Material and Cultural Deprivation

Material and Cultural Deprivation

1. What is deprivation?

   • Material deprivation is a lack of resources and lack of ability to purchase goods and services.
   • Cultural deprivation is deprivation of cultural attributes necessary for educational success.
   • Both forms of deprivation often negatively affect educational achievement

2. Compensatory policies

   • Sure Start
     • Free nursery/childrens centres in poor areas
     • Often oversubscribed by middle class parents
   • Education action Zones
     • Established in lowest performing deprived areas
     • Extra funding for resources and improvement
   • Pupil Premium
     • Extra funding for poorer children to schools
     • More money for resources to help them achieve
   • Educational Maintenance Allowances
     • Students in post 16 education could get up to £30 a week for costs of food and transport
     • Helped address material deprivation and immediate gratification but no longer in use

3. Cultural Deprivation

   • Parents attitudes to education and value of it may be negative
   • Parents may not often read books to children
   • Low parental involvement in school e.g. parents evening, homework help
   • Speech codes
   • Cultural capital of parents
   • Immediate gratification
   • Fatalism and collectivism

4. Material Deprivation

   • Less/no structured out of school activities
   • More space to themselves for study
   • Benefit from private tutoring or education
   • Stereotypes of posh kids and chavs
   • Worse quality schools
   • Feel they cannot afford costs of university
   • Can't afford resources/uniforms

5. Studies

   • Smith and Noble 1995
     • Isolation, bullying, and stigmas from inability to afford uniforms, textbooks, trips, etc.
     • Reduced likelihood of access to a computer with internet access, a desk, books, etc.
     • Older working class students likely to work part time to support studies or have to care for younger siblings
   • Bernstein 1972
     • Middle class can switch between speech codes
     • Working class only use restricted code (informal)
     • Elaborated codes are required for educational success
   • Bourdieu 1984
     • Possession or lack of cultural capital affects chances in society
     • Economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital all affect chances in society
   • Ball et al. 2007
     • Middle class parents can use their cultural capital to ensure their children are accepted into good schools
     • Strategies include making good impressions on headteachers and knowing how to appeal if children aren't accepted