past question papers

june 2022

outline two ways in which schools may promote competition between pupils

setting & streaming - pupils are divided by perceived ability & compete to get into higher sets
school entrance exams (11+) creates competition for places at desirable schools high on league tables

outline 3 ways in which the education system may be seen as patriarchal

sexual harassment - radical feminists - girls are subject to sexualisation by male pupils & teachers, e.g. told they may be sending out the wrong message by wearing short skirts or receive suggestive comments from male students / wandering eyes
Lee - sexist stereotypes within textbooks - portrayed boys as smart & innovative, girls as afraid of science experiments, may push girls away from male dominated subject areas
double standards - boys may be given more of their teachers time compared to girls or given more support in exams, e.g. girls had to get higher marks in the 11+ exam before the tripartite system was abolished

analyse two ways in which relationships & processes within schools may lead to anti-school subcultures

labelling (Becker) - teachers preconceived notions about the working class leads them to believe they are hopeless cases that will not achieve highly → being placed in lower sets where they receive less teacher attention → feelings of frustration within the lower streams → develop shared anti-school values & form subcultures that uphold & present these values. however, this theory portrays the working class as passive puppets who accept a label given to them without fighting against it, e.g. Fuller’s study of year 11 black girls
middle class habitus → feelings of frustration & alienation within the working class (schools do not hold any working class values), they are unable to achieve status through legitimate ways such as achieving academically since the school system does not value or support them → form groups who hold the same anti-school values & strive to achieve status through impressing their peers, e.g. Nike identities (Archer).

evaluate the view that marketisation policies have increased diversity & choice in the education system

abolition of the tripartite system - allows everyone an equal chance to get into schools
parentocracy - Murray/New Right - Education Reform Act 1988 introduced league tables which allows parents to choose schools based on how highly students who attend achieve, showing the ability of the teachers to support students in their education to ensure the best for their children. however, some parents may have limited knowledge on what schools are high on the league tables, these parents tend to be undereducated working class individuals, meaning they will be unaware of how well schools achieve and end up sending their children to the closest school that may not be able to support their educational needs & help them to achieve highly → reproduces class inequalities
competition between schools to climb up the league table → cream-skimming (selecting the best students) & silt-shifting (declining students of low ability), allows stereotypes to creep into the selection process- study about schools using primary school reports to filter out students that don’t have english as their first language - → ethnic minority students being denied access to schools high on the league table
formula funding - schools receive funding based on how many students they acquire, makes schools improve their teaching, materials, resources, etc to attract more students to raise their funding, parents will then be able to choose the best schools. however, schools high on the league table will continue to acquire pupils due to their high status → high funding. schools low on the league tables will fail to attract pupils to their school → low funding → cannot improve their school → sink schools

two similarities between the functionalist & marxist views of education

prepares students for the world of work (Durkheim - specialist knowledge) (Bowels & Gintis- hidden curriculum)
socialised students into the shared norms & values of society (Athusser - ISA) (Parsons - socialisation)

outline three criticisms of marketisation policies in education

formula funding → sink schools
league tables → cream-skimming & silt-shifting
league tables - selection by mortgage

analyse two ways the hidden curriculum may help to reproduce the social class structure

Althusser - ISA - education is an ideological state apparatus, teaches, promotes, & upholds ruling class ideologies through the hidden curriculum which ensures the working class accept their lower position in society by persuading them that their position is inevitable & unchangeable - serves the interest of the ruling class in reproducing class inequalities. e.g. setting & streaming - working class are more likely to be placed into lower streams due to preconceived stereotypes that working class students are hopeless cases → placed in lower streams & given simpler work to complete & placed in lower exam tiers → accept their position & that they will not achieve → fewer qualifications → working class jobs → reproduces class inequalities. however, many working class pupils have gone on to achieve highly & obtain high paying jobs
hidden curriculum reinforces the myth of meritocracy (Bowels & Gintis), teaches students that they all have the same opportunity to succeed, which is not true considering stereotypes against the working class which leads teachers to believe their potential is fixed & unchangeable (new iqism - Gillborn) placing them in lower streams & lower exam tiers → don’t achieve to their full potential.

evaluate the importance of cultural factors in explaining the patterns of educational achievement

language codes - Bernstein - middle class have an elaborated speech code used by schools in textbooks, by teachers, and in exams - working class have a restricted speech code - harder to understand work in schools & they may feel too embarrassed to ask the teacher to clarify → underachievement. supporting evidence - Engelmann: argues that children from low income black families lack enriching experiences & intellectual stimulation because the language spoken in households lacks grammar, is disjointed, & slang is used → being unprepared for school because they have been unable to develop reasoning & problem solving skills. however, many are able to code switch between the elaborated language used by schools & the language used by the working class
parental attitudes - working class parents are less likely to be highly educated - take less of an interest in their child’s education, unable to assist with homework, less likely to attend parents evenings, less likely to push their children to achieve highly. compared to highly educated middle class parents who are able to assist with homework, can afford tutors, attend parents evenings, push their children to succeed & achieve high paying jobs. more encouragement, support, and interest in a child’s learning means they are more likely to achieve highly. however, many working class children end up achieving highly
working class subcultures - the working class join subcultures as a way to gain status in a school system that devalues their habitus - Sugarman - subcultures contain 4 barriers to success: fatalism, collectivism, immediate gratification, present-time observation → underachievement
material deprivation - lack of financial resources needed for success, e.g. textbooks, tutors, computers, stationary

june 2024

outline two advantages of vocational education

learning is made relevant to work - designed to meet the specific needs of employers in different employment sectors
may lead to a more skilled workforce making the UK economy more competitive

outline three reasons why parental choice may be limited when selecting a school for their child

good schools may be too far away - can’t afford to move / transport
lack of knowledge about what schools are high on league tables & no time to learn
cream-skimming & silt-shifting

analyse two problems girls may experience as a result of relationships & processes in schools

sexual harassment - radical feminists
Lee - stereotypes in textbooks

june 2021

outline 2 ways in which globalisation may have had an influence on educational polices in the UK

changed in the curriculum, e.g. history of other countries
growth of the internet offers new ways of accessing info & testing, some schools have policies on home-based online learning

outline 3 reasons why some working-class boys join anti-school subcultures

working class boys are less likely to be seen as ideal students - joining anti-school subcultures can be an expression of resistance to negative labelling
learning to labour - Willis - study of 12 working class 16 year old boys - didn’t see the importance of education & gaining qualifications because they planned to acquire working class manual labour jobs when they leave school - boys who feel this way about their future & education may form groups that are disruptive & promote anti-school values
status frustration - working class boys who are unable to gain status in schools that hold a middle class habitus may form anti-school subcultures in order to gain status - e.g. Archer & Nike Identities

analyse 2 ways in which teaching & learning in schools may affect the educational achievement of ethnic groups

Gillborn & Youdell - teachers hold stereotypes regarding black pupils, they expect black pupils to be aggressive & violent & misinterpret their behaviour as such, when black pupils respond negatively it leads to a poor relationship with the teacher & disciplinary action like detentions & exclusions → miss out on lessons & take a disinterest in lessons because they feel targeted by teachers & alienated in lessons → fewer qualifications (teachers are more likely to discipline black pupils for the same behaviour as white pupils)
ethnocentric curriculum - a curriculum that only focuses on one culture & ignores all others, e.g. Ball found that history lessons only taught British history → ‘little Englandism’, ethnic minority pupils feel alienated & like their history is being ignored - Coard - this leads to underachievement

evaluate the view that the education system is meritocratic

functionalism - Parsons - meritocracy - everyone has an equal chance to succeed if they work hard enough - school/wider society gives us achieved status gained through efforts/achievements, e.g. exams, not through fixed characteristics like gender or class

eval: marxists - meritocracy is a myth - it reproduces class inequalities since middle class students have more access to resources & private schooling

functionalism - Davis & Moore - role allocation - inequality is necessary & functional for society, some positions are more important & require greater skills, so rewards such as pay/higher status act as incentives for individuals to compete & train for these roles - teachers will sift & sort students into appropriate roles in the economy based on their talents & abilities - ensures the most important roles are filled by the most capable individuals - everyone has the ability to work hard in education & show that their abilities reflect that they are able to work in these positions

eval: rationing education - Gillborn - teachers see the working class as hopeless cases, less able to succeed educationally - because of this they give working class students less attention, place them in lower streams, lower exam tiers, and give them less challenging work - have less opportunities to achieve highly in education

marxists - Althusser - ISA - schools transmit capitalist ideology, ensuring the working class accepts their position in the class structure - persuades the working class that this is inevitable & what they deserve → less likely to challenge or threaten the capitalist system → fatalism, the working class believe there’s nothing they can do to change their position & won’t try to achieve qualifications - e.g placed in lower streams

eval: working class pupils still achieve highly - functionalists - those who don’t work hard don’t achieve highly

Becker - labelling

eval: fuller

evaluate the strengths & limitations of using secondary data to investigate the academic progress of pupils in schools

intro - secondary sources include official stats & documents. official stats are a quantitative source of data collected & published by government or other official agencies. documents include any written text (personal diaries, newspapers, medical records). both are practically reliable but may lack objectivity.
practical - readily available, cost-effective, large-scale - schools will have records of achievement - may not reflect the specific purpose of the researcher, gatekeepers - hard to gain access, data may be outdated
ethical - anonymous, will not disclose personal info about students - some stats may be manipulated by schools to present a favourable image
theoretical - positivists -

outline & explain 2 arguments against the positivist view that sociology can be scientific

Popper - falsification

eval: Khun - paragisms

weber - verstehen

outline & explain two reasons why gendered subject choices exist in schools

teachers hold gendered expectations of pupils - career advisors may push students to study certain subjects in higher education based on their gender
gender socialisation - may feel uncomfortable studying subjects that are outside their gender role

outline three ways in which teacher labelling may affect pupils educational achievement

Gillborn & Youdell - teachers expect black pupils to be aggressive & misinterpret their behaviour as such, treat them as a threat & dangerous - internalise this belief - react negatively to teachers → disciplinary action (detention/exclusion) → miss out on lessons & fall behind → achieve less
Becker - interviewed 60 American highschool teachers - their view of the ideal pupil considering behaviour, appearance, achievement fits middle class pupils, & they see the working class as being the furthest away from ideal & more likely to misbehave - hold these beliefs against woroking class students - internalise the idea that they will not achieve highly - give up
teachers see the working class & black pupils as hopeless cases that don’t have the ability to achieve highly - education is rationed - attention is given to those who are predicted C-A* (tend to be middle class) - working class are ignored & placed in lower streams where they are given less challenging work & placed in lower exam tiers → internalise the idea that they are destined to fail in education

analyse two ways education policies may reproduce social class inequalities

ball & whitty - Education Reform Act 1988

league tables - creates competition between schools - parents choose where to send their children based on a schools position on a league table - schools will attempt to climb up by achieving higher results in order to acquire more students → cream-skimming & silt-shifting - good schools will receive so many applications that they are able to pick & choose who to accept - pick students they believe will achieve highly to better their overall results, these students tend to be white, middle class girls - they will then deny access to working class & ethnic minorities → go to worse schools → end up achieving lower results → go into working class jobs → reproduces class inequalities

eval: gov policies like pupil premium encourage schools to take on working class students - good schools are dominated by the middle class less & less

formula funding - schools receive funding based on how many students attend - good schools receive many applications & acquire many students → higher funding - worse schools are unable to attract students due to their low position on league tables → less funding. creates a cycle where worse schools cannot acquire the students to get necessary funding needed to improve their school so they can improve → sink schools - common in working class areas + working class more likely to be rejected from good schools so they will attend worse local schools → receive a poorer education → leave with worse results & less qualifications → go into working class jobs → reproduces class inequalities

evaluate the strengths & limitations of using unstructured interviews to investigate peer pressure & bullying among students

intro - unstructured interviews are conversations between a researcher & a respondent that have a limited or flexible list of questions that allows the researcher to ask follow-up questions, e.g. Anne Oakley - The Sociology of Housework 1974
practical - able to clarify any questions the respondent may not understand, allows interviewer to build a rapport with the respondent → feel more comfortable opening up & more likely to give honest answers, able to monitor any body language that can demonstrate individuals intentions. time-consuming - take a long time to explain questions & for respondents to answer & to analyse data, depends on the skills of the researcher & how comfortable the participant feels with them, status differences between researcher & respondent may lead to info not being disclosed. gate keepers - won’t want researchers to discover bullying may be a large problem in the school
ethical - able to obtain informed consent & given the right to withdraw, rapport can be developed - puts respondent at ease, able to rephrase questions if the respondent seems distressed by the line of questioning, able to be conducted in familiar environments (classrooms). researcher may have a responsibility to report certain things disclosed to them (criminal activity) → trust broken, potential for psychological harm since sensitive / personal topics are brought up
theoretical - interpretivists - Weber - able to reach vertehen - find out why bullying occurs & how it affects pupils, not just the level its occurring at - increases validity, creates qualitative data that allows researchers to interpret an individuals meanings & motivations behind actions. positivists - doesn’t produce quantitative data - less valid, small-scale since they’re time consuming - not able to be generalised to whole pop, difficult to analyse data & find trends/patterns, interviewer bias, cannot be repeated

outline & explain two differences between positivists & interprestivists

interpretivists prefer qualitative data that allows researchers to interpret an individual's meanings & motivations behind behind their actions. positivists prefer quantitative data to find trends & patterns - believes sociology should be scientific in order to gain respect & funding (Comte) & to produce valid reliable data
interpretivists aim to create vertehen - empathise with the individual & build a rapport - data is more valid because the individual will feel more comfortable disclosing their experiences - find meanings behind actions. positivists aim to be objective & completely detached from their research & participants - avoids bias’ - more valid

outline two factors external to school that may affect social class differences in educational achievement

material deprivation - lack of wealth/income necessary to live/thrive in a normal society - middle class has access to textbooks, computers, tutors that improve chances of success - working class don’t have access → underachieve
parenting attitudes - middle class parents take more of an interest in their childs education (attend parents evenings, help with homework) → encourage high achievement

outline three functions that the education system performs for society

Durkheim - secondary socialisation - teaching the norms & values of society - acts as a mini society that prepares children for life in the working world
Parsons - bridges the gap between family & wider society - particularistic v universalistic standards
Althusser - ISA - spreads capitalist ideology that serves the bourgeois’ interests in maintaining capitalism & class inequality - persuades the working class that their position in society is natural & unchangeable
Davis & Moore - role allocation

outline three reasons why some sociologists believe education is not meritocratic

middle class have more access to educational support - economical capital - textbooks, tutors, computers, internet, school trips
labelling → self-fulfilling prophecy → master status
teacher attention & stereotypes - working class/ethnic minorities viewed as hopeless cased - placed in lower streams - receive less challenging work - underachieve
ethnocentric curriculum - Ball & Coard

analyse two ways in which globalisation has influenced education

adoption of marketisation policies
immigration → more diversity in schools

evaluate the claim that material & cultural factors play a bigger role in underachievement of students than in-school processes

material deprivation - lack of physical resources necessary to live & thrive in a normal society due to a lack of income/wealth - can’t afford resources like textbooks, computers, school trips. - poor nutrition (Feinstein) found a correlation between low income & low cognitive development in 2 year old children - low income families often experience food insecurity & rely on cheap low nutritional food which affects concentration, energy, brain development → underachieve. 20% of students eligible for FSM choose not to use due to fear of bullying → poor nutrition. eval: low income students still achieve highly - suggests there are other factors such as teacher labelling that have a deeper impact on achievement levels
language - Bernstein - language codes (restricted & elaborated) - exams are in elaborated code - harder to understand/misinterpret questions, teachers speak in elaborated code which makes it harder to understand learning material + may be too embarrassed to ask them to clarify, teachers may misinterpret restricted code as a lack of intelligence → placed in lower streams & given less challenging work, may feel alienated as the school system disregards their values → anti-school subcultures. eval: Keddie - the working class are culturally different not deprived - blames the working class for their underachievement & ignores structural causes like teacher labelling.
Englemann - cultural deprivation - the language spoken in low income black families is disjointed, lacks grammar, includes slang → lack of intellectual stimulation & enriching experiences → poorly equipped for the demands of school - fall behind - teachers may misinterpret language spoken as a lack of intelligence → placed in lower streams & given less challenging work → underachievement. eval: code switching
habitus - Bourdieu - schools hold a middle-class habitus - favour & hold middle class values that the working class were not socialised into - middle class are more prepared for the demands of school & the working class will feel alienated because the school system devalues their experiences & values → working class anti-school subcultures (Sugarman - 4 barriers to success - fatalism, collectivism, present-time observation, immediate gratification) → underachievement. eval: Fuller

evaluate the strengths & limitations of using group interviews to investigate the reasons for subject choices made by pupils

intro: group interviews involve a researcher asking a small group a list of questions that the participants can answer freely.

practical: pupils may be more inclined to partake in interviews if there are others who are also there & they aren’t alone - pupils can relate their own experiences in subject choice to others & may be more honest in their answers knowing others can relate - increasing validity, may be quicker to interviews groups at the same time rather than individually.
practical: students may be embarrassed to open up about their own experiences with their peers due to fear of bullying, students may easily steer away from the question asked & start their own conversations - time consuming, low response rate from students due to a lack of interest, costly & time-consuming to train an interviewer, especially due to safeguarding concerns needing to be covered when dealing with students
ethical: lack of ethical concern - consent can be obtained before the interview & subject choice isn’t a matter that would typically cause psychological harm
ethical: may feel pressured to say/not say something by peers
theoretical: interpretivists favour - allows interviewer to build a rapport with the group & can achieve vertehen - increases validity
theoretical: positivists criticise - can’t be easily repeated, time-consuming & small scale - not generalisable

evaluate the strengths & limitations of using self-completion questionnaires to investiagte the pressure on pupils to achieve high grades

intro: self-completion questionnaires constist of a list of questions with pre-determined answers the respondents can choose from (true/false, yes/no) they are a form of primary data that produce quantitate data

practical: simple, cheap, quick, easy to send to a large populous, easy to answer, requires no training like interviews, pre-determined questions make it easier for pupils to express feelings/emotions they may not understand
practical: low response rate, without a researcher present questions may be misinterpreted- lowers validity of responses, can’t elaborate meaning respondents may pick the closest answer without being able to explain tehir own experiences - limits the amount of data & validity
ethical: not compulsory, anonymous, gain informed consent,
ethical: can be a difficult or distressing topic for some students dealing with exam stress
theoretical: positivists favour - produces quantitative data that can be used to find trends & patterns, no interaction with respondents allows objectivitity & prevents interviewer bias, large scale - generalisable,
theoretical: interpretivsists criticise - cannot achieve verstehen, cant express feelings - reduces validity, prefer open questionnaires