Class and Differential Achievement in Education

Intro

Pupils from professional backgrounds are significantly more likely to enter higher education that those from unskilled backgrounds
Pupils from mc backgrounds are more likely to study A-levels whereas wc pupils are more likely to take vocational qualifications
Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to start school being able to read
Pupils from unskilled backgrounds on average achieve lower scores on GCSEs and are more likely to be placed in lower streams/sets
Class is the biggest factor that predicts education achievement (mc tend to achieve more than wc pupils)
Private schools can do/teach what they like where as state schools which are tax payer funded the gov decide number of hours, national curriculum, PSHE, funding per student
Difficult for researches and schools to know student class so we use indicators like free school meals, pupil premium, school bursaries and the gov analyse post codes and exam results
Pupil premium and free school meals are not perfect numbers because parents have to apply for these and many don’t because they may feel embarrassed or not know they can
There are internal factors (inside school) and external factors (outside school) that explain class differences

External Factors: Cultural Depravation (cd)

Culture relates to a kids home background in terms of their environment they are raised in
The theory of cd says that wc culture and parenting aren’t aimed at educational success
It is argued that poorer kids are raised in an environment/home that lacks intellectual development - this puts them at a disadvantage at school compared to mc kids
The centre for longitudinal studies 2007 found when starting school the poorest kids are already 1 year behind mc kids therefore it must be to do with their home environment
Bernstein and Young 1967 - they found poorer families were less likely to buy educational toys (books, puzzles) so they already start school at a disadvantage - this disadvantage grows through education
Cd is also linked to language - this is the argument that poorer kids speak in a way that disadvantages them in school
Bernstein argues wc people speak in a restricted code this is one with limited vocab, incorrect grammar, hand gestures instead of word, repeat same words - he argues mc use elaborate code which is the opposite to restricted code - the elaborate code is also what they use in education (by teachers, textbooks, exam boards) so mc kids feel comfortable at school
Feinstein 2008 - developed Bernstein theory he argued mc kids/parents use much more evaluated language at home - this encourages critical thinking and higher order thinking which puts their kids at an advantage
AO3 - how do we change the way people talk especially if its because of their level of education? how do you break the cycle?

External Factors: Cultural Depravation Attitudes and Values

It is argued wc and poorer families have an anti school attitude and do not value education - this is partly due to their experience in education but they pass this onto their kids which means they then don’t value education
Some styles of parenting emphasise the importance of education more than others
Feinstein argues a parents level of education is a key predictor for how well their kids do this effects their parenting style - he found wc parents were more likely to use physical punishment and mc parents are more likely to use verbal negotiation (this mirrors school) - he found it also affected how they use their income mc are more likely to spend their money on educational trips whereas poorer families don’t
Feinstein also found more educated mc parents are likely to read to their kids which improves their literature/language compared to less educated poorer parents who don’t and might not have books in their house
Douglas 1964 - thought the level of parental interest was the most important factor in affecting achievement - e.g mc parents are more likely to attend more open evenings/parent evenings and wc parents may not go to open evenings/parent evenings because they cant take time off work, cant afford a baby sitter or they don’t value education as much
Some sociologist say that wc kids don’t have the knowledge and values that help achievement - museum visits, home internet access and parental knowledge of education may help mc pupils to succeed
Hyman 1967 - argues poorer people have different values and these act as a self imposed barrier to success - said wc tend to place low value on education
Sugarman 1970 - identifies these Hyman values:

Fatalism - wc believe in fate mc believe in free will (we call this growth mind set)
Collectivism - wc are more bothered about drama/gossip mc are more independent and self focused
Immediate gratification - poorer kids want rewards now mc would wait - means poorer kids often leave school younger to get job so dont go uni or work while at school this then interferes with their studies

Sugarman argues these different values effect wc view of education and they learn this through socialisation
AO3 - difficult to study parents views/values about education as many may lie and give socially desirable answers and the ones who don’t care wont even participate
Cultural deprivation theory generalises a lot about differences between mc and wc life
It ignores wc families who do place a high value on education and tends to assume that wc families have no culture al all or that wc culture cant be relevant to school - this is ethnocentric (prioritising the values and culture of a particular group)

Compensatory education

These are different educational programes/policies set up by gov to compensate for cultural debt with deprived kids
e.g Sure Start Centres - these are pre school centures in poorer areas that had educational toys, resources, activities, books and support - theses are great ideas but not without problems
Problems:

Parents who dont value education wont take their kids there
Some may not know they exist
Many mc parents take their kids there but they already have an advantage so they just take wc spots

e.g Education action zones (EAZ)
Set up by Labour gov 1990s
They looked at the country and found zones with worst education results and put loads of funding and research into them (built new schools)
e.g Hackney
However as these areas improved mc start to move in, house prices then increase, disadvantaged people are pushed out so the people that the policy was aimed at don’t benefit
When conservatives came in power, they cut funding for EAZ
Keddie 1973 - he argues cultural dep is an offensive theory and a form of victim blaming it blames deprived families for their kids achievement rather than looking at the way society is structured which has allowed massive inequality or the education system which has failed them

Material Deprivation

This is the argument that money is the main reason for educational achievement
Data shows only 1/3 of kids on free school meals get 5 or more GCSEs compared to 2/3 who don’t get free school meals
Money affects:

Transport - Some families may not be able to afford travel for school so could impact attendance which is a key indicator of success
Poor housing - Likely to be overcrowded, lack of space to work/revise, may be temporary housing, could be unsafe with damp mould which could cause health issues and affect attendance could affect sleep quality which impacts focus in school - 90% of failing schools are in deprived areas so these families have no choice, but to go to a failing school
Diet/health - Strong link between poverty and diet - rubbish/unhealthy food is cheap healthy food is more expensive- Howard 2001 makes the link between diet, health issues, immune system, concentration at school and issues like ADHD

Tanner 2003 - Idea that we have a free education system is a myth in terms of achievement - students have to pay for equipment, revision resources, transport, tutors, school uniform - if they can’t afford correct school uniform, they could get into conflict with teachers, students may have to wear hand me downs which could lead to bullying
There is a stigma with free school meals - up to 30% of people who could have them don’t because of stigma
Poorer kids are more likely to have to do paid work or childcare help with parents work which affects achievement
AO3
Whitty 1997 - argues of the two cultural or material dep material/money is the main factor and until we create a society that is fairer this problem will continue because poorer people will always be at a disadvantage
Callender and Jackson 2005 - researched older students and found poorer kids were less likely to go uni because of worries about debt compared to richer kids but this means they don’t get highest qualification and then get basic jobs so cycle continues

Cultural Capital

Developed by French Marxist Bourdieu 1980s
These are the advantages that wealthy mc families have which means their kids do better
He argues mc families have the right culture to succeed at school (attitudes, values) and they have the