Class Differences In Achievement - Internal Factors

Question 1

What are the internal factors that cause class differences in achievement?

Answer 1

1. Labelling.
2. Self-fulfilling prophecy.
3. Streaming.
4. Pupil subcultures.
5. Pupils’ identity and the school.

Question 2

Which theory is dominant in internal factors?

Answer 2

Interactionists =

they focus of interactions between teachers and pupils, and identify factors that cause underachievement.

Question 3

What are labels?

Answer 3

Meanings or definitions we attach to someone/something to make sense of them.

• e.g. m/c pupils are labelled as ‘bright, motivated, cooperative, etc’.

Question 4

Who are the 3 sociologists that discussed labelling as causing class underachievement?

Answer 4

1. Becker.
2. Jorgensen.
3. Dunne and Gazely.

Question 5

What did Becker study about labelling in schools?

Answer 5

1. Interviewed 60 Chicago teachers.
2. Found they judged pupils on how closely they fitted the ideal pupil.
3. m/c closest to ideal pupil, and w/c furthest from it.
4. This lead to w/c feeling marginalised –> less successful because teachers were more likely to send them out of class, etc.

Question 6

What did Jogensen find about labelling in schools?

Answer 6

1. Study of 2 English primary schools in 2009.
2. Found the ideal pupil varied depending on the social class make-up of the school.
3. In the w/c school; quiet, passive and obedient were closest to ideal pupil.

4 In the m/c school; personality and academic abilities defined ideal pupil as behaviour wasn’t much of an issue.

Question 7

What did Dunne and Gazely find about labelling and underachievement?

Answer 7

1. Interviews in 9 English secondary schools.
2. Found teachers ‘normalised’ w/c under-achievement because they labelled w/c parents as uninterested in their child’s education.
3. However, m/c underachievement was dealt with extended work as teachers labelled their parents as supportive.

Question 8

What did Dunne and Gazely conclude about teachers’ labelling?

Answer 8

The way teachers dealt with underachievement lead to w/c underachievement as they were negatively labelled and weren’t given help.

Question 9

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 9

A prediction that comes true simply because it has been made.

• e.g. “he’s stupid - he’s bound to fail” = he goes on to fail.

Question 10

Who demonstrates a self-fulfilling prophecy in a primary school?

Answer 10

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968).

Question 11

What did Rosenthal and Jacobson do?

Answer 11

Gave an IQ test to all pupils and said 20% of them were intellectual ‘bloomers’ (randomly selected)

• Upon returning 1 year later, they found 47% of the ‘bloomers’ made significant improvements.

Question 12

What did Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study show about self-fulfilling prophecies in schools?

Answer 12

Their study illustrates an important interaction principle:

• What people believe to be true, will in fact become true.
• However, this self-fulfilling prophecy can be negative.

Question 13

How is the interactionists approach to self-fulfilling prophecies criticised?

Answer 13

Too deterministic =

not all pupils who are labelled as failures fulfil the prophecy; some reject the label and succeed (self-refuting prophecy).

• Not all teachers label w/c pupils negatively.

Question 14

How are self-fulfilling prophecies and streaming linked, use Becker’s ideas?

Answer 14

As w/c pupils aren’t ‘ideal’, they are placed in lower streams, therefore, living up to the teachers low expectations.

Question 15

What did Douglas find about pupils placed in a high stream?

Answer 15

Children that were placed in a high stream at age 8 had improved their IQ score by age 11.

Question 16

What did Gillborn and Youdell find about streaming in their study.

Answer 16

• Study of 2 London secondary schools.

- Teachers are more likely to place w/c (black) pupils in lower streams as they view them as having less ability.

Question 17

According to Gillborn and Youdell, what is the A-to-C economy?

Answer 17

A system where schools focus on pupils who have the potential to get 5 C grades and improving league tables - so streaming is involved.

Question 18

What is the educational triage?

Answer 18

The way schools decide whether a pupils is unable to get 5 GCSE (C), so they will produce a self-fulfilling prophecy by placing them into lower streams.

Question 19

What are the 3 categories of the educational triage?

Answer 19

1) . Those who will pass (left alone).
2) . Those who have potential (with help).
3) . Those with no hope, they will fail.

Question 20

What is the decision of the teachers based on in the educational triage?

Answer 20

Pupils’ social class = w/c (black) lack ability.

Question 21

Who uses the concept of ‘differentiation’ and ‘polarisation’ to explain how pupil subcultures develop?

Answer 21

Lacey (1970).

Question 22

What is differentiation?

Answer 22

Streaming =

categorising pupils based on stereotypes differentiates them from the rest of the school.

Question 23

How does differentiation lead to w/c subcultures?

Answer 23

Anti-school subculture =

• have low self-worth, so they invert school values to achieve status elsewhere (their peers).

Question 24

What is an example of the values of an anti-school subculture?

Answer 24

Truancy, being cheeky to the teacher.

Question 25

What is polarisation?

Answer 25

Streaming polarised boys to 'pro-school' and 'anti-school'.

Question 26

What is the difference between a pro-school subculture and an anti-school subculture?

Answer 26

- Pro-school usually affects the higher stream (m/c), where they gain status legitimately. - Pro-school = their values correspond with school, anti-school subcultures invert them.

Question 27

What is an issue of anti-school subcultures?

Answer 27

Pupils have a self-fulfilling prophecy of educational failure.

Question 28

What does Hargreaves find about anti-school subcultures?

Answer 28

Secondary modern schools = boys in lower streams were triple failures; - failed 11+ exam. - placed in low streams. - been labelled 'worthless louts'.

Question 29

What did Stephen Ball (1981) find about abolishing streaming?

Answer 29

- Studied a comprehensive that was abolishing streaming. - Polarisation had decreased - anti-school subcultures declined. - Differentiation continued - teachers still labelled pupils.

Question 30

What are the other responses to labelling and streaming, according to Peter Woods (1979)?

Answer 30

1) . Ingratiation = 'teachers pet'. 2) . Ritualism = staying out of trouble. 3) . Retreatism = daydreaming, pissing about. 4) . Rebellion = rejection of everything the school stands for.

Question 31

What are the criticisms of labelling theory?

Answer 31

1). Too deterministic = assumes those labelled have no choice to fulfil the prophecy. 2). Marxists = they ignore wider structures within which labelling takes place. Labels are a result of teachers being in a capitalist system, creating class division. 3). Fail to explain why teachers label pupils.