Topic 2- class differences in achievement (internal)

• What does Becker say about labelling?

  Teachers judge and label pupils on how closely they fit the 'ideal pupil'. This would therefore dampen the motivation of students who did not suit the ideal pupil, based on how teachers deferred their time away from them and were unwilling to help
• What is a self-fulfilling prophecy and how is it linked to labelling?

  When students are given a positive label, they react to it by giving themselves a positive self concept, which means they are motivated to work and improve their grades. This also works in reverse, with negative labels creating a negative self concept and less motivation
• What is streaming and how is it linked to labelling?

  Gillborn and Youdell found that teaches labelled working class students as unintelligent, resulting in them being placed in lower sets
• What is a pupil subculture?

  Lacey found there were two ways which pupil subcultures developed: polarisation and differentiation. Polarisation is when pupils respond to streaming by either moving to a pro-school subculture or an anti-school subculture. Differentiation is a form of streaming, those who are placed in higher streams gain a higher status.
• What did Hargreaves find in his pupil subculture study?

  He found that boys in lower streams were triple failures: they failed their 11+ exam; had been placed in lower streams, and then been labelled as 'worthless louts'- their solution was to form a group which provided status to those who flouted the school rules and guaranteed educational failure
• What did Archer et al find in his study of pupil identities?

  He found that working class pupils invest in 'Nike' identities, leading to self exclusion from education because it does not fit their identity and way of life; they see it as unrealistic (for richer and cleverer people) and they also see it as undesirable (it does not suit their habitus)