EXTERNAL FACTORS-
External factors can be broken down into three categories- material deprivation, cultural
deprivation and cultural capital. The definitions are as below:
Material Deprivation- The idea that working class children do not have the money
for material resources in order to succeed in education.
Cultural Deprivation- Having inferior norms and values which put people at a
disadvantage in life.
Cultural Capital- A resource which is enquired through primary socialisation and
carries values of middle-class culture.
Material Deprivation:
Flaherty (2004)- Money problems within the family is a significant factor in the lack of
attendance and therefore achievement in school.
The 3 main types of material deprivation identified is housing problems, financial issues
and diet. These have a serious impact on the way people live and therefore has a
knock-on effect on their school life.
Housing- overcrowding, disturbed sleep, frequent moves and illness
Finance- Bull (1980) believes there is a hidden cost of ‘free’ schooling. For example,
meals, uniform, trips, transport, equipment etc. Flaherty found that 20% of people
eligible for free school meals don’t take them due to the fact they don’t know they have
them or the stigma and bullying that surrounds them.
Diet & Health- Howard (2001) argued that young people who were malnourished were
likely to have emotional or behavioural problems, such as- mood swings, lack of
concentration, ADHD and dyslexia. He said that this would lead to truancy. Wilkinson
(1996) argued that people from lower classes are more likely to have higher rates of
hyperactivity and anxiety. Robinson (1997) believes that tackling poverty would be more
effective than tackling the education system. Mortimore and Whitty (1997) believe that
material deprivation has a bigger effect on children than the actual school itself.
,Cultural Deprivation
Sociologists argue that we begin to learn the basic values, attitudes and skills that are
needed for educational success through the process of primary socialisation, however
some families (mainly working-class ones) fail to socialise their children properly.
The 3 main types of cultural deprivation are intellectual developments, language barriers
and attitudes and values.
Intellectual- Refers to thinking, learning and reasoning skills. Bernstein & Young (1967)
argued that middle class parents are also more likely to choose educational toys for
their children due to the fact they themselves are more likely to be well educated.
Douglas (1964) argues that middle class parents are more likely to read with their
children at home.
Language- Bereiter and Engelman (1966) argue that language used in a working-class
home is not as developed as in middle class homes. This is called restricted code
whereas language used by middle classes is called elaborated code. They argue that
working class children fail to fully develop their language skills which makes them
unable to use language to perform daily tasks such as describing and explaining- this
will put them at a disadvantage at school. Bernstein (1975) argues the two codes-
restricted and elaborated. Restricted code is said to be based on the pure context of a
situation and creates a barrier for working class children as this code is not often used
in textbooks or exam questions. Bernstein argues that schools are to blame for the
separation in language codes.
Attitudes and Values- Douglas believes that working class parents were a lot less
ambitious for their children and gave them less encouragement at home. As a result of
this, working class children have lower levels of achievement motivation. Sugarman
argues that working class children internalise beliefs and values of their subculture
through socialisation which leaves them to underachieve at school. He believes that
there are 4 key features that act as a barrier to educational achievement.
→ Fatalism- a belief in fate.
→ Collectivism- valuing being part of a group more than succeeding as an
individual.
→ Immediate Gratification- seeking pleasure now rather that making sacrifices to
get rewards in the future (exam results).
→ Present-time orientation- seeing the present as more important than the future so
has no long-term goals or plans meaning they do not try as hard at school.
In order to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation, a policy called ‘compensatory
education’ was designed. This policy provides extra resources to schools and
communities in deprived areas. An example was Sure Start (2000) a British government
policy aimed at pre-school children and their parents. Its aim was to tackle poverty and
social exclusion. Promoted physical, social and intellectual development of babies and
young children to break the cycle of disadvantage.
, Cultural Capital
The knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities of the middle class-
believed to be interrelated with material factors to make a student’s ability at school.
Bourdieu sees the middle-class culture as a type of capital because much like wealth, it
gives an advantage to those who possess it. He argues that through their socialisation,
middle class children acquire the ability to grasp, analyse and express abstract ideas
and are more likely to develop intellectual interests and an understanding of what is
needed for success. He believes cultural capital gives middle class children advantages
in school as these abilities are valued and rewarded with qualifications. The education
system favours and transmits middle class values and working-class children find school
devalues their culture as inferior so their lack of cultural capital leads to failure.
Educational & Economic Capital- Bourdieu argues that educational, economic and
cultural capital can be converted into one another for example, middle class children
with cultural capital are better equipped to meet demands of the curriculum and gain
qualifications. Wealthier parents can convert economic capital into educational capital,
sending kids to private schools and extra tuition.
Leech & Campos argue that middle class parents are more likely to be able to afford a
house in the catchment area of a school that is highly placed in the exam league tables,
this ‘selection mortgage’ drives up demand for houses near to successful schools and
excludes working-class families.
Sullivan used questionnaires to conduct a survey of 465 pupils in 4 schools, to assess
their cultural capital, he asked them about a range of activities and tested their
vocabulary and knowledge of cultural figures. By doing this he found that those who
read complex fiction and watched serious TV documentaries developed a wider vocab
and greater cultural knowledge – indicating greater cultural capital. However he also
found that cultural capital only accounted for part of the class difference in achievement
- greater resources and aspirations of m/c families explain remainder of class gap in
achievement
Gewirtz identified three types of parent-
→ Privileged-Skilled Choosers- Professional middle class parents who use their
economic and cultural capital to gain educational capital for their children and
can take full advantage of the choices open to them due to their own well-
educated and confident background.
→ Disconnected-Local Choosers- Working class parents whose choices were
restricted y their lack of economic and cultural capital and who may have found it
hard to understand the admission procedures.
→ Semi-Skilled Choosers- Mainly working-class parents who find education hard to
understand.
