Topic 2 -Class Differences in Achievement External Factors

• Some sociologists believe working class underachievement is the product of factors inside the school environment that hinder a pupils ability to achieve. These factors include: labelling, streaming, pupil subcultures, pupil identities and the development of a self-fulfilling prophecy
• Labelling


  The process of teachers judging and labelling pupils according to how closely they fit the "ideal pupil"
• Teachers label pupils as not fitting the "ideal pupil"

  Dampens the motivation of those students due to teachers deferring time away from them and being unwilling to help
• Self-fulfilling prophecy


  When students are given a positive label, they react to it by creating a positive self-concept, which means they are motivated to work hard and improve their grades. This also works in reverse, with negative labels leading to negative self-concepts and less motivation.
• Rosenthal and Jacobson study


  1. Informed teachers of students who scored highly on an IQ test and would be a quick learner (fabricated test results)

  2. Teachers treated those who were falsely identified as 'spurts' differently

  3. 47% of those identified as 'spurts' made significant improvement due to teachers paying more attention to them and giving them more feedback
• Teachers label working-class students as unintelligent


  Results in them being placed in lower streams and sets
• Streaming


  The practice of placing students in different ability groups or classes
• Polarisation


  Pupils respond to streaming by either moving to a pro-school subculture or an anti-school subculture
• Differentiation


  A form of streaming, those who are placed in higher streams gain a higher status
• Pupil subcultures


  • Develop through polarisation or differentiation
• Hargreaves' findings on lower stream boys

  1. Failed 11+ exam

  2. Placed in lower streams

  3. Labelled as "worthless louts"

  4. Formed a group which provided status to those who flouted the school rules and guaranteed their educational failure
• Working-class pupil identities


  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 (it is for richer and cleverer people) and they also see it as undesirable (it does not suit their habitus)
• Pupil subcultures and identities develop in response to streaming and labelling within the education system