Social Class and Educational Achievement

?
View mindmap
  • Social Class and education
    • Internal Influences
      • Becker - Labelling - teachers favour MC pupils as 'ideal students' - higher expectations of them and put them in higher streams
      • Ball (1981) - strong correlation between setting and parental occupation - MC parents, likely to be in higher set
        • self fulfilling prophecy
      • Woods (1983) pupils adapt to their school environment - may be positive e.g 'ingratiation'  where students integrate themselves with teaching completely
        • may also be negative - 'rebellion' students reject goals of the school and how to achieve them - anti school subculture
          • working class students more likely to be non-conformist
    • External Influences
      • Joseph Rowntree Foundation (1997) - link between material deprivation and lower education achievement - less likely to have access to computers, internet and private tuition
      • Halsey (1980) - fails to offer equality of opportunity, WC more likely to fail, MC more likely to stay on at post compulsory education (16 to 18)
        • lack of economic resources is the most important factor in whether a child stay on into post compulsory education or not - WC students should have grants
      • Douglas (1964) - poor housing and achievement - children of manual workers are likely to live in unsatisfactory housing and often performed worse in tests
        • parental interest - MC had more cultural capital - can help with school work, check progress and encourage children to continue into post compulsory education
          • emphasised importance of primary socialisation and how MC parents were more likely to provide support to children from an early age
    • Sugarman (1970)
      • subcultures - norms, values and attitudes of MC parents were different to that of WC parents - linked to non manual vs manual jobs
      • parents attitudes - WC were likely to be fatalistic, immediate gratification  and collectivism.
      • concluded that parents pass their attitudes onto their children
    • Feinstein (2003)
      • parental education, quality of the school, material deprivation - linked to low levels of achievement
    • Hyman (1967)
      • WC and MC have different value systems - WC have lower value on education - less likely to value professional jobs with high status
        • WC see manual job as stable and secure job with less risk than non manual jobs with greater risk to achieve - limits the educational achievement of their children
    • Bourdieu (1971) - cultural reproduction
      • Marxist approach - education system reproduces culture of ruling class, education is biassed in favour of MC as they share norms and values
      • cultural capital - likely to share aspects of high culture e.g cultural activities e.g museum
      • maintain inequalities rather than produce equal opportunities for all
  • Sugarman (1970)
    • subcultures - norms, values and attitudes of MC parents were different to that of WC parents - linked to non manual vs manual jobs
    • parents attitudes - WC were likely to be fatalistic, immediate gratification  and collectivism.
    • concluded that parents pass their attitudes onto their children

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Sociology resources:

See all Sociology resources »See all Education resources »