ap

• Cultural factors
• Capital


  Ball, Bowe & Gewirtz- m-class can afford to move next to 'good' schools
• Policies have aimed to tackle many of these issues e.g. FSM, Pupil Premium, EMA, Uniform Grants
• Sullivan questionnaire: m-class students performed better even when cultural capital matched w-class students
• Labelling


  Rist- Found differential treatment of students. Placed into groups (tigers, cardinals and clowns), based on ability. Rist suggests it was actually class based
• Dunne & Gazeley


  Teachers normalised the underachievement of the working class
• Setting & streaming


  Douglas- M-class students= higher streams, W-class students= lower streams. Found IQ scores improved in top sets but declined in bottom sets
• Gillborn & Youdell


  Educational triage in schools due to the A-C economy. W-class in bottom sets are often disadvantaged by this
• Subcultures


  Lacey- Anti-school and Pro-school subcultures in school. W-class more likely found in anti-school subcultures (link to labelling & setting as well as research by Willis/Sewell)
• Archer


  Symbolic violence devalues w-class students pushing them into anti-school subcultures and Nike identities
• Not all students accept labels: some engage in a self-negating prophecy
• Schools now focus on ensuring that all students make progress rather than just focusing on attainment
• Many schools are now moving away from setting and streaming
• Factors outside of school e.g. poverty are bigger contributors to class achievement (link to ethnicity patterns relating to class)
• Example exam questions


  • Explain two sociological reasons for the relationship between social class and educational achievement (15)
  • Explain two sociological reasons for the relationship between free school meals and educational attainment (15)
  • Explain two sociological reasons for the relationships between home life and social class educational achievement (15)
  • Explain two sociological reasons for the relationship between labelling and social class achievement (15)
  • Assess the view that the home is the main influence on the educational achievement of different social classes (30)
  • Evaluate the view that factors within school is biggest contributor to the educational achievement of different social classes (30)
  • Discuss factors impacting patterns of social class attainment (30)
• Cultural factors


  Parents and family
• Lupton


  Asian parents more supportive of school and family structure is based around respect to adults
• Driver & Ballard


  Asian families encourage educational attainment and social mobility (pro-school attitude)
• Sewell


  Lack of father role model for black boys
• Murray (New Right)


  Black families= reliant on the benefit system which makes them lazy and unmotivated
• Language skills


  Bereiter & Engelmann- Some groups have poor language skills which explains poor performance (link to Bernstein's speech codes)
• Ignores the positive effect of family life on black girls achievement (strong female role model)
• Limited research relating to 'tiger parents' in Asian cultures
• Aiming High Project has helped to increase achievement and ambition of African-Caribbean students
• Material factors


  FSM statistics= lower performing groups have high levels of FSM claimants
• Palmer


  Half of ethnic minorities from low income homes. This could be due to racism in society e.g. no employment opportunities
• Rex


  Racial discrimination worsens poverty
• Use research from social class to explain how poverty impacts achievement e.g. housing, diet, fear of debt etc.
• Equality Act (2010) tackling racism in society
• Labelling & Setting


  Gillborn and Youdell- teachers have 'racialised expectations'
• Wright


  black students (boys) are often placed in lower sets and have higher levels of exclusion
• Archer


  Teachers influence pupil identities (Ideal= white m-class, Pathologised= Asian deserving, Demonised= Black/white w-class)
• Subcultures


  Sewell- Black boys responses to racism: Conformists, Innovators, Retreatists, Rebels (Also links to absence of male role model)
• Institutional racism


  David/Ball/Coard- All discussed the existence of an ethnocentric curriculum. E.g. white british history, music, literature
• Not all students accept labels: some engage in a self-negating prophecy.(Mirza- black girls)
• Many curriculums are now being updated.= e,g, Stormzy in music
• Factors outside of school e.g. poverty are bigger contributors to ethnic achievement
• Swann report (1985)


  racial prejudice and discrimination in all parts of society is a substantial cause of underachievement for certain ethnic minorities
• Example exam questions


  • Explain two sociological reasons for the relationship between ethnicity and educational achievement (15)
  • Explain two sociological reasons for the relationship between culture and the educational achievement of different ethnic groups (15)
  • Assess the view that racism is the main influence on the educational achievement of different ethnic groups (30)
• Subject choice


  Factors outside of school contributing to gender patterns in subject choice