Setting and Streaming

• Gillbourn and Youdell argue that the desire of the school to look good on league tables following the ERA has led to an 'A-C economy'. What does this mean?

  The percentage of A* to C grades a school gets and the desire for more.
• The A-C economy has led to an education triage. What is meant by this?

  Sorting into categories (different sets and streams)
• Outline how students are categorised in an education triage.

  • Introduction of league tables under the 1988 Education Reform Act leads to the A-C economy.
  • A-C economy has led to an education triage, meaning students are categorised into one of the following:

  Pass Anyway: They'll pass regardless.

  Borderline C/D students: Get teacher attention to push them up to a C.

  Hopeless Cases: Those who fail, so get no help. (Black students and the working class are pushed into this category.)
• Foster highlights that black pupils are more likely to be placed into lower sets and streams than pupils from other ethnic groups due to negative preconceived ideas of them.

  This may lead to lower outcomes because they would lack the motivation as well as the support so have a lower chance of succeeding.
• Strength: Labelling theory isn't as victim-blaming in the way that other theories used to explain ethnic differences in achievement, such as cultural deprivation theorists.
• Weakness 😭: Labelling theory runs the risk of viewing labels and streaming decisions as the product of individual teacher's biases rather than the result of racism in the education system (institutional racism).
• Weakness 😭: There are methodological issues when researching labelling, setting and streaming. It is illegal under the equality act to be racist, so teachers will only give socially desirable answers, decreasing validity.

  Additionally, unconscious bias means that they may not know they are being racist.
• Weakness 😭: Labelling theory is deterministic, ignoring the fact that students can use their free will to reject the label as shown by the research carried out by Fuller.
• What was the study by Fuller, and what did her work highlight, in terms of rejection of teacher labels.

  • The study was done on year 11 black girls in a London comprehensive School.
  • The girls were placed in low sets/streams due to teacher and institutional racism.
  • They rejected the label and channelled their frustration into pursuing academic success.
  • Ultimately they developed an anti-school yet pro-education culture as they worked hard to do well, just without the validation from teachers.