External class differences in achievement

Basics of class differences in education

Basics of class differences in education

→ Children from m/c families perform better on average

• Gap in achievement grows wider with age

→ Popular explanation of that better-off parents can afford private school; better standard of education, smaller class sizes

→ Private schools educate 7% of children but nearly half of Oxbridge students

→ But what about the gap in state education?

Sutton Trust -- private schools & achievement

Eton sends 211 pupils to Oxbridge every 3y, but 1300 state schools send none

Centre for Longitudinal Studies -- cultural deprivaiton

W/c children are a year behind m/c by age 3

→ Gap widens with age

Cultural deprivation

We start gaining skills for education success via primary socialisation; w/c families fail to socialise kids property, they grow up CD. 3 main parts:

→ language

→ parents’ education

→ w/c subculture

Hubbs-Tait et al -- CD/lang

When parents use challenging language, children have better cognitive performance

Feldstein -- CD/lang

Educated parents more likely to use language which challenges kids

→ More likely to praise kids too

→ Less educated parents use simple language = lower performance

Bereiter & Engelmann -- CD/lang

Language in w/c homes is deficient

→ Use single words/gestures, so w/c kids fail to develop lang. skills

Bernstein -- CD/lang

Restricted and elaborated speech codes

→ Restricted; limited vocab, simple grammar, context-bound

→ Elaborated; wide vocab, grammatically complex, abstract ideas, context-free

→ Teachers use elaborated code, so m/c have an advantage

• Socialised into code, so fluent in it and feel ‘at home’ at school’

Evaluation of speech codes

→ Bernstein is arguably a CD theorist as he says w/c speech is inadequate, but also DOES recognise influence school has on childrens’ achievement

→ Says w/c pupils fail because schools fail to teach them to use elaborated code

Feldstein -- CD/parents education

W/c parents put less value on education, take less interest etc.

→ m/c parents usually better educated so socialise kids in ways which gives them an advantage via…

• parenting style

• parents education behaviours

• use of income

• class, income + parental education

Parenting style -- CD/parents education

→ Educated parents emphasise high expectations, encourage active learning + exploration

→ Less educated parents emphasise ‘doing as youre told’ kids are prevented from learning independence

• Leads to poorer motivation in school

Parents’ education behaviours -- CD/parents education

→ Educated parents engage in behaviours eg reading, helping w/ homework

→ Also more successful in gaining relationships with teachers

→ Better at guiding child’s interactions with school

Use of income -- CD/parents education

→ Educated parents have more money to spend on educational success

→ M/c mothers buy more educational toys/books which stimulate educational development

Feinstein -- CD/parents education

Parental education has an influence on achievement OUTSIDE of class/income

→ Helps explain why not all w/c children do bad, and not all m/c children are equally successful

Working-class subculture -- CD

→ Lack of interest in children’s education reflects subcultural values of the w/c

→ W/c children internalise subcultural beliefs during socialisation

→ Results from w/c jobs not having career security/advancement like m/c jobs do

→ Parents pass on class values to children, and only m/c values equip children for success

Sugarman -- CD/wc subculture

W/c subculture has 4 key features that are a barrier to education

→ Fatalism; believe in ‘what will be will be’ vs m/c ambition

→ Collectivism; value being in a group, vs m/c individual success

→ Immediate gratification; want rewards now, whereas m/c value deferred gratification

→ Present-time orientation; present more important than the future, no long-term goals

Compensatory education -- CD

Programs which try to tackle CD by giving extra resources t deprived schools

• ==Operation Head Start (USA) ==pre-school education, home visits + nursery classes

• ==Sesame Street ==part of Head Start; provided ways to transmit skills e.g. literacy, numeracy

british programs

• education action zones

• sure start

Kiddie -- myth of CD

Cultural deprivation is a MYTH; victim-blames the w/c

→ W/c are culturally different, fail because system is dominated by m/c values

Blackstone & Mortimer -- myth of CD

W/c cant attend parents evenings due to work hours, not because theyre uninterested

Material deprivation

→ Poverty is a lack of material necessities

→ 1/3 of students on FSM achieve 5+ GCSEs, compared to 2/3 of others

→ W/c more likely to be truant, so more likely to leave school with no quals

→ W/c families more likely to have low income/inadequate housing which can affect education

Examples of material deprivation

→ Housing

→ Diet/health

→ Financial support + costs of education

→ Fear of debt

Direct effects of housing -- MD

→ Overcrowding; less space to study, disturbed sleep when sharing rooms

→ Lack of space for play affects development

→ If in temp accom, may move frequently + disrupt education

Indirect effects of housing -- MD

→ Crowded home = risk of accidents

→ Cold/damp housing = ill health

→ Health p[roblems = more absences = disadvantage

Howard -- MD/diet and health

Young w/c have lower intake of vitamins

→ Poor nutrition = low energy, weaker immune system

→ Could result in more absences if ill

Wilkinson -- MD/diet and health

Lower social class = higher rate of hyperactivity/anxiety

→ W/c children more likely to have behavioural/emotional problems

Blanden & Machin -- MD/diet and health

W/c children more liekly to engage in ‘externalising behaviour’ (fighting/temper tantrums)

→ Disrupts education e.g. via isolation/exclusion

Bull -- MD/costs

‘costs of free schooling’ children from poor family have to do without equipment/experiences that enhance school

→ may need to have hand-me-downs/cheaper equipment

→ could be stigmatised/bullied

Flaherty -- MD/costs

Fear of stigmatisation could explain why many eligible for FSM dont take it

Smith & Noble -- MD/costs

Poverty is a barrier to learning in many ways

→ Inability to afford private school

→ Kids may need to work

Ridge -- MD/costs

Poor kids often have jobs

→ Can have negative impact on schoolwork

→ Especially since EMA was abolished in 2011

Callender & Jackson -- MD/fear of debt

W/c students are ==debt-averse ==+ this means they may not apply to uni

→ Especially due to rise in tuition

→ W/c students in uni get less financial support from family, + higher maintenance loan = more debt

→ Helps explain why 30% of uni students are w/c, while 50% of total population is

Reay -- MD/fear of debt

W/c students more likely to apply to uni locally to save money; limits ops to go to good unis

→ Also work to fund studies, meaning grades suffer

→ Higher dropout rates for schools with large no. of poor students

Are cultural or material factors more important?

→ Some poor children DO succeed; maybe material deprivation is only part of the explanation

→ Cultural/religious/political values may impact childrens motivation

Feinstein -- cultural or material?

Educated parents have positive impact on achievement, regardless of income

Robinson -- cultural or material?

Tackling child poverty would be the best way to boost achievement

Bourdieu -- cultural capital

Both cultural and material factors contribute to achievement; theyre interrelated

→ Capital explains why m/c are so successful; they have more of every type

• Economic, cultural and educational

Cultural capital

→ M/c culture gives advantage to those who possess it

→ Via socialisation, m/c kids gain ability to express abstract ideas; more understanding of whats needed to succeed in education

→ Advantage in school, as m/c interests are valued/rewarded

• System transmits m/c culture

→ W/c children may feel school devalues their culture as ‘inferior’

• Lack of cult. capital = exam failure

• May feel education isnt ‘for them’; respond by not trying

Educational + economic capital

→ Can convert types of capital into each other

• M/c kids with CC are better equipped to meet demands of curriculum + get qualifications (EDC)

• Wealthy parents convert ECC into EDC by sending kids to private school

Leech & Campos -- capital

M/c parents can afford houses in high-ranked school catchments, so can get better exam results for kids

→ Selection by mortgage; drives up cost of houses need good schools, excluded w/c families

Sullivan -- testing Bourdieu’s ideas

Those who read complex fiction developed wider vocab/cultural knowledge

→ Greater CC, linked to success at GCSE

→ Those with most CC usually m/c

→ BUT CC only accounts for part of difference -- M/c pupils still do better where they have same CC as w/c pupils

→ Greater resources/aspirations of m/c families explains remainder of the gap