4 markers

Q1: outline & explain two material factors that may affect social class differences in educational achievement

  1. nutrition - lack of - impacts cognitive development, memory, critical thinking skills, concentration → struggle to understand, remember, may fall asleep in class

  2. housing - overcrowding - struggle to do homework & revision, illness is more likely → time off school & content missed, fall behind & underachieve

  3. lack of resources

Q2: outline & explain two cultural factors that may affect social class differences in educational achievement

  1. language code (Bernstein) - working class have a restricted language code → struggle to understand exam questions, teacher explanations, textbooks, feel embarrassed about it & won’t as for anything to be clarified

  2. parental attitudes () - working class parents parents are disconnected from schooling - lack education themselves = struggle to support with homework etc

Q3: outline & explain two ways in which globalisation has influenced educational policies

  1. marketisation now happens on a global scale - counties compete on global league tables to be the most skilled/ educated - pushing for higher standards

  2. migration - highlights racial inequalities & institutional racism in schools - led to diversity & inclusivity training among teaching staff

Q4: outline & explain two ways in which the education system reproduces social class inequalities from one generation to the next

  1. streaming - working class = lower streams = more likely to be entered for lower tiered exams which limits their opportunities to succeed - receive less teacher support because they are seen as the hopeless cases (rationing education)

  2. hidden curriculum - teaches working class students to be obedient passive workers - done through the school hierarchy mirroring the workplace hierarchy

  3. labelling

Q5: outline & explain two problems with interactionalist explanations for differences in educational achievement

  1. labelling theory (Becker) deterministic - not everyone who is labelled self-fulfils into that label, e.g. Fuller’s study

  2. ignore structural reasons for underachievement - material deprivation, cultural deprivation, hidden curriculum - offers a limited explanation

Q6: outline & explain two criticisms of the comprehensive school system

  1. working class feel disconnected from the school system as it subtly promotes middle class values (middle class habitus) → join anti-school subcultures → their underachievement

  2. schools compete for results, reputation, & funding - the better funded state schools have the opportunity to cream-skim & silt-shift → reproduce class inequalities → working class go to the worse schools

  3. ethnocentric curriculum - focus on white western culture → ‘little Englandism’ (Ball) - ethnic minority students feel marginalised = low self-esteem → underachievement

  4. myth of meritocracy - presents itself as everyone has an equal chance to succeed as long as they work hard, in reality there are different barried that create differences in achievement