External differences in achievement T1

• Working-class (WC) position


  Less secure, fewer promotional opportunities, lower earnings
• Culture


  • (Sugar)
• Working-class parents


  Pass on fatalistic attitude "We'll fail anyway" to their children
• Middle-class (MC) parents


  Have a meritocratic mindset
• Collectivism (WC)


  Value group success over individual
• Individualism (MC)


  Value individual success
• Immediate gratification (WC)


  Pleasure now, no sacrifice for the future
• Delayed gratification (MC)


  Plan for the future, sacrifice in the present
• Compensatory education


  • Sure Start - helped the deprived at early age
• Working-class parents place less value on education, less likely to attend parents' evenings
• Parents' own education is the most important factor in their children's achievement
• Parenting style (MC)


  • Enforce high expectations, encourage children to be explorative
• Parenting style (WC)


  • Do as you're told mentality
• Parental teaching style


  Educated parents more aware of child's needs, read to children, help with homework, take to museums
• Habitus


  Norms, values, attitudes and behaviours that match the school environment
• Subcultural attitudes to school

  • Pro-school (Valuation)
  • Anti-school (Devaluation)
• Use of income (MC)


  More likely to buy educational toys and books
• Speech codes (Bernstein)


  • Restricted (limited vocab, single words)
  • Elaborated (grammatical, wide vocab, critical thinking)
• Middle-class parents more likely to use evaluative language, allowing children to think for themselves
• Working-class have language that is deficient for school, rely more on body language