Topic 2 - Class differences in achievement (2) Internal factors - Pupil subcultures

Group of pupils who share similar values + behaviour patterns. Often emerge as response to labelling + reacton to streaming.

Lacey's (1970) concepts to explain how they develop:
 - Differentiaton - process of teachers categorising according to how they perceive their ability, attitude and/or behaviou eg streaming.
 - Polarisation - process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite 'poles'/extremes. Study of Hightown boys' grammar school, Lacey found streaming polarised boys into a pro-school + anti-school subculture

Pupils in high streams (largely m/c), remain committed to school values. Gain status in approved way - academic success. 

Values same as schools'.

Low streams (largely w/c), lower self esteem - school underminded their self worth by placing them in position of inferior status.

Failure label pushes them to search for alternative ways of gaining status - usually involves inverting school's value of hard work, obedience + punctuality.

Form anti-school subculture as means of gaining status among peers, but creates further problems - self-fulfilling prophecy of educational failure.

Hargreaves (1967) found similar response to labelling + streaming - secondary modern school. Boys in lower streams - triple failures. Failed 11+, low streams, labelling 'worthless louts'. (POV ed sys).

Solution for status problem - pupils to seek each other out + form group w/in which high status when to those who flouted school rules -> delinquent subculture.

Ball (1981) - study of Beachside, comp in process of abolishing banding in favour of mixed ability as banding produced polarisation. Found when banding abolished, basis for pupils to polarise to subcultures removed + influence of anti-school subculture declined. 

Although polarisation disappeared, differentiation continued. Shows class inequalities can result from teacher's labelling.

Since study + since Education Reform Act (1988), trend towards more streaming + variety of types of school - some more academic than others.

Created new opps for schools + teachers to differentiate based on class, ethnicity or gender + treat them unequally.

Pro + anti-school subcultures 2 possible responses.

Woods (1979) argues other responses possible:
 - ingratiation - being 'teacher's pet'
 - ritualism - going through motions + staying out of trouble
 - retreatism - daydreaming + mucking about
 - rebellion - outright rejection of everything the school stands for

Furlong (1984) observed many pupils not committed permanently to one response, may move between different types - acting differently in different lessons w/ different teachers.

Accused of determinism - assumes pupils who are labelled have no choice but to fulfil prophecy + will inevitably fail.

Marxists - ignore structures of power w/in labelling takes place. Tends to blame teachers for labelling but doesn't explain why they do it.

Marxists - arfue labels not merely result of teachers' preferences, but stem from fact that teachers work in system that produces class divisions.