SOSC 103D Social Inequality in HK Lecture 22: Education System
L22: Education Education and Equality of Opportunities Macro: Maintain a fair and open system Micro: Obtain social mobility within the system Education policies and Modes of mobility The valued and appreciated qualities (merit) The meaning of fairness and justice
L22: Suppose you are a teacher. Facing students with different needs and unequal capabilities, how would you allocate your time and attention for your students? And how would your grade them? 1. Treat everyone equally regardless of ability, effort, past treatment, or chances of benefiting 2. Reward those who make the most effort 3. To help those who will benefit most from your attention 4. Pay more attention to those who are eager to learn, regardless of their ability 5. To help those with poorest grades, regardless of why they do badly
L22: The Definition of Merit Talented: have superior quality or worth; excellence (e.g. intelligence) Hard-working: a quality deserving praise or approval (e.g. effort) 2 modes of mobility and education system Sponsored mode (England) Contest mode (American)
L22: Sponsored Mode English norms of mobility and stratification Talented (e.g. intelligence, visionary capabilities) Early selection (series of elimination tests) Intensive training Assigned credentials To make best use of the talents in society by sorting persons into their proper niches
L22: Sponsored Mode (cont) Role of established elite The elite and their agents are responsible to recruit, train and assign credentials (sponsored the talents) The status and the power of elite To preserve and inherit the tradition and culture Advantages and disadvantages Allocation of resources Social segregation The power of advantageous groups
L22: Contest Mode American norm The quality of elite is not fixed Encourage a futuristic orientation Upward mobility: prize of an open and continuous contest Delay/ avoid the selection point Tortoise & Hare
L22: Contest Mode (cont) Limited role of existing elite Their ability and credentials require a mass recognition Their qualities are subject to challenge Lack of motivation of preserve the tradition and culture The mass Unattainable aspirations Controlled by the social ideology: Self-blaming
L22: Modes of Mobility Remarks: Ideal type of norms Advantageous and disadvantageous Importance: Qualifications of Elite in the society Mission of education Educational policies
L22: modes of mobility Product of social (folk) norms The accepted mode of upward mobility shapes the school system Determine the development of education policies Affect social ethos and norms Legitimate the social control
L22: modes of mobility (cont) Affect children and parents ethos and decisions Individuals strategies within the school system Inequalities in both of the school systems
L22: Readings: Turner, Ralph H. (1960) Sponsored and Contest Mobility and the School System, American Sociology Review 25: