9699 · 6.2
Social class and educational attainment flashcards
Revision flashcards for Cambridge 9699 Social class and educational attainment (syllabus 6.2). Flip, recall, then mark a real past-paper question.
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Material deprivation?
Poverty — poor housing, nutrition, equipment limiting learning.
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Bernstein — restricted code?
Working-class language less abstract — may disadvantage in exams.
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Cultural capital (Bourdieu)?
Middle-class tastes, knowledge, contacts convert to school success.
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Habitus?
Internalised class dispositions shaping attitudes to education.
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Compensatory education?
EPAs, Sure Start — state tries to offset deprivation.
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Keddie's critique?
Schools label middle-class knowledge 'valid' — class bias in curriculum.
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Material Deprivation
The lack of physical necessities, such as adequate housing, diet, and income, which can negatively impact a child's educational performance by causing ill health, poor concentration, or an inability to afford resources.
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Cultural Capital
A concept by Bourdieu. Refers to the knowledge, attitudes, values, language, and tastes of the middle class. The education system favours this, giving middle-class children an inbuilt advantage and reproducing class inequality.
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Elaborated Code
A concept by Bernstein. A more formal, context-free, and complex language style with a wider vocabulary, used by the middle class and in the education system. It contrasts with the restricted code.
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Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
An interactionist concept where a teacher's prediction about a student's ability (a label) comes true simply because the label was applied and the teacher's behaviour towards the student changed as a result.
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Immediate Gratification
A value identified by Sugarman as part of working-class subculture. It involves seeking pleasure now rather than making sacrifices for future rewards. This contrasts with the middle-class value of deferred gratification, which is rewarded by the education system.
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Pupil Premium?
UK government funding given to schools to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. It's a policy aimed at tackling material deprivation by providing extra resources.
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Streaming/Banding?
A form of ability grouping where pupils are sorted into classes for all subjects based on general ability. Sociologists like Ball argue it disadvantages working-class pupils who are often placed in lower streams.
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Fatalism (Sugarman)?
A working-class subcultural value identified by Sugarman. It's the belief that 'whatever will be, will be' and that you cannot change your status, which can lead to a lack of ambition in education.