Unit 1 Key sociological theories/studies

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Durkheim - Functionalism
Argued that teaching of subjects like History and Religious Studies is central to social solidarity because it enables children to feel a sense of belonging to society.
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Althusser - Marxism
Saw the main role of education in a capitalist society as the reproduction of an efficient and obedient labour force.
He suggested that the education system conditions young working-class people to accept social inequalities through the use of the hidden
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Bowles and Gintis (1976)
Correspondence theory: stresses how what goes on in schools ‘corresponds’ with the needs of the workplace.
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Paul Willis (neo-Marxist) – critique of Bowles and Gintis
Observational study of 12 working-class boys in 1970s.
Challenged assumptions of Bowles & Gintis that education produces passive and obedient workers.
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Rikowski (2001) - Marxism
argues that competition from other economies across the world for jobs and investment is driving the governments efforts to drive up standards and competition among schools.
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Howard Becker ('ideal type')
studied 60 teachers from Chicago high schools and found that teachers had an ideal type of pupil.
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Waterhouse (2004) – case studies of 4 primary and secondary schools
Suggests that teacher labelling of pupils as either normal/average or deviant types as a result of impressions formed over a period of time, has implications for the way teachers interact with pupils and deal with them.
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Hartley and Sutton (2011) – gender labelling
found that teachers are more likely to apply the ‘ideal type’ to girls.
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Heidi Mirza (1992) – studied young Black women at 2 London comprehensives.
Her research findings challenged the ‘myth of underachievement’ for Black women.
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Tony Sewell (1996) - racist labelling
showed that teachers expect African-Caribbean pupils to be more badly behaved than White or Asian pupils.
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Mac an Ghaill (1988) – racist labelling
found that teachers - while adopting a social class analysis to examine the academic achievement of White students, simply reduced Black student’s results to racial origin.
He found that teachers located Asians close to their ‘ideal type’, whereas Africa
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Nell Keddie (1973) Streaming – studied a Humanities department in a comprehensive school.
She found that streaming had a profound effect upon teaching attitudes and practices which can have negative consequences for pupils in the bottom streams.
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Stephen Ball (1981) – study of Beachside comprehensive
Noted the emergence of oppositional counter-cultures in response to the school’s failure to give bottom streams any status.
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Gillborn and Youdell (2000) - 'A-C economy'
found that pressures within schools from the ‘A-C economy’ resulted in working-class and Black pupils being more likely to be allocated to lower sets than middle-class children performing work of the same standard.
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Bartlett and Le Grand (1993) – 'cream skimming'
found evidence of schools ‘cream skimming’ to favour the best pupils.
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Peter Woods (1983) - negative labelling
challenged views from interactionist studies of that once a negative label has been attached to a pupil, that pupil experiences a downward spiral of failure.
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Mac an Ghaill (1994) – 'crisis of masculinity'
He identified a sophisticated typology of subculture with different groups including:
‘macho lads’, ‘real Englishmen’, ‘academic achievers’, ‘new enterprisers’
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Carolyn Jackson (2006) – Research suggests not all girls are successful, motivated and high achievers.
Girls both middle-class and working-class can also adopt counter-school subcultures resulting them in leaving school at 16 with few or no qualifications and destined for low-paid jobs.

‘Ladettes’ – similar to Willis ‘lads’. Jackson found that such laddis
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Sue Sharpe (1994) – female subcultures
Research found attitudes and aspirations of working-class girls were changing and becoming more achievement orientated.
Many see education as offering a gateway to better jobs.
Girls no longer see a life depending upon male partners as either reliable or
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Mary Fuller (1984) – female subcultures
Research found that Black girls saw educational success as a way of challenging the putdowns of their Black male peers and the racism that came from teachers.
Exam success was important to them to obtain a good job and social mobility.
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Connolly (1998) – Ethnic subcultures
found that positive teacher labelling and praise undermined Asian pupil’s attempts to construct a deviant persona and consequently undermined their confidence.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Saw the main role of education in a capitalist society as the reproduction of an efficient and obedient labour force.
He suggested that the education system conditions young working-class people to accept social inequalities through the use of the hidden

Back

Althusser - Marxism

Card 3

Front

Correspondence theory: stresses how what goes on in schools ‘corresponds’ with the needs of the workplace.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Observational study of 12 working-class boys in 1970s.
Challenged assumptions of Bowles & Gintis that education produces passive and obedient workers.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

argues that competition from other economies across the world for jobs and investment is driving the governments efforts to drive up standards and competition among schools.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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