material deprivation / cultural capital: class

• Material Deprivation


  • Overcrowding in a small council estate: Lack of internet connection especially during the pandemic/ online lesson / Lack of energy to maintain concentration in lessons.
  • Health issues
  • More likely to get part time jobs
  • Unable to buy resources/tutor
  • Have to pay back loans, demotivates w/c students to go to uni due to the fear of debt
• Cultural Capital


  Knowledge, attitudes, values, languages, abilities of the m/c that are highly valued and rewarded with qualifications in the education system
• Bourdieu uses the term cultural capital to refer to the knowledge, attitudes, values, languages, abilities of the m/c
• Bourdieu argues that through socialisation m/c acquires the ability to analyse and express ideas
• M/c students are much more likely to develop intellectual interests and understanding of what the education system requires for success
• W/c children find that school devalues their culture as 'inferior'
• W/c students lack cultural capital leading to exam failure
• Many w/c students get the message that education is not meant for them which w/c respond to by not trying
• Sullivan's study


  • Surveyed 465 pupils in 4 schools
  • Cultural capital only accounted for a part of class achievement
  • Greater resources and aspirations of m/c families explain the remainder of the class gap in achievement
• Cultural capital does still play a role in the achievement of education which can be seen in Sullivans study, which suggest that students with a greater cultural capital are more likely to be successful at GCSE level
• Sullivan would argue that cultural capital plays a part in achievement in education but isn't the only factor