1. As you enter the room thinking task
What is social class?
Does every child in The UK have an equal chance of success in education?

2. How does social class effect achievement?
Friday, 12 October 2018
Lesson 1: TOPIC: Class
The patterns of achievement in relation to social class in Britain
The theories that try to explain the differential achievement patterns
Analyse and evaluate competing theories of social class differences in achievement
Learning Goals
Class, language codes, cultural deprivation

3. Introduction: The working class children are……
Less likely to attend any educational settings (nursery) before ages 4&5
More likely to be poor readers in the first years of school
More likely to be in low sets at school
More likely to underachieve at GSCE and A Level
Less likely to go to university
More likely to leave school early
More likely to be suspended and excluded
Why do you think this is the case?

4. Why is it ? Think about what some people say….
External (home based issues that affect achievement) or Internal (in school factors which affect achievement
Why is it ? Think about what some people say….
School uses words that working class children don’t understand
Their parents don’t value education
Parents don’t push them hard enough!
They lack resources at home
The teachers don’t like them as much as middle class kids
So many are from families who don’t have any hopes for their children

5. Applying the theories: EXTERNAL FACTORS Cultural Deprivation (A02)
Primary socialisation: Socialisation (acquiring basic values, attitudes and skills) during the early years of childhood, carried out within the family. This gives children basic “cultural equipment”, which includes things such as language, self discipline and reasoning skills According to cultural deprivation theory, working class families fail to socialise their children adequately. They grow up “culturally deprived” – they lack the basic cultural equipment to achieve academically. NOTE: This has nothing to do with financial factors!!!!
The cultural deprivation theories:
Language, including speech codes (Key theorist: Bernstein)
Parents’ education, including parental attitudes, style, behaviours and income (Key theorist: Douglas)
Working class subculture, including the work of Sugarman (1970) – key theorist.

6. Task 1: The work of Bernstein (1975)
Page 18 – Speech codes Read Bernstein’s ideas on speech codes in working and middle class families. Complete the restricted and elaborated speech code description on your focus on 5 sheet. Include in your how the elaborated code gives middle class children an advantage in school over working class children. Keep to the word limit so that you give yourself a chance to remember the theory, as there will be lots to remember over the course!

7. Cultural Deprivation: Language
The way in which parents communicate with their children affects their cognitive and intellectual development and their ability to benefit from the process of schooling.
Simple descriptive statements: what is that animal called, what is that colour?
This tends to be used by more educated parents. What sort of language do you think less educated parents use?
Hubbs-Tait et all 2002 found that where parents use language that challenges their children to evaluate their own understanding and abilities e.g. “what do you think?”, cognitive performance improves.
Cultural deprivation theories suggests that the difference in how parents use language is linked to social class and as a result, working class pupils do not develop the necessary language skills to think abstractly or explain, describe and evaluate their ideas.

8. Cultural Deprivation: Evaluating Bernstein
Bernstein work has been subject to a number of criticisms: He tends to put all the middle class together as having equal access to the elaborated code but is that realistic?
Where is the proof? Can we really generalise for all working class and all middle class families?
This tends to be used by more educated parents. What sort of language do you think less educated parents use?
Rosen argues that Bernstein gives few examples to back up his claims of the existence of restricted and elaborated codes. He accuses Bernstein of creating a myth of the superiority of middle class speech.
Labov argues that working class speech isn’t inferior to middle class speech, its just different. Based on his research in Harlem, New York he argues that working class speakers are more effective in getting their point across, middle class speakers often get bogged down in a mass of irrelevant detail.

9. Restricted and elaborated language codes
Using what we’ve learnt about the restricted and elaborated codes describe the picture below from the perspective of two 5 year old children.
Child 1 uses the restricted code.
Child 2 uses the elaborated code.

10. Task: Complete a focus on 5 for Douglas
Using the information on the next few slides and in your textbook pages complete the focus on five for Douglas and his ‘Cultural deprivation’ theory.

11. Cultural Deprivation – The Parent’s Education
Douglas (1964) – working class parents place less importance on education. As a result, they are less ambitious for their children and have them less encouragement to try hard and do well in school.
Feinstein (2008) who concluded that a parents’ own education was an important factor affecting children’s achievement – MC more likely to have been to university…………..
Parenting style – Educated parents emphasise consistent and “fair” discipline and have high expectations of their children.
In contrast, less educated WC parental style is marked by harsh or inconsistent discipline which prevents children from learning independence and self control – leads to disruption at school.

12. Cultural Deprivation – The Parent’s Education
Douglas’ work was over 50 years ago, is it still true today? Gorad, See & Davis (2012) say yes as their research showed …..
Middle class parents compared to working class parents are more likely to:
Take more interest in their child’s education indicated by number of visits into school to discuss progress.
Be more involved with subject choices as children get older
More likely to encourage children to stay in education past the minimum leaving age.
Students whose parents showed a high interest in their children’s education got much better exam results and that children’s progress could be held back by lack of parental involvement and low expectations.

13. Reading with their children Teaching letters and numbers
Cultural Deprivation – The Parent’s Education
Educated parents are more likely to be aware of how best to help their children in their education e.g.
Reading with their children
Teaching letters and numbers
Help with homework
Educated parents also made better use of income – Bernstein and Young (1967) found that MC mothers were more likely to buy educational toys and books, whereas WC mothers did not buy such resources.
MC also buy better food!
Also much more likely to be actively involved with the school – contacting teachers, asking for advice on what they can do to help, sending their children on trips and to clubs etc.

14. Exam style questions: Cultural Deprivation
Using one example, briefly explain how the restricted speech code may lead to underachievement (2 marks)
Explain two ways that having access to the elaborated code might provide advantages in education (2 marks)