class and differential achievement

• Which pupils are more likely to go to university according to social class?


  Pupils from professional backgrounds
• What type of qualifications are pupils from working-class backgrounds more likely to study?


  Vocational qualifications
• What is the relationship between disadvantaged backgrounds and reading ability at school?


  Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to start school being able to read
• How do unskilled backgrounds affect SAT and GCSE scores?


  Pupils from unskilled backgrounds achieve lower scores on SATs and GCSEs
• What did Eysenck suggest about socio-economic groups and IQ?


  Different socio-economic groups have different relative IQs
• Why is Eysenck's view on IQ and educational attainment considered controversial?


  It is difficult to determine if IQ differences are more important than social factors
• What can negative labelling of students lead to?


  A self-fulfilling prophecy of failure
• Who suggested that teachers evaluate pupils against an imaginary ideal pupil?

  Becker and Keddie
• What did Ball find about pupils in top streams?


  Pupils in top streams tended to be from higher classes
• What may pupils form in response to negative labelling and low status?

  Anti-school subcultures
• Who argued that non-conformist reactions to school are more likely from working-class students?

  Woods
• What does material deprivation theory state?


  Economic poverty is a significant factor in low achievement at school
• What did the Joseph Rowntree Foundation classify in 1997?


  1 in 10 children as poor
• How was 'poor' defined by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation?


  A family that could not afford at least 3 things other families took for granted
• What did Halsey find was the most important factor preventing working-class students from staying on at school?


  Poverty
• What did Douglas find about children in unsatisfactory living conditions?


  They didn’t perform well in ability tests compared to middle-class pupils
• How does unemployment or low income affect educational resources?


  It means less money for books, internet, or school trips
• What challenges do low-income families face regarding education?


  They can’t afford nurseries or private schools and struggle to support children through university
• What health issues may arise from poverty and unsatisfactory living standards?


  Health problems and absence from school
• What does the theory of cultural deprivation suggest about working-class culture?


  It is not aimed at educational success
• What did Douglas believe was the most important factor affecting educational achievement?


  The level of parental interest
• Why might working-class parents not attend parents' evenings?


  Due to shift work, not because they aren’t interested
• What do some sociologists argue about the working-class and knowledge for achievement?


  They lack knowledge and values that help achievement
• How do middle-class parents contribute to their children's educational success?


  They highlight the importance of educational success
• What are the key points of Sugarman's findings on attitudes towards education?


  • Pupils from non-manual backgrounds are more ambitious.
  • Pupils from manual backgrounds live for immediate gratification.
  • Non-manual pupils defer gratification and invest time in studying.
• What did Feinstein find about social class and educational achievement?


  Social class has a huge impact on educational achievement
• What did Hyman say about working-class values and education?


  They are a self-imposed barrier to improving their position
• What is a limitation of material and cultural deprivation theories?


  They don’t explain how factors within school impact education
• What is a criticism of cultural deprivation theory?


  It generalizes differences between middle-class and working-class life
• What does ethnocentric mean in the context of cultural deprivation theory?


  Prioritizing the values and culture of one group over another
• What did Bernstein find about working-class pupils and language at school?


  They used a restricted speech code and were uncomfortable with the language style required
• How did middle-class pupils differ in their language use compared to working-class pupils?


  They knew how to use the elaborated speech code required by teachers
• What is a criticism of Bernstein's speech code theory?


  It assumes the working-class speech code is inferior
• What did Labov argue about the elaborated speech code?


  It is just different, not inferior
• What did Bourdieu believe about cultural capital?


  Middle-class pupils have an advantage due to their cultural capital
• How do middle-class families contribute to cultural reproduction?


  They pass on cultural capital and expectations from parents to children
• What did Halsey et al find about material factors in education?


  Lack of money may prevent children from staying in school or going to university
• What is a common misconception about working-class pupils and educational success?

  Not all working-class pupils fail, even without cultural capital