This document includes revision notes for the topic of class differences in education. It covers external factors, such as class differences and cultural and material deprivation, as well as internal factors, such as labelling, setting and streaming, subcultures and pupil class identities.
EXTERNAL FACTORS: CLASS DIFFERENCES IN ACHIEVEMENT AND CULTURAL
DEPRIVATION
Class in school is measured by eligibility for FSM - the child's household income is lower.
EXTERNAL FACTOR: Cultural Deprivation
Cultural deprivation theorists: w/c children underachieve because of their socialisation. Lack
necessary cultural equipment to do well at school.
Language: M/C use language to challenge children and are more likely to give praise. W/C
communicates more through gestures and grunts.
Douglas: Parents’ Education
M/C W/C
● Confident in asking for clarification ● W/C parents’ own poor education
from teachers ● Don’t value education
● Understand university application ● Less ambition
● Understand exam systems ● Don’t engage with school process
● Not intimidated when visiting school (parents’ evening)
● Aware of academic monitoring
● Informed when choosing a school
● Appreciate importance of
educational books and resources
Working Class Subcultures
- Fatalism: the belief that all events are predetermined and inevitable.
- Collectivism: prioritising a group over each individual in it.
- Immediate gratification
- Present time orientation: seeing the present as more important than the future.
CRITICISMS OF CULTURAL DEPRIVATION THEORY
- Reay: it is victim blaming – assuming w/c are culturally deficient.
- Assumes parents are to blame for children’s underachievement
- W/C children are culturally different, not culturally deprived.
- They exaggerate the differences and downplay the similarities between attitudes of
the classes. Many w/c parents are ambitious for their children's success.
- Ignores internal factors - labelling, the education system is dominated by m/c values.
- Keddie: Rather than seeing w/c culture as deficient, schools should challenge
teachers’ anti-w/c prejudices.
, Bernstein
Restricted Code - WORKING CLASS Elaborated Code - MIDDLE CLASS
● Limited vocabulary ● Wider vocabulary
● Short, simple sentences ● Longer more complex sentences
● Gestures ● Abstract
● Descriptive (not analytical) ● More varied
Context bound: assumes the listener shares Context free: the speaker does not assume
the same background – meaning is implied. that the listener shares the same
experiences and so uses language to give
meaning.
Spoken in schools, by teachers, textbooks
and exams. Users of the elaborated code
feel more 'at home' at school.
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