Afro-Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi men were least qualified. Pakistani and Afro-Caribbean groups were also less likely to get onto university courses. Afro Caribbean boys were more likely to be excluded from school, set in low streams and do vocational courses. This shows that there are big variations between the average achievement levels of different ethnic minority groups, this may be due to social and economic factors. Sewell was also
One of these ways is through education. Many working class people don’t go on to further education and prefer to stay in lower paid jobs and the type of jobs they do can underpin which class they belong to. Those who come from a working class background are those who engage in popular culture and therefore they don’t take the time to follow or think about the high culture which means that they don’t have access to better education for a chance of having success. One way in which education may shape working class identity is by the
The importance of cultural explanation in explaining differences in social class and achievement. Many Sociologists have argued over the course that cultural factors are the explanation of why students do or do not achieve high in education. One side argues that cultural deprivation is the cause of this whilst the other material deprivation argues a different case and some other argue that it is neither both but factors inside school itself. Cultural deprivation means factors such as values, attitudes, languages. So, If a child is in a social group deprived of these factors he could underachieve.
There are several theories of diversity in education, however, three main theories based on historical events and problems faced by educators and learners are cultural deficit theory, cultural difference theory and cultural ecological theory (Bolima, 2010). Cultural deficit theory states that some students may perform poor in school due to their social, linguistic and cultural differences, which they have adapted from their home environment. The cultural difference theory is based on the perspective that students brought up in different cultural environments may require different learning approaches. Teachers must develop a brief understanding of the culture of their students (Lynch, 2011). The cultural ecological theory attempts to explain that some macro-ethnographic groups perform well in school, while others do not.
Many CD sociologists see a lack of intellectual and linguistic as a major barrier to achievement in education, this is because a lack of these skills will slow development of reasoning skills, which can disadvantage the student. Bereiter and Engelmann consider the language used by black American families on low income as “inadequate for educational success”. Similarity, Bowker identifies their lack of Standard English as a barrier to education and integration in wider society. Most CD theorists see a lack of motivation as a key barrier to progress in educational achievement in black children compared to white or Asian children; who are instilled with ambition and a willingness to achieve thanks to the mainstream culture they are brought up in. Family structure varies greatly between ethnic groups, Ken Pryce argues that Asians are higher achievers because their culture is more resistant to racism and gives them a greater sense of self worth, whereas Black pupils have low self esteem due to racism and as such they achieve less in education.
For example, there is data to show that they are far more likely to be permanently excluded from than other ethnicities. One argument that refutes the statement being assessed is the marxist belief of material deprivation. This means ethnic minorities with less money are at more of a disadvantage than others and so they are not able to make the most of their educational opportunities. They believe the most important factor to consider in educational achievement is wealth. Ethnic minorities are in there first generation of wealth and Marxist believe they primarily underachieve due to their class.
Bernstein’s early work comes close with being a ‘cultural deficit’ model. Although Bernstein is sometimes accused of claims he never actually made, his early writings do seem to make a negative judgement on the ‘restricted code’. Murray from the New Right perspective has more recently pursued the theme of the development of an underclass culture. The poorest stratum in society have a distinct set of values which stem from high rates of illegitimacy, single parenthood, welfare dependency, poor socialisation of children. This cultural deprivation which Murray controversially links to lower IQ levels, is seen as creating a group of pupils who are fundamentally alienated from the education system.
Assess the view that social class differences in educational achievement are the result of school processes such as labelling Various amounts of studies that have been carried out show that teachers often attach labels to pupils regardless of their ability or attitude. They label them based on stereotyped assumptions about their class background. A number of these studies on labelling have been carried out by interactionist sociologists. They study small-scale face-to-face interactions between individuals (such as classroom or playground. Howard Becker carried out an important interactionist study of labelling.
In “What is Poverty?” Theodore Dalrymple argues that poverty has been redefined. In traditional poverty, poor people’s income levels are low, they are starving, or the medical care is not enough. However, this kind of poverty does not exist in industrial countries like England because of the welfare state. The welfare state redistributes wealth, provides free medical care and free houses for the poor. According to the author, this causes moral poverty.
How far should Educationalists Consider Social Class when Designing an Education System? It is necessary to stress that social class influences children’s progress within educational institutions. That is why educationalists should know the importance of this phenomenon and consider this when designing an educational system, as the divide seems to be getting greater. To do that it is important to analyze this notion and find out its influence upon people. The notion “social class” is used to determine various groups of people within hierarchy.