Class Differences in Achieveent: External Factors

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When examining social class differences in achievement, the main comparison sociologists make is between working-class and middle-class pupils.

Middle-class - include professionals such as doctors or teachers, together with managers and other 'white collar' offic worker and owners of businesses.

Working-class - include skilled workers such as plumbers, semi-skilled workers such as lorry drivers, and unskilled or routine workers such as cleaners.

Cultural Deprivation

Class differences in children's development and achievement appear very early in life. Sociologists claim that this is the result of cultural deprivation.

They argue that most of us begin to acquire the basic value, attitudes and skills that are needed for educational success through priary socialisation in the family. Accodring to cultural deprivation theorists, many working-clss families ffail to socialise their children adequately. These children grow ip to be 'culturlly deprived'.

There are 3 main aspects of cultural deprivation:

  • Language
  • Parents' Education
  • Working-Class Subculture 

Language:

Language is essential within education and the ay in which parents communicate with their children affects their conitive development and their ability to benefit from the proces of schooling.

Hubbs-Tait et al (2002) - found that parents use language which challenges their children to evaluate their own understanding or abilities.

Leon Feinstein (2008) - found that educated parents are more likely to use language in this way to improve their childrens cognitive performance. He also found educated parents are more likely to praise as it encourages their children to develop a sense of their own competnce.

However, less educated parents tend to use language in ways that only require children to make simple descriptive statements, resulting in lower performance.

Cultural deprivation theorists view the differences iin how parents use llanguauge as linked to social class.

Carl Bereiter and Siegfried Engelmann (1966) - claim the language used in lower-class homes is deficient. They describe lower-class families as comunicating by gestures, single words or disjointed phrases.

This results in their children failing to develop the necessary language skills.

Speech Codes:

Basil Bernstein (1975) - identifies the differences between working-class and middle-class language that influence achievement.

He distinguishes between two types of speech code:

  •  The Restricted Code ~ The speech code typically used by the working class.Limited vocabulary and based on short sentences. Speech is predictable and may involve only a single word or even a gesture. The restricted code is context-bound, the speaker assumes that the listener shares the same set of experiences.
  • The Elaborated Code ~ The speech code typically used…

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