: many black boys reject the school culture and favour a culture of conspicuous consumption and street credibility - public enjoyment of possessions known to be expensive (showing off that they can afford it)
the organisation of teaching and learning
setting and grouping pupils
the way that pupils are organised to teaching groups shape what pupils are taught and their ultimate success
this affects both their qualifications and their subsequent progression opportunities
these grouping can involve labelling and the spf
ability setting
the introduction of league tables has been argued by some, to be the cause of ability setting by some in some schools
ireson
setting was not always based on attainment in a particular subject
behaviour and a means of socially controlling particular groups have also been strong influences on this type of grouping
beneficial for the more able students in top groups allowing them to have better opportunities to get good results in exams
bottom sets receive little stimulations, become easily demoralised, disruptive and disaffected - forming anti school subcultures
ethnic minorities grouping - DrES and tikly - african caribbean pupils are underrepresented in higher-ability sets, higher examination tiers and in gifted and talented cohorts
from the pupils perspective - hallam illustrates the impact of ability grouping as the pupils see it as primary school
the research - 6 pupils of mixed ability and genders were interviewed in each of 6 primary schools adopting different methods of grouping practices including setting, streaming, within class ability and mixed ability grouping
the results
in reading, pupils wished to be in the top set, as it gave them status. however most pupils preferred the whole class to individual work
social adjustment, social attitude and attitude to peers of different ability were healthier among children in non-streamed classes
the more streams there were the more negative the attitudes of those in the lower sets
below average ability pupils could become friendless or neglected by others
secondary research suggests:
streaming may play a major role in polarising pro and anti school attitudes among pupils
setting may produce more negative than positive consequences among meths students, most students wanted to move sets or change due to mixed ability teaching
the greater the level of mixed ability teaching in the school the more it is the preferred method
conclusions
the research on ability grouping in inconclusive
generally it has little or no effect on schools achievement levels
but those in the top set do better than they otherwise might and those in bottom sets do worse
benefits mc students, disadvantaging wc students who have the wrong attitude for learning
ability setting is however becoming more popular in line with the league table system and schools competing for pupils and resources