outline and assess cultural expectations of social class diferences in educational achievement

outline and assess cultural expectations of social class diferences in educational achievement

1. Marxism

   • class conflict is the root of society
   • meritocrazy is a myth and education is an agency of social control in a capitalist society.
   • Bowles and Gintis: Next generation of workers, teacher/pupil relationships. working class are the pupils and middle class are the teachers.
     • middle class get better jobs then working class
   • Bourdieu: Class system is reproduced through school.
     • Educational inequality is systematic and filters working class pupils into working class jobs and middle class into professions. This is due to cultural capital

2. Functionalism

   • Education is the main agency of of secondary socialisation into value consensus
   • Davis and Moore: Education is about equal opportunities, School sorts and sifts individuals into jobs according to their ability. The most able and talented have the most important jobs.

3. Feminism

   • Gender inequalities are at the root of society, education reproduces patriarchal power.
   • Gendered subject choices. boys - science, girls - humanities
   • Teachers favour boys in the classroom because boys command more attention.

4. Interactionism

   • Micro perspective inside schools, running of school.
   • interaction of teachers and pupils in the classroom
   • Labelling can influence teachers expectations