student subculture basics

• a pupil subculuture is a group of students who share similar values and behaviours.
• Lacey's (1970) concept of differentiation and polarisation can be used to explain how pupil subcultures develop
• differentiation


  the process of teachers catergorising students according to how well they percieve their ability, attitude and behaviour.
• streaming is a form of differentiation, those deemed more able were given high status by being placed in a high stream and those viewed as less stable were put in lower sets
• polarisation


  the process where students respond to streaming by moving towards one of the two opposite poles or extremes
• In lacey's study of hightown boys grammar school he found that streaming polarised boys into a pro school and an anti school subculture