This document provides a comprehensive analysis of external factors that influence class differences in educational achievement, in line with the AQA Sociology A Level syllabus.
It covers crucial sociological perspectives on material deprivation, cultural deprivation, and cultural capital.
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CULTURE DEPRIVATION
Refers to the theory that working class children are inadequately socialised meaning that they don't
have the right culture needed for educational achievement.
● Three main aspects of culture deprivation: Language, parents education and WC
subculture
Language:
Language is an essential part of education and the way parents communicate with their children
has an impact on their cognitive development and their ability to benefit from schooling
Hubbs et al - parents who use language to challenge their children to evaluate their understanding
helps to improve their cognitive development.
Feinstein found that educated parents use praise allowing their child to gain a sense of their
competence.
Bereiter and Engelmann argue that the language used by the working class at home is deficient as
they communicate in gestures, single words or disjointed phrases. Due to this these children don't
develop necessary language skills, they can't think abstractly.
Speech codes - Bernstein
Bernstein distinguishes between the two types of speech codes
Restricted speech code - used by the working class. Vocab is limited. Using gestures and simple
disjointed words and sentences. Sentences are descriptive not analytic
Elaborated speech codes: used by the middle class. Involves a wide range of vocab, complex
sentences that are analytical not descriptive. Speech communicates abstract ideas.
The differences in these speech codes gives the middle class an advantage, this is because
elaborated code is used at school - it's used in exams, textbooks, and teachers use it.
Middle class thus understand and find education easier as they ‘feel at home’ and are fluent in the
elaborated speech code - gives them a head start.
By contrast, working class children don't have this speech code thus they feel excluded and find it
harder to understand textbooks, what the etchers ask of them, and how to answer exam questions.
Parents education
Cultural deprivation theorists argue that the attitude parents have towards their child's education
plays a role in their achievement.
For example, Douglass found that working class parents place less emphasis on their children's
education. As a result they were less ambitious for their children, took less interest in their child's
education, and didn't really attend parents' evenings. - THIS MADE CHILDREN UNMOTIVATED AND
HAVE LOWER LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT
, Feinsetin argues that parents' own education is important in how they perceive education.
For example middle class parents who are better educated the way they socialise children puts
them at an advantage.
^ this can occur in many ways:
- Parenting style,
- Parents educational behaviours,
- Use of income,
- Class income & parental education
Parenting style:
- Educated parents hold high expectations of their children and maintain discipline which
supports achievement by encouraging active learning.
- Contrastingly, less educated parents use harsh or inconsistent discipline telling their
child ‘to do as they are told’ and to ‘behave themselves’ - this causes the child to not
gain independence, self control and has poor motivation at school.
Parents educational behaviours:
- Educated parents are more aware of what their child needs for educational success and
progress. As a result they will engage in behaviours such as reading to their child ,
teaching them letters, numbers songs
- These parents also recognise the educational value of activities such as visits to
museums and libraries.
Use of income:
- Better educated parents not only have higher incomes but use it in ways that promote
educational success for their children. For example Bernstein and Young found that
young Middle class mothers would buy their children educational toys and resources
that would encourage reasoning skills and intellectual development.
Class income and parental education:
- Children who have better educated parents regardless of which class they are from, do
better in school. So even if one is from a working class family, if they have educated
parents it boosts their chances of doing well academically.
Working class subculture
A subculture is a group whose values and beliefs differ from mainstream culture.
CD theorists argue that the lack of parental interest reflects the subculture of the working class.
Sugarman argues that there are 4 features of working class subculture:
Fatalism - blaming one's fate, thus not adding effort or working hard to do well
Collectivism - valuing being part of a group rather than doing well individually
Immediate gratification - seeking pleasure now rather than working hard or sacrificing in order to
get rewards in the future
Present time orientation - seeing present as more important than future thus not having any long
term goals.
● Working class children internalise these values and beliefs through socialisation thus
resulting in underachieving at school
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