Class differences in educational achievement - internal factors

Labelling

Gillborn + Youdell:

• Teachers hold stereotypes against the pupil based on their social class → leads to self fulfilling prophecy.

Impact on achievement:

• The self fulfilling prophecy makes pupils respond negatively due to frustration, which causes further conflict.

Evaluation:

Fuller - studied a group of year 11 Black girls from London who rejected labelling and worked hard at home to prove teachers wrong → negative labelling does not always lead to failure (SFP).

Self fulfilling prophecy

Rosenthal + Jacobson:

• Taking on a label that was attributed to them by school.

1) Teachers make a prediction about a student.

2) Teacher treats pupil accordingly - as if the prediction is already true.

3) The pupil internalises teachers prediction - becomes part of their self-concept.

Impact on achievement:

• Can lead to them internalising failure.

• Can lead to them being The Ideal Pupil (Becker) the teacher believed them to be.

Evaluation:

• Rist - self fulfilling prophecy is too deterministic - does not give students a choice to reject labelling

Setting / streaming

Outline:

• Setting - placement of students into ability classes within individual subjects.

• Streaming - placement of students into ability groups across all subjects.

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Impact on achievement (Ball):

• W/C students are usually placed in lower streams → lower self-esteem → underachieve.

• Lower streams → less access to opportunities for achievement

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Evaluation:

• Can allow lower stream students to be supported → higher achievement.

• Can allow higher ability students to be stretched.

Pupil subcultures

Outline:

• Anti-school - pupils in lower streams reject school values (disruption in class, not doing homework).

• Pro-school - pupils in higher streams aligning with school values and gain approval from academic success.

Impact on achievement:

• W/C pupils are more likely to be in an anti-school subculture