chapter 11

studying schools and education through a sociological lens

studying schools and education through a sociological lens

• social inequality permeates the schooling experience

• a person’s education influences their life in many ways

• the impact of educational credentials and conditions

• the background factors that shape educational success or failure

• tide to a range of sociological concepts and interests

ascribed status

• status assigned to people because of certain traits beyond their control and without regard for achieved merit

achieved status

• social status (or position) that is not inborn but are the result of effort and accomplishment

• educational attainment is an achieved status that affects social mobility

social mobility

the movement of individuals or groups between different positions within the system of social stratification in society

what do people with higher education tend to receive?

people with higher educational credentials tend to enter higher status and higher earning positions

what is education important for?

• education is important for intergenerational occupational mobility

• however, ascribed characteristics remains important as selection principles in canadian society

social mobility and education

• people are likely to inherit the social class of their parents

• social mobility differs between countries

• low social mobility and education are closely linked

• family origin and socioeconomic status tend to be reproduced across generations

• costly post-secondary tuitions fees limits the enrolment of lower-income students

• rising tuition fees

• student debt at the time of graduation

elasticity

the degree to which changing on variable changes another

what is low intergenerational income elasticity associated with?

low intergenerational income elasticity is associated with higher levels of social mobility

universal post-secondary school education

• in recent years, the idea of universal post-secondary education has become common in policy debates

• removing barriers to higher education for low-SES groups

• benefits for labor market participation, economic development, productivity and innovation at a national level

linking school to work

• colleges and universities help link students and graduates with prospective employers

• schools screen out and divert inappropriate candidates for employers

• employers come to trust available school info when hiring graduates

  • segmented labor market theory

  • human capital market

  • signalling theory

  • network theory

segmented labor market theory

• labor market is divided into primary and secondary labor markets

• “good jobs” are found in the primary labor market

• “bad jobs” are found in the secondary labor market

• higher education and specialized training often required to gain entry into the primary labor market

human capital theory

• positive relationships between education and job attainment

• schools as sites for transmitting human capital through formal education and skill development

• qualifications, capabilities, productivity and competence

• employers value human capital in competitive markets

• investing in education to accumulate human capital

signalling theory

• symbolic meanings attached to educational attainment

• educational attainment communicates potential value of applicant to employers

• credentials as a quick screening tool

network theory

• schools as social environments that facilitate the formation of social networks for career and professional development

• networks help connect individuals to labor markets

• influence over professional trajectories

• shared information, social capital and access to resources

education and gender

• persistent wage gap, smaller at the highest levels of educational attainment

• different fields of study between men and women explain this gender earning gap

• men outnumber women in degrees that lead to jobs with higher pay

• however, research has also shown that careers lose prestige and pay as larger numbers of women enter them

women had little chance to gain higher education until?

until 1962, young women had little chance to gain a higher education in canada

when did women begin attending post-secondary?

only in the mid-20th century did large numbers of women began attending post-secondary institutions

women’s education

• women’s educational attainment is increasing and surpasses that of men

• higher education is an important path toward social equality \

• a large part of the continuing problem of gender inequality in less developed parts of the world pertains to education

• women are especially likely to be illiterate in sub-sahaaran africa, the arab states and south asia

education of immigrants and visible minorities

• canada’s immigration policies have produced a highly educated group of immigrant workers

• overall, visible minorities have higher levels of educational attainment than whites and indigenous counterparts

• however, inequality and discrimination are still present especially in the transition from school to labor market

• employers discriminate against perceived immigrants in the recruitment and hiring process

• many immigrants’ educational and work credentials aren’t recognized in the canadain job market

how much more likely are immigrant to be unemployed?

immigrants to canada are 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed in comparison to canadian-born adults

education, colonialism and race

• in canada, certain groups have less opportunity for education than others

• colonialism and education

• indigenous educational attatinment

• education of immigrants and visible minorities

• work discrimination and underemployment

racialization

an imposition of unwanted racial identities on minorities

colonialism and education

• in 2021, only 53% of the canadain indigenous population held a post-secondary qualification

• education predicts income

• colonialism and colonial management continue to affect the educational experiences and outcomes of indigenous people

• linking the historical and contemporary

• assimilation through the residential school system

when were residential schools in operation?

in operation between 1892 and 1969

residential school education

• total institutions designed to destroy indigenous culture and values

• approx. 3200-6000 students died while at residential school

• widespread physical, sexual and emotional abuse

• gradual increase in educational attainment

• within the indigenous population, there persists a large proportion of people without a high school degree

• indigenous students are more likely to seek a college diploma or trade apprenticeship than a university degree

• geography (city vs rural) pose a major obstacle to indigenous education

decolonizing education

• confronting colonizing policies and practices

• recognizing subtle forms of colonialism present today

• curriculum changes to include and value indigenous languages and ways of knowing

• making education more accessible to first nations, inuit, and metis peoples

the truth and reconciliation commission has advocated for the following:

• address discrepancies in federal education funding (on and off reserves)

• prepare annual reports summarizing funding and educational/income attainments

• draft indigenous education legislation to support development of culturally-appropriate curricula

• protect indigenous languages

• eliminate barriers to post-secondary education

structural functionalism

• schools perform the necessary function of socialization

• schools help prepare students from future roles

• the education system contributes to the maintenance of social order

• opportunities for students to become socially mobile

• schools are great equalizers

• the hidden curriculum

• manifest function vs latent function

• social problems related to education occur when schools fail to perform their manifest functions

structural functionalism main argument

schooling provides the human capital society needs for economic growth

conflict theory

• educational opportunity and the quality of education available are far from equally distributed across canadian society

• reproduction and reinforcement of existing processes of stratification and inequality

• meritocracy as a false ideology

• schools as a site for social control to serve the interests of the elite class

conflict theory main argument

school train people to endure the boredom and subordinate of alienating work

symbolic interaction theory

• attention to micro-level interactions between individuals in small groups

• “teacher’s pets” and student-teacher interactions

• suitable for examining cliques, peer groups, student experiences

• meanings and perceptions of education shaped in schools

• sense of self and identity

symbolic interaction theory main argument

• schools help people develop identities that are appropriate to the social roles they’ll play as adults

• schools are discouraging to disadvantages people

credentialism

• a process of social selection the gives class advantage and social status to people who posses academic advantage

• randall collins: the credential society (1979)

randall collins: the credential society (1979)

• overeducation of students produces a pool of educationally qualified individuals

• economy cannot support the oversupply of educated individuals

• contemporary school systems generate credential inflation

credential inflation

• the process by which increased labor-market competition results in more workers acquiring more credentials, and employers raise required credential levels for reasons that are not connected to their need for skilled employees

• grades may not matter to employers but degrees and certifications are nonetheless necessary for many entry-level positions

professionalization

• the process by which an occupation raises its standing by liming the number of entrants and regulating their behavior

• creating and requiring specialization and professional training

• schooling content can be highly theoretical with limited connection to on-the-job experiences

• affect who gets to work and how the work will be evaluated

  • creation of occupations

  • formation of national association

  • establishing educational institutions

  • development of code and ethics

  • political mobilization

overeducation

• having more educated than is needed to carry out a particular jod

  • canada has one of the highest rates of post-secondary education attendance in the world

  • underutilization of skills in the labor market especially among immigrants to canada

three main categories of school dropouts identified by Dron, Bowen and Blay (2006)

1. dropout: inability to cope intellectually with school material

2. pullout: financial troubles

3. pushout: contextual and community factors

several factors that influence dropout

• gender norms and stereotypes shape young men’s educational dropout risk

• school environment and role of authority figures

• stress and disconnection

• immediate financial needs

• teen pregnancy