SUBCULTURES

       1. PUPIL SUBCULTURES

Sociologists are interested in student subcultures:

• why they form
• the effect the have on pupils that join them

LACEY suggests student subcultures develop as a result of DIFFERENTIATION & POLARISATION

• DIFFERENTIATION - the process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ABILITIES, ATTITUDES &/OR BEHAVIOUS (STREAMING is a type of differentiation)
• POLARISATION - the process in which pupils respond to the differentiation process by moving towards 2 opposite poles/extremes (PRO/ANTI-SCHOOL)

Differentiation can result in Polarisation

HARGREAVES found ANTI-SCHOOL WC SUBCULTURES are generally found in BOTTOM STREAMS at school. These students are labelled as LOW-STREAM FAILURES & so lack any status in terms of school values. This makes them gain status amongst their peers by adopting anti-school values & behaviours. THIS SHOWS THAT subcultures are linked to streaming & setting/differentiation

Subcultures also adopt their own sets of values - these may be pro/anti-school.

      2. LADS & LADETTES

LADDISH BEHAVIOUR - one that is cheeky, popular, into football & believes its uncool to work hard

LADETTE - a term CREATED BY THE MEDIA in the 1990s to describe girls/young women who 'APED' male behaviour - party girls, loud, cheeky, drink too much, often out clubbing

CAROLYN JACKSON believed that laddish & ladettish behaviour was a DEFENCE MECHANISM AGAINST THE FEAR OF FAILURE.       She carried out research to find out WHY LADDISH & LADETTISH B3EHAVIOUR OCCURED.      She used SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS & QUESTIONNAIRES (TRIANGULATION)

QUESTIONNAIRES:

• + more REPRESENTATIVE - more people taking part (larger sample so more likely to be varied)
• + PRACTICAL - used questionnaires to find out who to interview
• + more RELIABLE

SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS:

• + more IN DEPTH
• + more VALID (due to the depth)
• + gain …