Pupli's subcultures

• Differentiation


  The process of teachers categorising pupils, according to how they perceive their ability, attitude or behaviour
• Polarisation


  The process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of two opposite poles or extremes
• Pro-school subcultures


  • Pupils placed in high streams, who remain committed to the values of the school and gain status through academic success, tend to be middle-class
• Anti-school subcultures


  • Pupils placed in low streams, who suffer a loss of self-esteem and search for alternative ways of gaining status, usually involving rejecting the school's values of hard work and obedience
• Abolishing streaming removes the basis for pupils to polarise into subcultures, and the influence of anti-school subcultures declines
• Even without streaming, differentiation continues as teachers categorise pupils differently and are more likely to label middle-class pupils as cooperative and able
• Since the 1988 Education Reform Act, there has been a trend towards more streaming and a variety of school types, creating new opportunities for schools and teachers to differentiate between pupils based on class, ethnicity or gender
• Possible responses to labelling and streaming


  • Integration or 'teachespet'
  • Ritualism (going through the motions to stay out of trouble)
  • Retreatism (daydreaming or 'mucking about')
  • Rebellion (outright rejection)
• Many pupils are not committed permanently to only one response, but may move between different types of responses, acting differently in different situations