Social Class Differences in Achievement

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What does Feinstein argue is the main reason fro w/c underachievement?
Parents lack of interest in their child's education. Parents were unlikely to read to their children and unlikely to give them educational toys, putting them at a disadvantage at school
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What is cultural deprivation theory?
People that come from lower class backgrounds are deprived values, attitudes, skills and experiences that are important for success in education
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What are Bernstein's two different speech codes that show language affects achievement?
Elaborated code (wider vocabulary, varied speech and context free) and restricted code (limited vocab, single words and context-bound)
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What does Douglas argue about parents' education?
w/c class parents value education less than m/c parents and as a result had less ambition for their children and encouraged them less
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How does parenting style vary between m/c and w/c parents' education?
M/C: emphasises consistent discipline and high expectations and encourages active learning. W/C: harsh/inconsistent discipline which prevents the child learning independence and self control
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What are m/c parents' educational behaviour?
They are more aware of what is needed to assist their children's educational progress
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How does use of income vary between m/c and w/c parents?
M/C: Higher incomes that are spent in ways that promote their children's educational success and have more nutritious food. W/C: More likely to lack resources and children begin school without the intellectual skills needed
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What does Sugarman argue about subcultures?
Large selections of the w/c have different goals, beliefs, attitudes and values from the rest of society which is why w/c children fail at school
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What are the m/c values?
Deferred gratification, future orientated and individualism
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What are the w/c values?
Immediate gratification, fatalistic and collectivism
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What are the external factors that affect social class and education?
Cultural deprivation, material deprivation and cultural capital
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Give one criticism of the cultural deprivation theory
Keddie describes the theory as a myth and views it as a victim blaming explanation. Children fail because they are disadvantaged by a education system dominated by m/c values
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How does housing have a negative effect of w/c education?
Overcrowding can make it difficult to study and the child may experience disturbed sleep. They may move frequently and suffer psychological stress. Development can be impaired through lack of space for exploration
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How does the cost of education have a negative effect on w/c education?
Fear of stigmitisation means 20% of those eligible for free school meals do not take up the entitlement. Children from low income families often need to work, which has a negative impact on their education. Poverty acts as a barrier
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How does diet and health have a negative effect on w/c education?
The lower a social class, the higher the rate of anxiety and conduct disorders. Young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of vitamins, minerals and energy which may result in more school absences
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What is Bourdieu's cultural capital explanation?
m/c culture is capital because it can be translated into wealth and power, giving those who have it an advantage while the w/c have a cultural deficit. Teachers attack little value to their experiences and so they lack the capital necessary
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What does Becker's labelling theory argue?
m/c pupils come closer to the teacher's view of their 'ideal pupil' in terms of their work, conduct and appearance.
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What did Dunne and Gazeley find were the effects of labelling?
Teachers normalised the underachievement of the w/c whilst they believed they could overcome the m/c underachievement. They labelled w/c parents as uninterested and entered the w/c into lower exams. Those who did well were labelled as 'overachieving'
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What was Rosenthal and Jocobson's study on teacher's expectations?
They identified children as 'spurters' in an IQ tests but the children were actually picked at random. 47% of those labelled made progress as the teacher's beliefs of the children influenced their work ethic (self-fulfilling prophecy)
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What do Youdell and Gillborn see the class gap in education as the result of?
Teacher's lower expectations of the w/c meant they put them in lower streams which denied them the knowledge and opportunity to gain good grades
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How does Colin explain how pupil subcultures develop?
Differentiation: Teachers categorise pupils according to how they perceive their ability. Polarisation: Pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite poles. Children then develop pro-school subcultures of anti-school subcultures
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What are the other responses to streaming identified by Woods?
Ingratiation: Becoming the 'teacher's pet'. Ritualism: Staying out of trouble by going through the notions. Retreatism: Daydreaming and mucking about. Rebellion: Outright rejection of everything school stands for
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Give two critcisms of labelling theory
It is too deterministic. Marxists argue it ignores the wider structures of power within school that reproduce class inequalities
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What is habitus?
Learned ways of thinking, acting and being that are taken for granted. This includes tastes and preferences about lifestyles and consumption
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Why do the m/c have symbolic capital and habitus?
They are socialised into m/c tastes and preferences at home which are superior at school and gives them recognition and status
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What is symbolic violence?
w/c habitus is devalued at school because their tastes and lifestyles are inferior. This keeps the unequal class system going and the education system undervalues w/c culture
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What does Archer conclude?
The w/c are forced to choose between keeping their w/c identity and committing social suicide or abandoning it and replacing it with m/c habitus
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What are the internal explanations of social class achievement?
Labelling, self-fulfiling prophecy, streaming, subcultures and pupil's class identities
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What is cultural deprivation theory?

Back

People that come from lower class backgrounds are deprived values, attitudes, skills and experiences that are important for success in education

Card 3

Front

What are Bernstein's two different speech codes that show language affects achievement?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What does Douglas argue about parents' education?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

How does parenting style vary between m/c and w/c parents' education?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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