Education

What do functionalists say the role of education is (these are positive reasons)? Functionalism Social control Serving the needs of the economy Social cohesion Social mobility Secondary socialisation

What do Marxists say the role of education is (these are negative reasons)? Marxists view education as having a beneficial role for the bourgeoisie and brainwashing people to follow capitalist norms and values through the hidden curriculum.

What is the hidden curriculum? The hidden curriculum is a term Marxists and other critical sociologists use to describe the way that children are taught the norms and values of society through the culture of the school. Examples include: Having to turn up on time Having to wear uniform Having to accept orders from teachers

How did the Grammar School system introduced in 1944 work? 1944 The Butler Education Act Students had to take the 11+ exam 11 + PASS FAIL Grammar school Secondary modern school The system was unfair because all middle class and upper class students had a much better chance of passing the 11+ and getting into a grammar school because their parents had material capital (could afford to buy them books, tutors etc)

How did the Comprehensive system introduced in 1965 work? Most schools were made to get rid of the 11+ Schools were made to accept all students from all backgrounds

What were the main changes introduced by the 1988 Education Reform Act? Because schools were failing, it was decided that schools should be made to compete against each other for students For every student that the school gets, the school will receive money This caused teachers to work harder because they were fearful of losing their jobs The problem with this policy was that schools all fought to get the best students to come to their schools, but the very good schools turned away working class and ethnic minority students

What changes have New Labour made to the Education system? The Labour government wanted to give the working class more help in education. Labour introduced to key policies: 1)Education Action Zones 2)Educational Maintenance Allowance

What is the structure of the British education system today? Types of school Independent schools Special school Comprehensive schools Grammar schools Specialist schools Faith schools City academies City technology colleges

How does the hidden curriculum work? Students may learn things such as punctuality, having to wear uniform, obeying authority etc. The hidden curriculum is generally about learning rules, routines and regulations. Students learn such things without necessarily realising they are learning them. This is known as informal learning.

What impact do streaming and setting have? Setting is a way of dividing pupils into groups for particular subjects based on their ability in those subjects Students that are put in the bottom set are likely to form an anti-school subculture. This means they group together with other students and purposely break the rules of the school. Being put in the bottom set becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What are labelling and the self fulfilling prophecy?

How do subcultures affect achievement? There are two main types of pupil subculture that exist in school: Pro-school subcultures: These are made up of high achieving students in the top sets that always work hard and often go beyond what is asked of them by teachers. Uniform is always correct, they are punctual etc Anti-school subcultures: These are made up of low achieving students in the bottom sets that aim to disrupt the school system with bad behaviour, truanting and lateness. Uniform is never worn properly.

What impact does home environment have on achievement? W.C have material deprivation M.C have material capital W.C have cultural deprivation M.C have cultural deprivation Can’t afford books, trips etc Can afford books, trips etc Restricted speech code Elaborated speech code Live in small houses with no study space Live in large houses with lots of study space Parents don’t know about school system, can’t help with HW etc Parents do know about school system, can help with HW etc Can’t afford a good diet Can afford a good diet (helps with concentration) Parents allow children to spend time as they wish Parents make sure children are using free time productively e.g. going to museums, reading books etc

What is cultural capital? Middle class parents have cultural capital. This is when they have the knowledge, values and attitudes needed to ensure that their children do well in education. E.g. they know to read Ofsted reports to find out which schools are the best so they can send their child there. They also know how to help their children with homework etc.

How might teachers label working class pupils? Negatively e.g. As not caring Not having the potential to do well Intentionally breaking school rules

What impact could the rising cost of higher education have on working class students? Working class students are put off of education because of a fear of debt. University tuition fees have now been raised to £9,000 per year.

Why have girls done better than boys in education in the last 20 years? InternalExternal Subjects now involve more modular exams and coursework which girls are suited to as they are organised and good at completing work over a long period of time. Boys are better when subjects are tested by 100% exams at the end of the course. Legal changes like the sex discrimination act mean that girls have the same opportunities as boys when it comes to jobs. This encourages girls to work hard because its an opportunity they never previously had. Teachers label girls more positively than boys. Girls have now changed their ambitions. Girls used to be more concerned with love and marriage but now care more about doing well in education and getting a good job.

Why have boys done worse than girls in education over the last 20 years? InternalExternal Teachers are more likely to label boys negatively Boys spend less time reading from a young age. Parents socialise boys to play outside but encourage girls to stay indoors and read Boys are more likely to face peer pressure and can be ridiculed if they are seen as “trying too hard” Boys find it difficult to motivate themselves, particularly in their free time so are less likely to do homework etc

Why do boys and girls pick different subjects in school? InternalExternal Peer pressure e.g. boys will be bullied if they choose a subject like childcare Canalisation- from a young age boys and girls are socialised to be a certain way which can influence the subjects they pick Gender stereotyping in textbooks and in classroom displays means that certain genders get put off doing certain subjects e.g. science textbooks, posters etc mainly show boys Gendered career opportunities have a big impact. E.g. a girl is unlikely to pick a GCSE in woodwork if she does not think that she will go on to have a career in it.

Why do some ethnic groups do better in education than others? Indian and Chinese students are the best achievers in education. Black African and Black Caribbean are the worst. This could be because of internal factors or external factors.

Why might cultural differences explain these different levels of achievement? Indian and Chinese culture encourages strict discipline and hard work Strong family structure for Indian families means there is lots of help available for students e.g. brothers, sisters, mum, dad, aunt, uncle, grandparents African and Black Caribbean families are likely to speak their native language in the home so there English skills aren’t as good

What in school factors could lead to students from ethnic minorities doing less well? 1)Racism from teachers can lead to ethnic minority students being labelled negatively and then having a self-fulfilling prophecy 2) Ethnocentric curriculum- The school curriculum is seen as being structured in a way that only reflects British culture and makes it hard for ethnic minorities to learn and understand.

Why is education a political issue? The education system has an impact on the economy e.g. if students aren’t doing well in education then it means we won’t have people to take on important job roles like doctors The main agenda for political parties such as Labour is to create equality in society and therefore they want to make sure that education is meritocratic and gives everyone an equal chance

What criticisms have been made of recent government education reforms? Recently the government has been criticised for making education more difficult for the working class, for example, the Coalition government (2010) cut EMA and raised university tuition fees to £9,000 per year (previously they were £3,000)

What debates are there around faith schools, testing special needs and alternative forms of provision as a social issue? IssueDebate Faith schoolsWhether faith schools are overly strict in their teachings? Do they take too much freedom away from students? Do they brainwash students into overly religious ways of thinking Testing special needsSome argue that those with special needs should not be tested in the same way as those without special needs. Alternative forms of provisionWhether different forms of education are better than mainstream education e.g. Is home schooling better than going to school? Are Steiner schools like Summerhill better at developing students that mainstream schools?

Can you give 3 recent examples from the news that relate to anything above? You need to read/watch the news for this!