Labelling

Labelling

1. Primary schools

   • Rists' studied kindergarten where the teacher MC 'tigers' at the front, and WC 'clowns' at the back
   • Teachers had expectations based on class

2. Secondary schools

   • Becker - teachers judged based on 'ideal' pupill
   • MC closer to ideal

3. High and low status knowledge

   • Keddie - labelled as high/low status, knowledge controlled accordingly
   • Set accordingly, given different level textbooks etc

4. Self-fulfilling prophecy

   • Teacher labels students, treats them different accordingly, pupil internalises expectation and sees themselves in that way - the prediction is fulfilled
   • Rosenthal and Jacobson - allocated some students as 'spurters', a year later 47% had significantly improved IQ
   • Can be rejected
     • Wright studied Asian pupils expected to have poor linguistic skills and discluded. However, they dare highest achievers

5. Streaming

   • WC more likely in lower sets
     • Can move sets
   • Higher streams are pushed

6. Pupil subcultures

   • Differentiation is a process that categorises students
     • Polarisation is where pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two extremes
     • Ball shows this still happens in schools without streaming bc of teachers
   • Pro-school subculture
     • Commit to school values
     • Seek academic success
   • Anti-school subculture
     • Feel inferior and seek status through inverting school values
     • More likely to be in lower sets
     • Woods
       • Integration - being the teachers pet
       • Ritualism - staying out of trouble
       • Retreatism - daydreaming and mucking aroung
       • Rebellion - outright rejection of school values

7. Critcisms

   • Assumes pupils accept their label
   • Marxists believe it ignores the wider structures of power

8. WC

   • Labeled as low achievers
   • Black MC still low

9. MC

   • Labelled as high achievers

10. MEG's

    • Black - low achievers
    • Asian - high
      • Pakistani low, Chinese high