sociology paper 1

Durkheim social solidarity

Education socialises people to have shared norms and values to maintain social solidarity

Durkheim counter

Marxist argue schools encourage false class consciousness

Parsons values

Schools teaches universtalistic values

Home teaches particularistic values to prepare students for work

Parsons meritocracy

Family gives ascribed status

School helps give achieved status, if you work hard at school you will be rewarded with good job

Parsons counter meritocracy

Not all students have equal chance for example social class, gender

Parsons specialised skills

Schools teaches us skills which are required for future jobs

Parsons specialised skills counter

Skills are still required after GSCE such as training

Role allocation David and Moore

Education shows who is the best people for the best jobs in society

How does school role allocate

Through exam system

Role allocation counter

Marxist and feminist argue this is not true as upper class men dominate important jobs

Positives of functionalist view

New right support as meritocracy makes people responsible for own achievement

Encourage people to work hard meaning less reliance on welfare

Criticism of functionalist view

Rose tinted glasses ignore racism, sexism, middle class bias

Not everyone has shared norms and values as we are a multicultural society

Marxist views

Ideological state apparatus Althusser

School reproducing and justifying inequalities

How to education represent ideological state apparatus

Unequal access to resources

Undiverse curriculum (ethnocentric)

Hidden curriculum that transmits social norms and expectations

Ideological state apparatus support

UK govt made it illegal for teachers to promote anti capitalist views

Bowles and Gintis correspondence principal

Achieved from hidden curriculum students taught to be passive and obedient so they don’t rebel and are unaware of exploitation in work

Indoctrination Althusser, Bowles and Gintis

Pupils brainwashed by ruling class to be ideal workers

False class consciousness

Workers believe that the work benefits them when it really benefits the system and the ruling class

Chomsky argument

education system filter students for jobs so that the most compliant get the top political jobs

Marxist specialised skills

Believes that skills are based off social class and labels given

Marxist specialised skills counter

Feminist argue that Marxist overlook gender inequality in social mobility

What do Marxist believe about meritocracy

It’s false, more likely to get a job off social class

Marxist meritocracy support

90% of failing schools are in deprived areas

Paul Willis learning to labour

12 WC boys who are all anti school subculture believed they would not pass school so what’s the point in trying therefore behaved badly and sought to gain status another way

Marxist counter ideological state apparatus

Many subjects encourage students to go against it such as sociology itself

Gender in education

External factor decline in masculine jobs

Due to decline in jobs such as engineering this has led to an identity crisis for men, and lack of motivation

Boys and literacy external factor

Boys don’t like to read as it’s considered feminine, meaning girls are better at talking and communicating with friends

Overestimating ability external factor

Renold and Allen

Girls underestimate their own ability in the classroom

Overestimating ability external factor

Francis

Boys think it’s easy to do well in exams without putting in much effort, when they fail they blame teachers not themselves

Shortage of mate teachers internal factors

Boys have a lack of role models, 42% of boys said that the presence of a male teacher made them behave and work harder

Masculinity internal factor

Epstein et al

Schoolwork is found by boys to be girly and uncool, boys risked being bullied and labelled as gay if they worked hard in school

Laddish subculture internal factor

Epstein

Boys are concerned about being labelled as swots, boys are 3 times more likely to be excluded from school

Lower expectations internal factor

Teachers have lower expectations of boys, more likely to accept poorer standards of work and be more tolerant of disruption could lead to SFP only trying as hard as they are expected too

Boys are more disruptive internal factor

Male peers achieve peer group status by being disruptive and aggressive, can lead to reduced concentration or missed learning due to being sent out

The impact of feminism external factor

Women have more to strive for rather than being a housewife

Changes in family external factor

Increased divorce rates, increase in lone parent families, increase in cohabitation mean girls have strong female role models to look up too so they try hard in education as they are shown the importance

Changes in women’s employment external factor

1970 equal pay act and 1975 sex discrimination act increased women’s employment opportunities

Changes in employment external factor

Wilkinson

There has been a genderquake women want more money and fulfilling careers, they have broken through the glass ceiling (invisible barrier)

Girls changing ambitions external factor

Sue sharpe

Found that girls had low aspirations in 1974 and interviewed same girls in 1990 had high aspirations considering themselves independent

Maturity external factor

By the age of 16 girls are estimated to be 2 years more mature than boys more likely to do better in exams as they recognise importance

Attitudes and values internal factor

Girls work harder, more organised, have peer group support these factors contribute to them being more likely to succeed in education

Feminisation of education internal factor

Coursework more suited to girls as they spend more time on their work and care more about how it’s presented

Positive role models in school internal factor

More female teachers show girls women can reach high achieving positions, they show importance of education in having a successful career

Teacher attention internal factor

French

Boys get told off more often, have harsher punishments and teachers have lower expectations, girls listen better can lead to SFP

Challenging stereotypes internal factor

Teachers challenge stereotypes as in 1970s in textbooks women were only seen as housewives, this changed and women are now more positively shown in textbooks

Educational policy

1944 butler act

11+ exams led to tripartite schooling modern, technical and grammar

1965 comprehensivisation

All children of all abilities under the same roof

National curriculum

Most schools learn the same curriculum to ensure everyone gets same education

Practical- makes easier for children to move schools

League tables

Exam results published online for parents to see what schools do national curriculum best

OFSTED

Checks standards of schools

Open enrolment

Parents can send children to schools outside of catchment areas

Local management of school

Head teacher controls budget that they are given by the government

Formula funding

Paid for amount of bums on seats more students in the school more funding the school gets

Coalition policies 2010- 2015

Academies, pupil premium, increase tuition fees

Academies

Changed from comprehensive schools in order to get more money do not have to teach national curriculum do not have to employ fully qualified teachers

Free schools

Funded by government set up by local communities don’t have to teach national curriculum or employ fully qualified teachers

Pupil premium

Parents are given money for children if they are earning little money

Increase tuition fees

Increase to fees to 4000- 9000 so that they could choose how much they can charge meaning some put it lower prices to attract WC students meaning more money

Conservative policies

No QTS, academy action of all schools

no QTS

Schools did not have to employ fully qualified teachers but they will be paid less

Academisation of all schools

Get rid of local authorities, schools would govern their own budget did not pass

New labour policies 1997-2010

EMA, sure star, vocational education, academies, EAZ

EAZ

Aim to maximise educational opportunities in both rural and urban areas throughout the country

Ema - education maintenance allowance

EMA academies parents would be given £30 a week in order to provide for children if not earning enough money

Attendance high to get it

Vocational education

Skills based, btecs, working class

Sure start centres

Set up library’s for working class children so they could read and get intellectual stimulation however full of middle class parents

1870 education act

Children aged between 5-13 should attend school

Internal and external factors in education

Internal factors

Labelling, streaming, pupil subcultures, self fulfilling prophecy

streaming Lacey

Streaming= Differentiation process of creating variations among individuals or groups based on characteristics like ability, social class or learning needs way of separating ‘the sheep from the goats’ educating them differently

Streaming Douglas

IQ of pupils labelled as less able placed in the bottom streams fell over time, pupils in top streams IQ increased

Labelling Becker

Teachers label MC children as ‘ideal pupil’ prefer to teach them over WC kids

self fulfilling prophecy Rosenthal and Jacobson

Labelled some students to be late bloomers within the next academic year they improved significantly

Rosenthal and Jacobson counter

IQ test are a poor way to measure ability

Pygmalion

Teachers having higher expectations of pupils means they will perform better

Pro school sub culture

higher streams mc, accept schools values and goals for hard work, regular attendance and respect for teacher. they enjoy school and intend to continue education

Anti school subcultures

Lower streams wc, reject the schools values and rules, dislike school, disrespect teachers, avoid doing homework and truant

Nike identities wc boys Ingram

We boys who want to study feel they cannot fit in with mc boys so feel forced to join anti school sub cultures

Wc class girls Nike identities Ingram

Tend to isolate themselves from education all together as they don’t fit in with mc values- more likely to become school refusers

Gilborn and Youdell educational triage

Pupils labelled either as

Those that will pass anyway can be ignored

Border line pupils targeted with intervention

Those that will fail anyway can be ignored

External factors

Cultural and material deprivation

Cultural deprivation

speech codes, lack of intellectual stimulation, parents education, working class subcultures

Speech code Bernstein Wc

Restricted less analytical more descriptive, limited vocab, lacks grammar focuses on gestures

Speech codes Berstein Mc

Elaborate more analytical, wide vocab, used by teachers giving mc an educational advantage

Lack of intellectual stimulation

Working class parents don’t give kids educational toys that stimulate thinking and reasoning skills affects intellectual development therefore at a disadvantage compared to mc kids

Parents education Feinstein mc

Mc parents better education, more consistent discipline, higher expectations

Parents education Feinstein wc

Inconsistent discipline meaning lack of motivation and problems with irritating teachers, don’t value education

Working class subcultures Sugarman

Immediate gratification, fatalism children do not believe they can improve their positions through own individual efforts

Working class subcultures

Low value on education

Hyman the wc don’t value education and don’t believe they benefit from it so they don’t try

wc parents education attitudes Douglas

wc parents show less interest in their children’s education less ambitious for them, less encouragement eg dint attend parents evening

Material deprivation

Low income, diet and health, poor housing

Low income Bull

Less equipment, uniforms ‘cost of free schooling’

Low income tanner et al

Heavy burden on poor families. They have to make so with second hand clothes, unfashionable equipment could lead to bullying

Low income smith and noble

Poverty is a barrier to learning cannot afford tutors

Callendar and Jackson low income

Ex students intend to apply to near universities because they cannot afford costs of travel and accommodation

Diet and health Howard

Lower intakes of energy, vitamins lower immune system more illness

Poor housing

Overcrowding, cold, damp rooms means pupils have no where to work