Class Differences in Achievement (External)

Class Differences in Achievement (External)

1. Social class background has a powerful influence success in the education system

2. Cultural Deprivation

   • Theorists argue that most of us begin to acquire the basic values, attitudes & skills that are need for educational success through primary socialisation in the family
   • Three main aspects of cultural deprivation:
     • Intellectual Development
       • This refers to the development of thinking and reasoning skills e,g, ability to solve problems & use ideas and concepts
       • Cultural deprivation theorists argue many W/C homes lack books, educational toys and activities that stimulate children's intellectual development
         • Children from such homes start school without developed intellectual skills
       • Bernstein & Douglas:
         • They found that the way mothers think & choose toys has an influence on their children's intellectual development
         • Middle-class mothers are more likely to choose toys that encourage thinking & reasoning skills
     • Language
       • The importance of language for educational achievement is highlighted but Bereiter & Engelmann
         • They claim that language used in lower-class homes is deficient
         • They describe lower-class families as communicating by gestures, single words or disjointed phrases.
       • Bernstein distinguishes between two types of speech code:
         • The Restricted Code
           • Typically used by working class
           • Has limited vocabulary and based on short, unfinished, grammatically simple sentences
           • Speech is predicable and may involve a simple word or even gesture
           • Is context-bound
         • The Elaborated Code
           • Typically used by middle class
           • Wider vocabulary and based on longer, grammatically more complex sentences
           • Speech is more varied and communicates more complex abstract ideas
           • Is more context-free
     • Attitudes & Values
       • Cultural Deprivation theorists argue..
         • Parents' attitudes and values are a key factor affecting educational achievement
           • Douglas found that W/C parents places less value on education, less ambitious for their children & took less interest in their eudcation
         • That the lack of parental interest in their children's education reflects the subcultural values of the W/C
           • A subculture is a group whose attitudes & values differ from those of the mainstream culture
         • Large sections of the W/C have different goals, beliefs, attitudes & values from the rest of society and is why their children fail in school
       • Hyman argues the values & beliefs of L/C subculture are a 'self-imposed barrier' to educational and career success
       • Sugarman argues that W/C subculture has four key features that act as a barrier to educational achievement:
         • Fatalism
           • A belief in fate - that 'whatever will be, will be' and there is nothing you can do to change your status
         • Collectivism
           • Valuing being part of a group more than succeeding as an individual
         • Immediate Gratification
           • Seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices in order to get rewards in the future
         • Present-time Orientation
           • Seeing the present as more important than the future and so not having long-term goals or plans
       • W/C children internalise the beliefs & values if their subculture through the socialisation process
   • Compensatory Education
     • Is a policy designed to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation by providing extra resources to schools and communities in deprived areas
       • Programmes attempt to compensate children for the deprivation they experience at home
         • Best known example of this is Operation Head Start in the United States - its aim was 'planned enrichment' of the deprived child's enviroment
   • Myth of Cultural Deprivation
     • Although it draws attention to the child's background, the theory has been widely criticised as an explanation of class differences in achievement
     • Keddie describes cultural deprivation as a 'myth' & sees it as a victim blaming explanation
       • And argues that W/C children are simply culturally different, not culturally deprived
     • Critics reject the view that W/C parents are not interested in their children's education

3. Material Deprivation

   • Some sociologists see material deprivation as the main cause of under-achievement
   • 'Material Deprivation' refers to poverty & a lack of material necessities such as adequate housing & income
   • Poverty is closely linked to educational under-achievement, there is a close link between poverty and social class
     • W/C families are much more likely to have low incomes or inadequate housing
   • Housing
     • Poor housing can affect pupils' achievement both directly and indirectly e,g, overcrowding can have a direct effect by making it harder to study
       • Overcrowding means less room for educational activities & no room to do homework
     • Poor housing can have indirect effects on the child's health and welfare:
       • Children in overcrowded homes run a greater risk of accidents
         • Cold or damp housing can cause ill health, especially respiratory illnesses
   • Diet & Health
     • Howard notes young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals
     • Children from poorer homes are likely to have emotional or behavioural problems also
   • Financial Support & The Costs of Education
     • Lack of financial support means that children from poor families have to do without equipment and miss out on experiences that would enhance their achievement
       • As a result, poor children will have to make do with hand-me-downs and cheaper but unfashionable equipment
     • Lack of funds also means that children from low-income families often need to work
       • Ridge found that children in poverty take on jobs such as baby sitting, cleaning & paper rounds, this could have a negative impact on their schoolwork

4. Cultural Capital

   • Bourdieu: Three Types of Capital
     • Bourdieu argues that both cultural & material factors contribute to educational achievement and are not separate but interrelated
     • Educational & Economic Capital
       • Bourdieu argues that educational, economic and cultural capital can be converted into one another
       • For example, M/C children with cultural capital are better equipped to meet the demands of the school curriculum and gain qualifications
       • Wealthier parents can convert their economic capital into education capital by sending their children to private schools and paying extra tuition
     • A Test of Bourdieu's Ideas
       • Sullivan found that those who read complex fiction and watched serious TV documentaries developed a wider vocabulary and greater cultural knowledge
       • Although successful pupils with greater cultural capital were more likely to be M/C
   • Bordieu uses the term 'cultural capital' to refer to the knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities of the M/C
     • He sees M/C culture as a type of capital because, like wealth, it gives an advantage to those who possess it
       • By contrast, W/C children find that school devalues their culture as 'rough' and inferior
   • Gewirtz: Marketisation & Parental Choice
     • Since the creation of an 'education market' by the 1988 Education Reform Act, sociologists have been interested in the effect of increased parental choice that the Act introduced
     • Gewirtz identifies three main types of parents, whom she calls:
       • Privileged-skill choosers
         • These were mainly professional M/C parents who used their economic and cultural capital to gain education capital for their children
         • These parents possessed cultural capital
           • They understood the importance of putting a particular school as first choice, meeting deadlines and using appeals procedures and waiting lists to get what they wanted
       • Disconnected-local choosers
         • These were mainly W/C parents whose choices were restricted by their lack of economic and cultural capital
         • They found it difficult to understand school admissions and procedures
         • They were less confident in their dealings with schools, less aware of the choices open to them, and were less able to manipulate the system to their own advantages
       • Semi-skilled Choosers
         • These were mainly W/C, but unlike the disconnected-local choosers, they were ambitious for their children
         • However, they too lacked cultural capital and found it difficult to make sense of the education market
           • they often rely on other people's opinions about schools
         • Qewirtz concludes that M/C families with cultural capital and economic capital are better placed to take advantage of the available opportunities for a good education