Sociology Revision Notes
Class and Achievement
Class and Achievement: external factors- Material deprivation
- Measured by how many people have free school meals
- Housing
- Diet and Health
- Income- hand me down items, work themselves, wrong equipment
Class and Achievement: external factors- Cultural Capital
- Cultural- knowledge, attitudes, values, language tastes and abilities of middle class.
Children born into wealth are more likely to have these skills because they are
acquired by socialisation. Advantage at school
- Economic- nicer housing areas, private schools, private tuition
- Educational- better equipped for the education system if middle class
Class and Achievement: external factors- Cultural deprivation
- Intellectual development- working class lack resources to help children develop, W/C
pupils scored lower on tests because they are less likely to be read to at home
- Language- language in W/C homes is deficient. Bernstein identified the restricted
code and the elaborated code. Middle class socialised in both, working class only in
restricted. Elaborated code is the language of education.
- Attitudes and values- 4 barriers for W/C in education= Fatalism (nothing they can do
to change their status), collectivism (value being in a group over being alone),
immediate gratification (seek pleasure immediately rather than sacrificing), present-
time orientation (present is more important than the future)
Class and Achievement: internal factors- labelling
- Students are labelled due to physical features or traits
- Ideal pupil
- Becker (1971)- 60 interviews in Chicago high school, found labels were based on the
‘Ideal Pupil’ image, judged using work, conduct and appearance, middle class
labelled positive, working class labelled as troublemakers
- Cicourel and Kitsuse (1963)- inconsistent judging, judgement on race and class,
middle class students labelled as having potential, rich get rich, poor stay poor
- Keddie (1971)- A stream students (abstract, theoretical, high status knowledge)
taught different to C stream (descriptive, common sense, low status knowledge,
reinforced class differences in knowledge)
Class and Achievement: internal factors- self-fulfilling prophecy
- 1) teacher makes label and prediction about child 2) teachers treat child accordingly
3) the pupil internalises the teacher’s expectation, they then turn into the child the
teacher intended for them to be, the prediction is fulfilled.
Class and Achievement
Class and Achievement: external factors- Material deprivation
- Measured by how many people have free school meals
- Housing
- Diet and Health
- Income- hand me down items, work themselves, wrong equipment
Class and Achievement: external factors- Cultural Capital
- Cultural- knowledge, attitudes, values, language tastes and abilities of middle class.
Children born into wealth are more likely to have these skills because they are
acquired by socialisation. Advantage at school
- Economic- nicer housing areas, private schools, private tuition
- Educational- better equipped for the education system if middle class
Class and Achievement: external factors- Cultural deprivation
- Intellectual development- working class lack resources to help children develop, W/C
pupils scored lower on tests because they are less likely to be read to at home
- Language- language in W/C homes is deficient. Bernstein identified the restricted
code and the elaborated code. Middle class socialised in both, working class only in
restricted. Elaborated code is the language of education.
- Attitudes and values- 4 barriers for W/C in education= Fatalism (nothing they can do
to change their status), collectivism (value being in a group over being alone),
immediate gratification (seek pleasure immediately rather than sacrificing), present-
time orientation (present is more important than the future)
Class and Achievement: internal factors- labelling
- Students are labelled due to physical features or traits
- Ideal pupil
- Becker (1971)- 60 interviews in Chicago high school, found labels were based on the
‘Ideal Pupil’ image, judged using work, conduct and appearance, middle class
labelled positive, working class labelled as troublemakers
- Cicourel and Kitsuse (1963)- inconsistent judging, judgement on race and class,
middle class students labelled as having potential, rich get rich, poor stay poor
- Keddie (1971)- A stream students (abstract, theoretical, high status knowledge)
taught different to C stream (descriptive, common sense, low status knowledge,
reinforced class differences in knowledge)
Class and Achievement: internal factors- self-fulfilling prophecy
- 1) teacher makes label and prediction about child 2) teachers treat child accordingly
3) the pupil internalises the teacher’s expectation, they then turn into the child the
teacher intended for them to be, the prediction is fulfilled.
