Sociology of Education: Patterns of Attainment and School Processes

Vocabulary flashcards covering the sociological perspectives on education, including class attainment differences, material/cultural factors, types of schools, and internal school processes like labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Patterns of Inequality

The trend in Britain where pupils who are upper or middle-class, female, and white have a higher chance of educational success.

2014 Government Report

A report revealing that social class is the biggest factor in school achievement and that white, British children on free school meals were the lowest achieving group.

Cultural Factors

Influences on education such as language, values, attitudes, and encouragement from family.

Material Factors

Financial influences including money for books, tuition, and the quality of housing and lifestyle.

Material Deprivation

The lack of basic needs caused by a lack of money, argued by some sociologists to be the main cause of educational underachievement.

Selection by Mortgage

The process where middle-class parents move into catchment areas of popular schools, causing house prices to rise beyond the reach of poorer families.

Pupil Premium

Extra funding introduced by the government in $2011$ for disadvantaged pupils in state schools to help raise attainment.

Theory of Cultural Deprivation

A 1960s and 1970s theory stating working-class children underachieve due to lacking the language skills, values, or parental encouragement needed for success.

Cultural Capital

A concept by Pierre Bourdieu referring to the language skills, knowledge of art/theatre, and values of the upper classes which are treated as superior by schools.

Social Capital

The social networks and 'knowledge of the rules' that middle-class parents use to help their children navigate the school system, identified by Diane Reay.

A.H. Halsey

A sociologist whose study in the 1980s concluded that material factors were more important than cultural factors in determining a child's success at school.

Comprehensive Schools

Non-selective, state-funded schools under government control that cater to pupils of all abilities and backgrounds.

Faith Schools

Schools run by religious groups that follow the National Curriculum but can choose their own religious education content.

Academies

State schools funded directly by the government via academy trusts, giving them freedom from the National Curriculum and local council control.

National Curriculum

Introduced in $1988$, this set of guidelines dictates what pupils should be taught at each key level; Diane Reay argues it may be irrelevant to working-class children.

Interactionalists

Sociologists interested in how face-to-face interactions between teachers and pupils in school affect educational achievement.

Labelling

The process of teachers making judgements about pupils based on factors like appearance, ability, and conduct, which can affect the pupil's future performance.

David Hargreaves

An interactionalist who found that teachers make quick, firm judgements about pupils based on appearance and enthusiasm for work.

Ideal Pupil

A concept by Howard Becker describing the image teachers have of a perfect student, often matching the characteristics of middle-class pupils.

Halo Effect

When a pupil is labelled positively, leading teachers to interpret their behaviour more favourably and discipline them less.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A situation where a pupil internalizes a teacher's label (positive or negative) and behaves in a way that makes that label come true.

Setting

The practice of placing students in ability groups for specific individual subjects.

Banding

The practice of placing students into broad ability groups across multiple subjects.

Beachside Comprehensive

The school studied by Steven Ball to observe how labelling within different bands affected pupil behaviour and progress.

Warming Up and Cooling Down

Terms used by Steven Ball to describe how top-band pupils were encouraged while lower-band pupils had their expectations lowered by teachers.

Nell Keddie

A sociologist who found that teachers treated different sets and bands differently, often giving simpler work and less homework to lower bands.