2.2 Class & Internal factors

• Internal factors


  Factors with schools. Any processes within schools that lead to differences in educational achievement, often through the daily interactions between teachers and pupils & amongst peer groups
• What are examples of internal factors?


  -Labelling-Setting/streaming-The self-fulfilling prophecy-Pupil subcultures-Pupil class identities
• Interactionism


  Bottom up approach focusing on individual interpretations of behaviour and world. People interpret people's behaviour to understand how they should behave in different social contexts. Society is a product of social interaction between social actors
• What is symbolic interactionism?


  -Understanding the meaning of signs and symbols they see-People aren't instinctive so interpret based on the social context and experiences -We internalise the expectations of others, but this isn't fixed
• What is Charles Cooley's 'looking glass self'?

  People understand themselves through how others perceive and treat them which influences their own self concept
• Labelling theory


  People will react to being labelled & internalise theses labels which reinforces original label and becomes a master status
• Self-fulfilling prophecy


  A prediction that comes true because the prediction has been made
• Bottom up approach


  Micro (focusing on individuals)
• What did Becker do a study on? What did he find?

  -Conducted 60 interviews with Chicago high school teachers-Found they judged pupils up against their image of the 'ideal pupil'-MC are closest to this & WC furthest away from this
• What did Hempel-Jorgensen find in her study of two English Primary schools?

  -She found the ideal pupil changes depending on the class makeup of the school-Aspen Primary School (WC)- the ideal pupil is quiet, passive & obedient (in schools where behaviour is a problem, pupils are defined by behaviour not ability)-Rowan Primary School (MC)- the ideal pupil has a strong personality, is academic & engaged (no behaviour problem so defined by ability)
• What did Dunne & Gazeley find out about labelling in secondary schools?

  -They argue that its the schools' fault that WC consistently underachieve -They interviewed teachers in 9 state schools and found that teachers normalise underachievement of WC & believed they couldn't do anything to change it but believed they could change MC underachievement -This is because they labelled WC parents as uninterested & MC parents as supportive -As a result they treated MC & WC differently by giving MC extension work & entered WC for easier exams which lead to DEA
• What did Rist find out about labelling in primary schools?

  -He did a case study on an American kindergarten teacher who used information on pupils' home background & appearance to assign them to 2 groups:1. Tigers- fast learners, mostly MC & neat appearance, table close to teacher & given most encouragement2. Cardinals/Clowns- labelled as lower ability, mostly WC, tables furthest away & given lower level books & less chance to show knowledge
• Extrinsic reward

  External reward
• Intrinsic reward

  Internal reward
• What are the steps of a self-fulfilling prophecy?

  Step 1- The teacher labels a pupil and makes a prediction based on thisStep 2- The teacher treats the pupil accordingly & acts as if the prediction is trueStep 3- The pupil internalises the teacher's expectation which becomes part of their self concept or self imageStep 4- The pupil becomes the kind of pupil the teacher believed them to be in the first place & prediction is fulfilled
• What did Rosenthal & Jacobson find about the self-fulfilling prophecy?

  -They tested the self-fulfilling prophecy at Oak Community School (California primary school)-They told the school they had a test to identify 'spurters' & picked 20% randomly to be them-They returned a year later & found 47% of 'spurters' had made significant progress-Teachers beliefs influenced interactions with students through self-fulfilling prophecy-Demonstrates interactionism, what people believe to be true has impacts even if not reality
• Setting


  Where students are divided based on their ability in an individual subject
• Streaming


  Where students are divided based on their ability in a group of subjects
• How can CAGE factors affect setting & streaming?

  Students are often put into sets & streams based on teacher's perception of those students or stereotypes
• How does streaming lead to educational underachievement?

  1. Working class pupils are put in lower streams2. Often difficult to move to a higher stream3. Teachers have lower expectations from children in lower streams4. Children 'get the message' that they're no-hopers5. Self-fulfilling prophecy— underachievement
• What did Gilborn & Youdell study about the A-to-C Economy?

  -They studied 2 London secondary schools-Teachers were less likely to see working class & black pupils as able, meaning they were put in lower streams & entered for lower tier GCSEs-Unable to get good grades— widens class achievement gap-Linked streaming to publishing exam league tables-School ranked by exam performance which determines pupils & funding -Creates an 'A-to-C Economy' in schools which means all time, effort & resources focused on pupils who have potential to get 5 Cs at GCSE
• What is educational triage?

  Sorting students into 3 groups: hopeless cases, borderline C/D pupils & high achievers. All the time is focused on borderline C/D pupils
• What concepts did Colin Lacey use to explain the process of how pupil subculture develops?


  1. Differentiation- process of teachers categorising students into different streams by perceived ability (influenced by superficial characteristics) which gives them more status2. Polarisation- process of pupils responding to streaming in two contrasting ways (into a pro or anti- school subculture)
• Superficial Characteristics


  A noticeable rather than meaningful feature
• How is pro school subculture formed?

  -Students put in high streams/sets value school & seek to gain status in the 'approved' way (academically)-Their values become that of the school -the year are more likely MC & in Willis' study, people who conform are known as 'ear 'oles
• How is anti school subculture formed?

  -Students placed in low streams lose self esteem and labelled a failure so they need to gain status in a different way-Form an anti school subculture to gain status among peers e.g. being rude, smoking, non attendance etc-They have gained status but have determined their outcomes- self fulfilling prophecy of failing in education
• What did Hargreaves (1967) study?


  He studied boys in a secondary modern how were labelled as a triple failure;-Failed 11+-Put in low streams-Labelled 'worthless louts
• What did Ball find out about abolishing streaming?

  -He studied Beachside comprehensive in the process of abolishing streaming-The school had found streaming produced polarisation & abolishing this took away most rationale for forming anti-school subcultures -Therefore, the influence of anti school subculture lessened-BUT teachers still differentiated by class by labelling
• What does Woods (1979) say are the 4 main responses to labelling?

  1. Ingratiation2. Ritualism3. Retreatism4. Rebellion
• What does Furlong say about the responses?

  He said that they aren't limited permanently to one response & can have different responses to different teachers
• How can we evaluate the labelling theory?

  -Useful in showing schools aren't neutral/fair (contrasts cultural deprivation theorists)-Determinist- assumes those negatively labelled will end up with Self-fulfilling prophecy- Mary Fuller's study shows this isn't always true-Marxism- labelling ignores power structures & blames teachers but doesn't explain why they label. Marxists argue labelling is due to teachers working in a system aimed to reproduce class division
• What is Bourdieu's symbolic capital & violence?

  -He says that MC habitus isn't better but they have power to impose it on social institutions-MC pupils gain symbolic capital in school by status, recognition & sense of the world-WC habitus is defined as worthless & inferior which leads to symbolic violence-WC students feel they have to change the sleeves to be educationally successful
• What are Nike identities?

  -WC students need to create status by constructing meaningful self-identities e.g. 'Nike style'-This WC nike identity os heavily policed by peers and nike appearance gained symbolic capital from peers & shielded them from bullying -Nike style conflicts school dress code & MC habitus of education that's stigmatises WC pupil identities -Nike style led to pupils rejecting HE, seeing it as unrealistic & undesirable
• What did Ingram (2009) investigate about group of WC students?

  She studied 2 groups of WC catholic boys from a deprived Belfast neighbourhood;-1 Group passed 11+ and went to grammar school, therefore has MC habitus & high expectations-1 Group failed 11+ and went to secondary modern, therefore has WC habitus & low expectations-Both groups had a strong WC identity linked to physical location but different habitus based on their school & educational ability
• What did Evans find about self exclusion?

  -He studied 21 South London WC girls during A levels & found they self excluded by not applying for top universities as they felt they wouldn't fit in due to their habitus-He also found that WC identity strongly tied to locality since only 4/21 intended to leave home for university
• Self exclusion


  Limiting yourself from an opportunity out of fear for not doing well or fitting in
• Symbolic capital


  The status, recognition and sense of worth that we are able to obtain from others
• Symbolic violence


  A conflict between a persons' WC identity and the school's values trying to fit into the school but potentially losing WC identity
• Pupil class identities


  How class identity formed outdid of school interacts with school norms & values to produce class differences in achievement
• Differentiation


  Teachers putting students into sets & streams based on perceived ability which gives certain students more status