2.2.2
Social Class: External Factors
Differences in Achievement: Social Class (External Factors)
Differences in Achievement: Social Class (External Factors)
Differences in achievement between pupils of different social classes can be divided into those that are: external of the school environment and those that are internal (or within) the school.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (1997)
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (1997)
- The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (1997) highlights the importance of poverty and low incomes in relation to the impact on children's educational attainment.
JRF data: deprivation & achievement
JRF data: deprivation & achievement
- JRF data suggests there is a strong link between material deprivation and lower educational achievement. They found that children from poorer families were less likely than middle class children to have access to computers, the internet and were least likely to be able to afford private tuition.
- The JRF concluded that child poverty constituted a significant barrier to educational success and reflects continued class inequalities in the UK.
Halsey (1980)
Halsey (1980)
- Halsey (1980) argues that education fails to offer equality of opportunity for all children. He found that children from working-class backgrounds were most likely to fail in the education system whereas middle-class children were most likely to succeed.
- He highlighted evidence that shows that middle-class children are most likely to stay on in post-compulsory education at both age 16 and 18.
Halsey's conclusions about inequality
Halsey's conclusions about inequality
- Whilst Halsey acknowledged cultural factors can act as a barrier to educational success, he emphasised the importance of material factors.
- He argued that lack of economic resources was the most important factor in determining whether a child would stay on in post-compulsory education or not.
- He argued that to reduce class inequalities in education, children from low income families should be given financial support such as grants to encourage students to stay on at schools/college.
Differences in Achievement: Social Class (Douglas (1964))
Differences in Achievement: Social Class (Douglas (1964))
Differences in achievement between pupils of different social classes can be divided into those that are: external of the school environment and those that are internal (or within) the school.
Link: poor housing & achievement
Link: poor housing & achievement
- Douglas (1964) argued that there was a significant link between poor housing conditions (such as overcrowding) and lower educational attainment.
- He found that children of manual workers were more likely to live in unsatisfactory housing and that they tended to perform worse in school tests measuring mental ability.
- Children whose parents had non-manual jobs or came from a middle-class background were more likely to live in better housing and tended to perform better in the school tests at age 8 and 11.
Importance of parental interest
Importance of parental interest
- Douglas (1964) argued that parental interest was the most important factor in shaping a child’s level of educational success.
- Whilst he did identify other factors that could influence an individuals academic achievement such as family size, health and the quality of the school attended, he found that the level of parental support was the crucial factor.
Middle-class parental support
Middle-class parental support
- As such, he argued that middle-class parents were more likely to provide support to their children in some of the following ways: provide help with school work; visit schools more regularly to check on progress; encourage their children to stay on in post-compulsory education.
- Douglas also emphasised the importance of primary socialisation and suggested that middle-class families were more likely to provide support to their children at an earlier age compared to working class families.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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