Pupil Identities and Subcultures

Define ‘subcultures’

A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of the founding principles but developing their own norms and values

Define ‘symbolic capital’

The status, recognition and sense of worth that students receive from others

Define ‘symbolic violence’

Using symbolic capital in a negative way, for example demonstrating superiority through values, beliefs and attitudes

Define ‘working class dilemma’

The dilemma faced by working class pupils to achieve symbolic capital from their friends or academic capital by rejecting working class identity

What are the characteristics of pro-school subcultures?

• Committed to school values

• Gain approval/status through academic success

• Involved in wider life of the school eg clubs

What are anti-school subcultures?

• Lower streams

• Rejection of school values

• Traunting

• Disruption

• Not doing homework

Mac An Ghaill: Pupil subcultures

The academic achievers = seek to achieve academic success by focusing on traditional academic subjects such as English, Maths and Sciences

The new enterprisers = rejected the traditional academic curriculum but were motivated to study subjects such as business and computing which they see as a route to academic success

Lacey: Formation of Pupil Subcultures

Differentiation = the process of teachers categorising pupils according to how they perceive their ability, attitude and behaviour. Streaming is a form of differentiation, as it categorises pupils into different classes

Polarisation = the process by which pupils respond to differentiation by moving towards one of the two opposite poles or extremes eg pro or anti school subcultures

Peer groups and symbolic capital…

Reinforcing acceptable behaviours by ostracising those that don’t conform and giving status to those that do. Eg calling those that study names like ‘nerd’ or ‘geek’

School environments - Reay…

Students align their ability with the type of school that they attend. Students who attend a poor performing school see themselves as poor students and are more likely to join anti school subcultures, where as those attending high performing schools tend to form pro school subcultures

Subject choice…

Schools reinforced gender stereotypes in subject choices, pushing girls to expressive subjects and boys to instrumental ones, this reinforces gender identity. Can also be achieved through stereotypical images within schools → these choices can create a subculture within students who study the same thing

Subcultures…

Rejection by school can lead working class and minority ethnic groups to identify as being antiauthoritarian and therefore reject authority in all walks of life

*Fuller, Willis, Sewell

Symbolic violence - Archer…

Schools impose forms of symbolic violence against students whose identities are shaped by designer clothing or hyper heterosexual feminine behaviour (usually w/c) which suggests to those students that education is not for them

Ethnocentric curriculum - Ball…

The current curriculum is very focused on middle class white male British cultural, what Ball refers to as ‘Little Englandism’. This can turn both ethnic minorities and girls to feel excluded

Uniforms…

Uniform reinforces gender roles as girls are expected to wear skirts and blouses and boys trousers and ties. Can also shape class identity with schools demanding certain standards of dress or pupils will be sent home. Most schools also do not take ethnic minority dress into account within their policies. Eg hair styles and hijabs

Labelling…

Positive and negative labelling impacts self esteem and self image. Students that are labelled negatively may assume that academic achievement is not part of their identity and therefore look towards a more vocational course in the future