cultural deprivation (external factors)

• Cultural deprivation


  Where a pupil lacks the basic 'cultural equipment' gained through primary socialisation-language, self-discipline and skills
• Cultural deprivation theorists


  • They argue that working-class families fail to socialise their children properly, so they end up culturally deprived
• Cultural deprivation


  Means many working-class pupils lack the cultural equipment to do well at school, so they underachieve
• Aspects of cultural deprivation


  • Language
  • Parent's education
  • Working-class subculture
• Keddie (1973): 'Cultural deprivation is a myth- it's just a victim-blaming explanation that ignores working-class failure being down to an education dominated by middle-class values'
• Troyna & Williams (1986): 'Teacher's speech hierarchy of middle-class speech, working-class speech and black speech is the problem, not the pupil's language'
• Blackstone & Mortimore (1994): 'Reject the idea that working-class parents don't take an interest in education, and say that work hours prevent them from engaging in events like parent's evening'
• Elaborated code


  Language used in school (teachers, textbooks, exams)
• Middle class (MC) code


  Seen as the 'correct' way to write/speak, gives essential skills for education such as analysis, reasoning, clearly expressing thoughts
• MC pupils raised with elaborated code


  Feel at home in education and succeed
• Working class (WC) pupils

  Feel less included and fail
• Hubbs-Tait et al (2002): Children's cognitive ability improved when parents used challenging language such as 'what do you think?'
• Feinstein (2008), Bereiter and Engelmann (1966): Educated parents are more likely to use language that helps children evaluate their own understanding/ability, while WC language was more simple/descriptive
• Restricted code (WC)


  Limited vocabulary, short/descriptive/unfinished/grammatically simple sentences, predictable speech involving single words or gestures, context-bound
• Elaborated code (MC)


  Wider vocabulary, long/grammatically complex sentences, more varied speech expressing abstract ideas, context-free
• Bernstein (1975): Describes communication in WC homes as using gestures, single words or disjointed phrases
• WC children don't develop the necessary language skills, can't think abstractly or use language to explain, describe, enquire, or compare, so unable to take advantage of opportunities school offers
• Differences in WC and MC pupil's language, but WC don't fail because they're culturally deprived, but because school fails to teach them the elaborated code
• Parent's Education
• AWEING


  This helps explain why not all WC students do equally bad, and why not all MC students are successful
• Working-class subculture


  CD theorists argue that lack of parental interest in education is a reflection of the subcultural values of the WC
• Subculture


  Group in society whose attitudes and values differ from mainstream culture
• Large sections of the WC have different goals, values, attitudes and beliefs from the rest of society. This is why their children underachieve/fail at school
• Working-class children


  Internalise the values of their culture through primary socialisation- this results in underachievement at school because education hold MC values/beliefs/attitudes
• Sugarman (1970)


  Different values exist because MC jobs are secure and offer prospects for continuous individual advancement. This encourages ambition, long-term planning and a willingness to make sacrifices. WC jobs are less secure, with no career structure where you can advance, as well as few promotional opportunities and earnings peaking at an early age
• Fatalism


  A belief in fate, what will be, will be nothing can be done to change your status. MC contrast: meritocracy- you change your position through your own efforts
• Collectivism


  Valuing being part of a group over succeeding as an individual. MC contrast: an individual shouldn't be held back by group loyalties
• Immediate gratification


  Seek pleasure now, no making sacrifices for future rewards
• Present-time orientation


  Seeing now as more important than the future, therefore having no long-term goals/plans. MC contrast: Have a future-time orientation- seeing planning for the future as more important
• Compensatory education


  These programmes aim to tackle CD by giving extra resources to schools in deprived areas. They intervene early in the child's socialisation to minimise CD as much as possible
• Compensatory education programmes


  • Sure Start
  • Educational Priority Areas