rs and process within skl

hidden curriculum

• as well as a formal curriculum (maths,science) school teaches a set of values

• eg turning up on time, working hard to achieve, dreading smartly. Teach students things they need in adult life

• part of many areas of school life. eg hierarchy of management and teaching staff

• punishments teach students about the importance of following instructions

labelling theory

• labels importsnt part of teacherpupil relationships

• if a student labelled negatively they’re disciplined more harshly.

• but if positive given encouragement to succeed

• creates self fulfilling prophecy → student internalises label

Gillborn & Youdell

some students label students based on ethnicity, gender, class

black students more likely to be disciplined and had low expectations

different ways of sorting pupils into class

streaming → sorted according to ability and stay in groups for most subjects

setting → sorted into class according to ability but on subject-by-subject basis

mixed ability→ classes aren’t based on ability. highest and lowest achieving taught togerher

advantages of setting and streaming

• students can work at own level and pace

problem with streaming

• students are likely to be better at some subjects

• so some bottom stream students aren’t challenged enough

• and top stream students struggle in some subjects

setting and streaming negative

• lead to allow self esteem

• Ball → teachers have high expectations for high ability

• lower class had negative labelling

• setting and streaming can increase the differences in student achievement

mixed ability

• can avoid worsening gaps

• but studies show teachers still hold low expectations for low ability students

• and lower the level of their teaching

• means not enough challenging work for high ability

subculture

a group who share ideas and behaviour patterns which are different from mainstream culture

pupils can form subcultures

• 2 most common subcultures pro/anti school. but more subcultures eg lads, academic achievers

• subcultures can have positive/negative effect on achievement

streaming

Lacey → result of streaming

• researched grammar school

• although all students selected as “bright” at 11

• bottom stream pupils formed anti school sub as labelled as failures

ethnicity

Fuller

• black girls in Y11 comprehensive school

• were high ability but felt teacher racist → didn’t work for their teachers approval

• formed a subculture worked alone and achieved

Social Class

Willis

• boys formed anti school sub

• disrupted lessons as gaining respect from others in the subcultures

• they were wc and wanted to do manual jobs

• believed school not useful

identity a more general way of studing pupils

• factors such as labelling, self fulfilling prophecy, teaching, subcultures

• all have impact on achievements of pupils. hard to work out specific effects of each behaviour

identity a more general way of studing pupils

• instead considering pupils identity

• way they view themselves and others view them

• can bring togerher all factors, and factors outside school (parental attitude, poverty)

example of identity

• if a male pupil identifies as non academic

• may begun with teacher label, but now may be in subculture with other non achievers

• take Pe cuz male subject

• at home may not have access to books to help his othee subject performance

disadvantage of studying identity

• complex

• if a sociologist wants to sfudy the effect of a specific process within school (eg setting)

• identity can make this difficult

• if students achievement fell in other subjects hard to tell whether this was the set he was in, or the subculture