2. CHAPTER 10 Sociocultural factors in the learning process

3. Explain the importance of considering student differences Give examples of ways poverty may impact life chances Provide reasons why teachers should be aware of gender issues in their classrooms Suggest possible strategies to support the learning of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia and Maori in New Zealand Chapter objectives

5. Sociocultural factors contribute to individual difference and have a basis in society and culture Consider social and cultural contexts in which we live, learn and develop and ways they contribute to differences among individuals Some groups do not achieve equal outcomes in terms of achievement and participation in education Sociocultural factors

6. Four elements influencing development are: 1. Person: the characteristics of the individual 2. Process: activities, relationships and practices 3. Context: aspects of environments in which individuals are involved 4. Time: stability and instability in individuals’ experiences Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of development

7. Microsystem: interactions and activities in the child’s immediate environment Mesosystem: connections between settings involving the child Exosystem: settings in which the child is not involved, but which nonetheless influence the child’s development Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of development (2)

8. Macrosystem: Societal and cultural influences in development Chronosystem: changes in environments and processes over time which influence development Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of development (3)

9. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of development

10. Ethnicity: membership of a group according to race, nationality or religious background Culture: systems of knowledge, beliefs, values and behaviour shared by a group of people Socialisation: the passing of cultural beliefs, knowledge, values and behaviour among members of a group Ethnicity, language and culture

11. Language is one of the main ways culture is transmitted Language has visible and hidden characteristics: – visible: vocabulary and grammar – hidden: sociolinguistic features Language and culture

12. Teachers often transmit beliefs of the mainstream culture through the ‘hidden curriculum’ Hidden curriculum: understandings, values and attitudes that are implicit in school structures and in the way material is taught Culture and beliefs about knowledge and learning

13. May be conveyed through: how teachers control interaction assessment and reporting practices teaching methods teaching resources Culture and beliefs about knowledge and learning (2)

14. Four possible sites of difference between individualist and collectivist cultures: Individual achievement Written knowledge Object knowledge Assertiveness Individualism and collectivism

15. Students may have difficulties when the beliefs of home and school differ Confusion results when there is a lack of awareness of cultural differences Cultural difference and misunderstanding

16. Discrimination based on race or ethnicity Attitudes of prejudice and cultural stereotypes underlie racism Racism in schools can be experienced directly or indirectly What are some of the consequences of racism? Addressing racism and prejudice

17. LBOTE: Language background other than English Ogbu (1987, 1997, 2005) – Voluntary minority group: a group of people who have chosen to move to a new society in search of a better life – Involuntary minority group: a group of people who have been brought into a society against their will Resistance as a means of overcoming disadvantage

18. Dimensions of multicultural education

19. Sex is biologically determined – Some traits appear stable Gender is biologically and culturally determined – Culture describes some factors as feminine and others as masculine Sex and gender

20. Cognition: general knowledge, verbal ability, visual-spatial ability, maths, IQ Emotion: aggression, anxiety, empathy, inter-personal relationships, cognitive and emotional disorders, behaviour Gender differences

21. Gender schema theory proposes that children’s schemas or understandings about gender influence the way they process information and their choices Gender identity formation

22. Traditional under-performance of girls Modern under-performance of boys Employment opportunities Gender issues in schools

23. Sex differences Compounded disadvantage Activity patterns Masculine and feminine cultures School structures – Learning preferences; types of assessment Male and female roles Sources of gender difference in educational outcomes

24. Reinforcement of gender roles Patterns of classroom interaction Teacher expectations Coeducational and single-sex schooling Gender bias in classrooms

25. A measure of social and economic position in society, typically a combination of education, occupation and income Parents’ situations affect children’s outcomes Relationships between SES and student outcomes are not absolute Socioeconomic status (SES)

26. Health factors Parenting factors Stress factors Risk and resilience Poverty and education: Background factors

27. Teacher expectations Home and school difference Home – school relationship Poverty and education: school factors

28. Protective factors include: Psychological factors - learning protective skills Relationships Acculturation Environments in which to play and learn Threatening environments

29. Diversity and commonality: Differences among peoples and languages Differing experiences of education Differing aspirations and goals for education Commonalities in terms of values, ways of relating and ways of using language Issues in Indigenous Australians’ education

30. Celebrating skills and strengths Drawing on Indigenous Australian ways of learning Independence Interdependence Supporting first language A rich cultural heritage Building partnerships with schools and communities

31. Involving the community in the school and the school in the community Bridging the cultural divide Health issues: Otitis media Building partnerships with schools and communities (2)

32. Background to Maori learners and inclusion Ka Hikitia has four focus areas: 1. Foundation years learning 2. Engagement of young people in learning 3. Support for Te Reo (Maori language) education 4. Organisational success Links between culture and language Maori learners and New Zealand’s education system

33. Culturally responsive pedagogy Te Kotahitanga (Bishop & Berryman, 2009) http://www.edtalks.org/video/culturally-responsive- pedagogy-relations#.UXDiNqLimAg http://www.edtalks.org/video/culturally-responsive- pedagogy-relations#.UXDiNqLimAg

34. Sociocultural factors in learning Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of development Ethnicity, language and culture Gender Socioeconomic status (SES) Catering for Indigenous learners in education Chapter review