Class and achievement (education)

Class and achievement (education)

1. Internal

   • Taught Curriculum
     • Subjects
       • Mostly academic
         • Gives advantage to middle class students
         • Practical subjects have low status
   • Marxists
     • Under capitalism, schools designed to fail working class students
   • Subcultures
     • Could be caused by parenting
     • Middle class are pro-school, working class anti-school
     • caused by streaming
   • Teacher labelling
     • known as interactionist labelling theory
     • Becker
       • 'ideal pupil' fitted middle class culture
     • Rist
       • Teacher looked at home background when setting by ability

2. External

   • Material Deprivation
     • Lacking physical resources
     • Poor diet - affects concentration
     • Cannot afford to live in catchment area of good schools
     • Douglas
       • Lack of a quiet place to study
   • Cultural Deprivation
     • Language
       • Bernstein
         • Working class have restricted speech code, middle class have elaborated speech code
           • WC struggle to understand language on exam questions
     • Toys
       • Young
         • Middle class parents buy educational toys
     • Parents
       • MC more likely to attend parents evening
     • Working class values
       • Sugerman - fatalistic, instant gratification
         • Could trigger anti-school subcultures