Social class

• Cultural deprivation: The theory that many working class children are inadequately socialised so lack the right norms and values needed for educational success.
• Material deprivation: A lack of basic necessities such as housing, food and clothing. Working class students are more likely to do worse due to the lack of aids.
• Cultural capital: The knowledge, attitudes and values that the middle class pass onto their children that helps them achieve better results in education.
• Elaborate code of language: Use a range of vocab and full sentences. It is often used by teachers, textbooks and middle class children.
• Restricted code of language: Slang and short sentences often used by working class people.
• Immediate gratification: The preference for immediate reward with no regard for the longer term consequences. E.g. Going out with friends over revising for an exam.
• Deferred gratification: Postponing immediate reward for a better reward in the long term. E.g. revising for a test over going out with friends.
• Compensatory education: Government education policies that seek to tackle the problem of underachievement by providing more support for working class children. E.g. pupil premium, free school meals and bursaries.
• Douglas: He found that children living in unsatisfactory living conditions were more likely to do worse in school. Also believed that the most important factor affecting achievement is parental interest.
• Harker: Poor quality overcrowded housing links with educational underachievement. Less space to play, study, increase risk of bullying, health, stress and mental illness.
• Sugarman: Pupils from manual backgrounds (working-class) were fatalistic and lived a life of immediate gratification whereas the middle class students were ambitious and had deferred gratification.
• Bernstien: Working class students were more comfortable in using a restricted code of language whereas middle class students were comfortable using an elaborate code of language that is also used by teachers. This put working class students at a disadvantage because it was harder for them to understand the teacher.
• Bourdieu: Middle class students are at an advantage because they have the culture capital which is needed to do well and understand more subjects.
• Social class trends in achievement:

  • pupils from professional backgrounds are more likely to enter higher education
  • Middle class pupils are more likely to study A-levels whereas working class students are more likely to look for work or take vocational subjects.
  • Working class students achieve lower on most qualifications.