4.2 Inequality, Equity and Educational Outcomes – Lecture Review

These flashcards cover key concepts from the lecture on educational inequality, spanning philosophical debates, individual and structural factors, primary and secondary mechanisms, empirical findings, and policy implications.

What key sociological stance should replace an “either/or” view of educational inequality?

A “both/and” (or entirely new) approach that considers both individual traits and structural forces.

Which philosophical claim about inequality is implicitly normalised through ranking and streaming in schools?

That stratification is natural, inevitable, or necessary.

How does the lecture distinguish between difference and value?

“People are different” does not mean “People should be valued differently.”

Name four individual-level elements often blamed for student outcomes.

Intelligence, skills, ambition/motivation, and culture.

Why can a misalignment between student/family culture and school culture hinder success?

Because school values, norms, and expectations may conflict with those of the student’s home culture, reducing engagement and achievement.

List two structural elements that reproduce advantage or disadvantage in schooling.

Policies/curricula and teacher expectations/assessment practices.

Why must educational outcomes be studied longitudinally?

Because early setbacks (e.g., vocabulary delays) can snowball into later risks (e.g., dropout).

What major critique does Ken Robinson raise about conventional measures of intelligence?

They value a narrow set of skills—logic, science, bureaucratic order, Protestant work ethic—while ignoring creativity and other competencies.

What is Gardner’s contribution to the intelligence debate?

The theory of Multiple Intelligences, highlighting competencies omitted by standard IQ tests.

Define primary mechanisms of educational inequality.

Social forces that directly impair a student’s cognitive or emotional capacity to learn.

Define secondary mechanisms of educational inequality.

Pre-existing norms, motivations, and expectations that guide how students navigate school.

What phenomenon describes rising average IQ scores over time due to environmental factors?

The Flynn Effect.

Give two reasons family SES shapes early learning opportunities.

Access to preschool versus daycare and availability of private tutoring, camps, or extracurriculars.

What is the “summer slide”?

The regression in academic skills over summer break, especially pronounced for low-SES students.

How can media like Sesame Street act as an equalizer?

By providing rich language and numeracy exposure to children who lack similar resources at home.

Why does chronic home stress harm learning?

It impairs attention, emotional regulation, and neural development.

How do modern, light-filled school facilities impact learning compared to old, crowded buildings?

They enhance learning, whereas outdated or unsafe buildings hinder it.

Give one way neighbourhood context influences student readiness.

Exposure to gangs and unsafe environments can reduce a sense of belonging and readiness to learn.

What does Bourdieu’s concept of habitus explain about aspirations?

Class-based dispositions (“when” vs. “if” you attend university) shape students’ educational orientations.

Summarize Wolfgang Lehmann’s finding about lower-class first-year university students.

They are less aspirational, more cost-benefit focused, and often lack mentors.

What does the Pygmalion effect suggest about teacher expectations?

High expectations can boost student achievement, while low expectations can depress it.

By what age do immigrant dual-language students generally catch up academically?

Around age 14.

How long is the traditional summer break that traces back to agrarian schedules?

Eight to nine weeks.

Differentiate Lareau’s “concerted cultivation” from “natural growth.”

Middle-class parents actively manage and intervene in schooling (concerted cultivation); working-class/poor parents rely on schools and intervene less (natural growth).

What additional factor complicates schooling for many Indigenous communities, according to Milne?

Lingering distrust stemming from the residential-school legacy.

List two broad intervention areas recommended by the lecture.

Nutrition/healthcare improvements and culturally sustaining pedagogy.

What meta-question should educators ask to evaluate policies?

“Who gains and who loses under this policy, and does it reproduce or disrupt existing patterns?”