Cultural deprivation

Strand (2021) — % of GCSE Maths and English passed by parental occupation — higher professional

74%

Strand (2021) — % of GCSE Maths and English passed by parental occupation — lower professional

69%

Strand (2021) — % of GCSE Maths and English passed by parental occupation — immediate occupations

61%

Strand (2021) — % of GCSE Maths and English passed by parental occupation — semi-routine occupation

44%

Strand (2021) — % of GCSE Maths and English passed by parental occupation — routine occupation

41%

Strand (2021) — % of GCSE Maths and English passed by parental occupation — small employer

55%

Strand (2021) — % of GCSE Maths and English passed by parental occupation — lower supervisory

43%

Strand (2021) — % of GCSE Maths and English passed by parental occupation — long-term unemployed

38%

Feinstein — self-evaluation

• Educated parents communicate in ways that push their children to self-evaluate their understanding

Hubbs-Tait et al — praise

• Educated parents praise children → better sense of own competence

• Lower-qualified parents don’t → children perform worse

Hubbs-Tait et al — type of language

• Better language used → better language acquired → educational success

Bereiter and Engelmann — language deficiency

• W/C communication using gestures, single words and disjointed phrases → inability to express complex ideas and engage in detailed discussions

  • Hinders W/C academic performance

Bernstein — 2 types of speech code

1. Restricted (W/C)

2. Elaborated (M/C)

Bernstein — restricted code key factor

• Context-bound

  • Speaker assumes listener shares same set of experiences

Bernstein — elaborated code and schools

• Favoured by schools — used by teachers, textbooks and exams

• Taken as ‘correct’ way

  • Seen as more effective for analysis, reasoning and expression of thoughts

Bernstein — impact of speech codes on educational achievement

• M/C students socialised in elaborated code so feel more at home at school → educational success

• W/C students use restricted code and feel excluded at school

4 W/C values

1. Fatalism

2. Collectivism

3. Instant gratification

4. Present-time orientation

Fatalism

• Individuals have little control over their lives/circumstances

Impact of fatalism on educational achievement

• No interest in achieving at school as seen to make little difference

• Disengagement from education → cycle of underachievement → perpetuated disadvantage in workplace → lower earning potential

Collectivism

• Value group loyalty > individual success

Impact of collectivism on educational achievement

• Lack of motiviation to pursue personal goals → focus on subcultures and collective success → low educational achievement

Immediate gratificiation

• Short-term pleasure > short-term sacrifices for long-term rewards

Impact of immediate gratification on educational achievement

• Not trying at school/truancy/leaving school early → short-term higher earnings → long-term lower earnings due to lack of qualifications

Present-time orientation

• Present > future

Impact of present-time orientation on educational achievement

• No plans for future career → do not see educational achievement as helpful so do not prioritise it → underachieve

JWB Douglas — less educated parents value placed on education

• Less value placed on education → less involvement with teachers and schools → child less motivated → child underachieves

JWB Douglas — educated parents value placed on education

• More value placed on education → more involvement with teachers and schools → child more motivated → child achieves

Feinstein (2008) — most important single factor affecting children’s educational achievement

• Parent’s own education

Feinstein — educated parents parenting style

• Emphasis on consistent discipline and high expectations

  • Encourages active learning and exploration

Feinstein — 5 ways educated parents assist child’s educational progress

1. Reading, teaching songs and letters

2. Access to advice on childrearing

3. Visiting museums and libraries

4. Active involvement in schooling and relationships with teachers

5. Higher income → more nutritious food

Feinstein — less educated parent parenting style

• Harst and inconsistent discipline

  • Prevents independence and self control → less motiviation

Feinstein — 2 ways less educated parents unable to assist child’s educational progress

1. Lack of resources e.g. books means children start school without required intellectural skills

2. Low income → lack of access to nutritious food

Goodman and Gregg (2010)

• Parental involvement in school most important factor in child’s educational achievement

Evans (2007)

• No link between class and value placed on education

Important disclaimer

Not all w/c children do equally badly and not all m/c children do equally well as education does not always correlate with class. Educated does not mean m/c and less educated does not mean w/c. Education sets children up better than class.

By age 3, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are x year(s) behind those from privileged backgrounds

1 year

2 ways compulsory education aimed to tackle CD

1. Provision of more resources to schools and communities in deprived areas

2. Early intervention in socialisation to compensate for deprivation

Operation Headstart

• 1960s

• 🇺🇸

• $ to pre-school education in impoverished areas

4 elements of Operation Headstart

1. Level up parenting skills

2. Set up nursery classes

3. Introduce home visits by child psychologists

4. Sesame Street to subconsciously educate children

Surestart

• Aim: work with parents to promote development for babies and young children

• Lead to children flourishing in schools

• Provision: family support, health services, parental employment support

Surestart — number of local centres by 2010

3,500

CRITICISM of CD — Keddie (1973)

• Different, not deprived

  • A child cannot be deprived of its own culture

• Children fail due to being put at a disadvantage by the education system

  • Education system should challenge schools anti-W/C prejudices and build on strengths

3 CRITICISMS of CD

1. Victim blaming, ignores wider inequalities

2. Schools w/mainly W/C pupils have a less effective system of parent-school contact

3. Labelling — CD applied to W/C families → s-f p

4. Schools faill to teach elaborated code, not student’s fault

CRITICISM of CD — Blackstone and Mortimore

• W/C parents attend fewer school events as:

  • Long/irregular working hours

  • Put off by M/C atmopshere of school

CRITICISM of CD — Gaine and Georgy

• Differences between working- and middle-class speech are exaggerated and oversimplified

CRITICISM of CD — Troyna and Williams

• Teachers have a speech hierarchy — M/C, W/C then Black

• Ingrained in teachers conscious to treat students from different backgrounds with varying expectations

  • Leads to cycle of disadvantage and reinforcing existing stereotypes

CRITICISM of CD — Evans (2006)

• Most parents, regardless of class or education, want their child to do well at school due to better job prospects

CRITICISM of CD — Hanafin and Lynch (2002)

• Parents keenly interested in child’s education but:

  • Felt excluded from decision-making

  • Lack knowledge and education to do so

2 alternatives to compensatory education

1. Multicultural education

• Recognition and inclusion of minority cultures

2. Anti-racist education

• Challenging prejudice and discrimination that exists in schools and wider society