Responses to streaming

+ rest of woods + hargreaves + ball

Lacey (1970) - differentiation

• Categorisation of pupils by teachers according to perceptions of ability based on attitude and behaviour

  • E.g. streaming

Lacey (1970) - polarisation

• Pupil response to streaming by moving towards one of two poles (extremes)

  • E.g. pro- and anti-school subcultures

Furlong (1984) - response to differentiation

• Pupil response to differentiation changes by

  • Lesson

  • Teacher

Woods (1979) - 8 responses to streaming

1. Ingratiation

2. Compliance

3. Opportunism

4. Ritualism

5. Retreatism

6. Colonisation

7. Intransigence

8. Rebellion

Woods (1979) - ingratiation

• Pro-school

• Eagerness to please teachers

Woods (1979) - compliance

• Conformity but only to get exam success, not enjoyment 

Woods (1979) - opportunitism

• Gaining teacher and peer approval

• Moving between whichever is more beneficial

Woods (1979) - ritualism

• Lack of interest and engagement

• Appear to conform to avoid trouble

Woods (1979) - retreatism

• Indifferent to school values

• Not involved in school - distracted, messing around, don’t care about exam success

• Not involved in subcultures

Woods (1979) - coloninsation

• Accept school for what it offers them

• Reject school for what it forbids

• Have fun and express hostility while avoiding trouble

Woods (1979) - intransigence

• Indifferent to school

• Troublemakers

• Don’t care about consequences

Woods (1979) - rebellion

• Outright rejection of school and values

• Anti-school subculture involvement 

Hargreaves (1967) - low stream boys in secondary modern schools

• 3x failures

  • 11+

  • Streaming exams

• Labelled as ‘worthless louts’

• Response:

  • Seek similar pupils

  • Form subculture where high status comes from flouting rules

    • Guarantees educational failure and social success

Ball - abolition of banding

• Basis for polarisation removed

• Influence of anti-school subculture declined

• Differentiation continued

  • S-F P occur