4.5 social class and educational attainment

A level sociology

How does material deprivation affect educational attainment?

Poverty creates physical barriers to learning:

• Housing: Overcrowding makes study difficult; dampness leads to illness and absence.

• Diet/Health: Poor nutrition leads to lack of energy and weakened immune systems.

• Hidden Costs: Lack of funds for trips, books, uniforms, or computers (the "cost of free schooling").

Define Bourdieu's "Cultural Capital" and how it benefits the middle class.

The skills, knowledge, and language shared by the middle class. Since schools have a middle-class habitus (culture), these students feel "at home." Their parents know how to "play the system" (e.g., appealing grades or choosing schools).

What is the difference between the two speech codes?

Restricted Code: Used by the working class; shorthand, context-dependent, and limited vocabulary.

• Elaborated Code: Used by the middle class; detailed, abstract, and grammatically complex.

• Exam Point: Because textbooks and teachers use the elaborated code, working-class students face a "language gap."

Why did Douglas argue parental interest is the most important factor?

He found that middle-class parents visited schools more often and encouraged their children to stay in education longer. Working-class parents might prioritize immediate employment due to economic pressure, which the child internalizes as a lack of ambition.

What is the "Ideal Pupil" label?

Teachers often judge students based on how close they are to the "ideal"—usually middle-class, quiet, and well-spoken. Working-class students are often labeled as "troublemakers" or "less able" based on their appearance or speech rather than actual talent.

How does a teacher's label become a reality?

A teacher acts on a label (e.g., giving more help to "bright" students). The student senses this expectation and changes their behavior to match it. Eventually, the student "becomes" the label, whether it was originally true or not.

How does streaming reinforce class inequality?

Working-class students are disproportionately placed in bottom sets. Once there, they are denied access to higher-level knowledge, entered for easier exams, and develop low self-esteem, which ensures they underachieve.

Why do anti-school subcultures form?

• Students who are denied status by the school (labeled as "failures") seek status elsewhere. They form subcultures that invert school values: "being bad" becomes "being cool."

• Sociologist: Hargreaves (1967) noted that students in low streams were "triple failures" (failed 11+, placed in low sets, labeled as "worthless").

What did Willis’s study of the "Lads" reveal?

Working-class boys weren't just "passive failures." They actively resisted the school’s "mental" labor because they saw it as irrelevant to their future "manual" labor in factories. Their rebellion actually prepared them for the boredom of low-paid work.