pupil subcultures (internal factors)

• position is boosted
• always fulfilled
• Pupil subcultures


  Groups of pupils who share similar values/behaviour patterns
• These subcultures usually emerge in response to labelling and as a reaction to streaming
• The pro-school subculture


  • Were mostly MC pupils placed in high streams, and were committed to and shared the school's values
  • Gaining status in the approved manner (academic success)
• The anti-school subculture


  • Were mostly WC pupils placed in low streams, and had low-self esteem due to the school giving them an inferior status
  • Gaining status through the label of failure, by inverting school values like obedience and being on time
  • Status was also gained through peers, by cheeking teachers, not doing homework, etc.
• The outcome was the same- joining the anti-school subculture also led to a fulfilled prophecy of failure, just like streaming does
• Differentiation


  1. The process of teacher categorising and labelling pupils based on how they see their behaviour/ability/attitude

  2. Streaming is a form of differentiation that gives high status to 'able' pupils and an inferior status to less able pupils in lower streams
• Polarisation


  The process of pupils responding to streaming by moving to one 'pole'/extreme
• Lacey (1970) found anti/pro school subcultures when studying a grammar school
• Abolishing streaming


  • Anti-school subcultures declined, and the basis for polarisation is removed
  • However, differentiation still occurred, teachers still categorised pupils and labelled the MC more favourably
• Pupil responses to labelling/streaming


  • Ingratiation (teacher's pet)
  • Ritualism (go through the motions, stay out of trouble)
  • Retreatism (daydreaming & messing about)
  • Rebellion (outright rejecting everything school stands for)
• Pupils aren't fixed in one response, it can change between certain lessons and teachers (Furlong 1984)
• Labelling theory does well at showing school's class inequalities, challenging the idea that they're fair institutions
• Labelling theory is too deterministic, assuming pupils will passively accept label (Fuller 1984)
• Marxists argue labelling theory ignores the wider structure that labelling takes place in, blaming teachers for labeling pupils but not explaining why they do it
• Marxists argue it's not teacher's individual prejudices, it's that their own job stems from a system that reproduces class inequality