Cultural deprivation - Class differences in achievement (external factors)

Language, - Bereiter and Engelmann (1966)

• Language in working class homes = gestures, single words, disjointed phrases. Therefore, primary socialisation is minimal → children don’t develope basic language skills needed for school life→ discriminated against by teachers; less opportunities

Language - Bernstein (1975)

• middle class parents socialise children into ‘elaborated speech code’, vs ‘restricted speech code’ of lower class parents

• Elaborated speech code: wide vocab, longer, more complex sentences. Abstract ideas - e.g feelings, justics, philosophical ideas

• Restricted speech code

Language - Troyna and Williams (1986)

• problem isn’t difference in language - it’s teachers’ attitudes towards it.

• Teachers have a speech hierachy - label middle class highest followed by working class speech and black speech; devalue, dismiss ideas, derails confidence, less motivation to learn (if they are always wrong, why bother trying?)

Parents education - Douglas (1964)

• found that working class pupils scored lower in tests of ability than middle class, because parents less likely to support intellectual growth of children (reading to them, tuition).

• Believed that parents place less value on education - fatalism (the belief that no matter what they do, there isn’t a way out of poverty), so less ambitious for children, less encouragement, visited schools less often to discuss children’s progress with school.

Cultural deprivation theory

• working class families lack the cultural ideas such as proper language skills, educational stimulation and values needed to do well in school.

• Culture of lower class is lacking and inadequate for success in school

Parents’ education - Feinstein (2008)

• Parents’ own education is most important factor in children’s achievement → middle class students = higher chance of success.

• parents offer more motivation, discipline and support

Parents’ education - Bernstein and Young (1967)

• Found that toys mothers choose influences children’s intellectual development + middle class mothers more likely to choose toys that encourage reasoning skills to prepare them for school.

Blackstone and Mortimore (1944)

• reject view that working class parents’ aren’t interested in children’s education → simply have to work, and intimidated by the school’s middle class atmosphere.

• Parents want to help, just don’t know how

Working class subcultures - Sugarman (1970)

• attitudes and values of working class is reason for lack of success in schools:

1. Fatalism; working believes that individual effort won’t be able to change destiny - it is controlled by external forces, creates resigned attitudes. External forces include job insecurity, lack of educational resources (better schools often choose middle class students rather than lower class students, so they can only attend worse schools that often lack funding for equipment) + poor living conditions = poor health.

2. immediate gratification - working class seeks pleasure now rather than making sacrifices for future - e.g sleep more rather than revise for test - could be cultivated from unstable conditions; enjoy best whilst they can. Middle class prefer deferred gratification

3. Collectivism - middle class → shouldn’t be held back my group loyalties. Working class→ places more importance on being part of group vs success]

4. Present time orientation: working class believes present > future = no plans. Could be due to lack of resources; need to use to survive now, not enough to plan for future, creates this ideology

Keddie (1973)

Cultural deprivation = victim blaming.

• children are culturally different, not deprived → middle schools run by middle school values, difficult for working class to integrate into.

• thinks schools should challenge teachers with to not treat working class as inferior