Internal factors – differential educational

achievement and social class

There are loads of factors influencing DEA and class; here are 5:

 Labelling
 Streaming
 Self-fulfilling prophecy
 Pupil subculture
 Marketisation and selection policies
Labelling
When a teacher attaches certain definitions towards the children and then acts as if that label is true.

Howard Becker (1971) in Chicago

>Interviewed 60 high school teachers and asked them to judge pupils, he found that they would treat
pupils better if they were in fitting with the ‘ideal pupil’.
>Teachers found MC pupils fitted better with ‘ideal pupils’

>Teachers said WC were far from ideal because they ‘behaved badly’

Streaming
Labelling WC negatively affects them and can also affect the knowledge they are taught.

Kiddie (1971) found that knowledge was higher or low status.

Stream A=Upper class who learned theoretical and abstract knowledge

Stream B= Working class who learned common sense.

Self-fulfilling prophecy
This is a perception that comes true simply in virtue of it having been made.

Step 1:Teachers label pupils and on the basis of this label the teacher makes predictions about them.
Step 2: The teacher treats pupil accordingly acting as if the prediction is actually true.
Step 3: The pupil internalises the teacher’s expectations, which becomes part of their self-concept
and self-image.
Teacher’s expectations:
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) studied a primary school in California.
>They told the school that they had a new test specially for pointing out ‘special’ and more intelligent
people (‘Spurters’) but it was just an IQ test.

>They picked 20% of the pupils at random and said that these were ‘spurters’

>They found that teachers believed the test was real and agreed with results.

>47% of the random selection a year later had actually improved.

Criticisms: IQ test was of poor quality and that not all spurters made progress.
Why are WC children more likely to be put in lower streams?
Because teachers didn’t see the WC pupils as ‘ideal pupils’ and that they ‘lack ability’ and so have
lower expectations.

Why is it difficult to move up a stream once in a low stream?

Children are ‘locked in’ to their streams. Pupils in lower streams tend to ‘get the message’ and feel
like the teachers have written them off.
Why do MC children tend to benefit from streaming?
They are likely to be in higher streams, develop more positive self-image and concept.

Pupil subcultures
This is a group of pupils who share similar values and behavioural patterns, and often emerge as a
result of the labelling in schools and in response to streaming.

Colin Lacey (1970)

He explains who pupils develop subcultures.

>DIFFERENCIATION:- Teachers categorising pupils according to their perceived ability, attitude and
behaviour.
>POLARISATION:- Moving towards one of two extremes in response to streaming.
Lacey studied a boys grammar school and found that streaming led to polarising boys into two
subcultures, pro-school and anti-school.

The pro-school subculture:

Mainly full of MC who are committed to school values, they gain status in school in an appropriate
manner, and academic success.

The anti-school subculture:

Those placed in lower streams tended to have low self-esteem. This label of failure pushes them to
peruse alternate ways of a achieving status. For example, being a rebel and smoking or being late to
lessons all the time.

Lacy found that:

>Once the boys passed their 11+ they were immediately labelled as failures because of the
competitive attitude, they saw school as pointless

>You either achieve or fail at grammar schools

>Pro-schoolers were top band and vice versa

Abolishing streaming:
Stephen Ball (1981) studied a school which was abolishing banding for mixed lessons.

>Less likely to polarise

>The basis for pupils to polarise into subcultures was removed and the influence of anti-school
declined

>Differentiation continued

>Positive labelling meant good results

Limitations: Deterministic- pupils who were labelled had no choice but to SFP. Marxist- we blame the
teachers but why do they do it? Labels stem from teachers who work in a system that reproduces
class divisions.
Blurt everything you can remember about each concept:

Labelling

Theorists & their studies:

What is labelling:

Self-fulfilling prophecy:

Halo Effect:

Setting & Streaming

Theorists & their studies:

What is setting and streaming:

Anti-school subculture:

Pro-school subculture:
Item A

Teachers may label and treat some groups of pupils differently from others. Schools and staff will
have views about appropriate pupil behaviour and attitudes to school. Relationships and processes
within schools may lead to anti-school subcultures.

Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which relationships and processes within
schools may lead to anti-school subcultures. [10 marks]