● key words: material deprivation. cultural deprivation, immediate gratification, deferred
gratification, cultural capital
● in 2014/15, 60% of pupils NOT eligible for fsm for 5 gcses a*-c, compared with 33%
of those who were eligible
● those with a higher household income are almost 2x likely to get 5 gcses a*-c
● douglas was able to demonstrate that a m/c child of "average" intelligence was much
more likely to pass the 11+ exam than a w/c pupil of "average" intelligence
out of school factors
● material deprivation ⇒ the inability to afford basic resources
○ this means pupils aren't able to afford things like sufficient food, heating or
clothing and educational resources ⇒ subsequently very likely to affect
educational performance and lead to underachievement
○ research shows that poor diet and under-nourishment can lead to poor
educational performance and clearly poor health and poor attendance at
school has a direct impact on achievement
○ it is more likely that w/c pupils will need to undertake employment alongside
their studies in order to bring in more income into the household
■ while a small amount of part-time employment can be beneficial
educationally, working too much hours can seriously impact education
performance because there is insufficient time for study and pupils are
too tired to concentrate in school.
● cultural deprivation
○ some argue that w/c pupils are likely to be culturally deprived, often because
of inadequate socialisation.
○ they argue that the norms and values of many w/c families are not those that
lead to getting the best out of the education system
■ this argument comes from a marxist / neo-marxist perspective (the
idea that cultural capital gives middle-class pupils advantages) and
from new right views, that see particularly "underclass" households as
reproducing values and attitudes that are detrimental to educational
achievement
● immediate and deferred gratification
○ w/c pupils expect immediate gratification
■ w/c pupils prefer to leave school as soon as they can, get a job
○ m/c pupils understand the benefits of deferred gratification
■ m/c pupils will delay paid employment in order to attain higher
qualifications and get higher-paid occupations as a result
○ this approach blames w/c families for differential achievement by social class.
○ sugarman who was influenced by hyman who argued that w/c families were
less interested in social mobility than m/c families
○ douglas argued that w/c parents took less interest in school and education
and therefore pushed their children less and indeed often encouraged them to
focus on goals outside school and education
● m/c have a cultural advantage in the education system because they have particular
attitudes and behaviour that are deemed superior or correct by other m/c people
gratification, cultural capital
● in 2014/15, 60% of pupils NOT eligible for fsm for 5 gcses a*-c, compared with 33%
of those who were eligible
● those with a higher household income are almost 2x likely to get 5 gcses a*-c
● douglas was able to demonstrate that a m/c child of "average" intelligence was much
more likely to pass the 11+ exam than a w/c pupil of "average" intelligence
out of school factors
● material deprivation ⇒ the inability to afford basic resources
○ this means pupils aren't able to afford things like sufficient food, heating or
clothing and educational resources ⇒ subsequently very likely to affect
educational performance and lead to underachievement
○ research shows that poor diet and under-nourishment can lead to poor
educational performance and clearly poor health and poor attendance at
school has a direct impact on achievement
○ it is more likely that w/c pupils will need to undertake employment alongside
their studies in order to bring in more income into the household
■ while a small amount of part-time employment can be beneficial
educationally, working too much hours can seriously impact education
performance because there is insufficient time for study and pupils are
too tired to concentrate in school.
● cultural deprivation
○ some argue that w/c pupils are likely to be culturally deprived, often because
of inadequate socialisation.
○ they argue that the norms and values of many w/c families are not those that
lead to getting the best out of the education system
■ this argument comes from a marxist / neo-marxist perspective (the
idea that cultural capital gives middle-class pupils advantages) and
from new right views, that see particularly "underclass" households as
reproducing values and attitudes that are detrimental to educational
achievement
● immediate and deferred gratification
○ w/c pupils expect immediate gratification
■ w/c pupils prefer to leave school as soon as they can, get a job
○ m/c pupils understand the benefits of deferred gratification
■ m/c pupils will delay paid employment in order to attain higher
qualifications and get higher-paid occupations as a result
○ this approach blames w/c families for differential achievement by social class.
○ sugarman who was influenced by hyman who argued that w/c families were
less interested in social mobility than m/c families
○ douglas argued that w/c parents took less interest in school and education
and therefore pushed their children less and indeed often encouraged them to
focus on goals outside school and education
● m/c have a cultural advantage in the education system because they have particular
attitudes and behaviour that are deemed superior or correct by other m/c people
