Education: Social Class Impact

• Social class significantly affects educational achievement
• Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often face disadvantages compared to their wealthier peers

Material Factors

• Involve tangible resources such as income, housing, and technology access
• Lower income families struggle with school supplies, internet, and tutoring, affecting academic performance
• Howard (2001) found that children from poorer homes had lower nutrition levels, impacting concentration and energy

Cultural and Social Factors

• Bourdieu (1984) introduced "cultural capital," referring to knowledge, attitudes, and values that middle-class parents pass on
• Cultural capital gives middle-class students an advantage in the education system
• Schools value middle-class cultural norms, which can be difficult for working-class students to navigate

Home and Community Factors

• Parental attitudes and aspirations play a significant role
• Douglas (1964) found that working-class parents are less likely to engage in their children's education or encourage higher aspirations

Linguistic Factors

• Bernstein (1971) distinguished between restricted (working class) and elaborated (middle class) codes of speech
• The elaborated code aligns with communication in schools and textbooks, benefiting middle-class students

In-School Factors

• Willis (1977) found that anti-school subcultures among working-class boys lead them to resist the school system, which they see as irrelevant

Labelling Theory

• Becker (1971) argued that teachers label students based on class expectations, often favoring middle-class students
• These labels can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy (Merton, 1948), where students internalize expectations and perform accordingly

Marxist Explanations

• Bowles and Gintis (1976) proposed the correspondence principle
• Education reflects the inequalities of the capitalist workplace and prepares working-class students for exploitative labor

Ethnicity and Education

• Ethnicity significantly impacts educational attainment, with disparities linked to systemic racism, cultural differences, and school structures

Institutional Racism

• Discrimination is embedded within the education system
• Gillborn (2008) argued that education policy systematically disadvantages Black students through teacher expectations and disciplinary measures

Ethnocentric Curriculum

• Schools often teach a curriculum prioritizing white, Western perspectives
• Ball (1994) found that history and literature courses often exclude ethnic minorities, causing student alienation

Role Models

• Lack of ethnic minority teachers and senior staff can result in fewer aspirational figures for minority students

Cultural, Material, and Social Factors

• Some ethnic groups experience higher levels of poverty, impacting educational opportunities
• Modood (2004) found that economic disadvantage impacts White working-class students more than some ethnic minority groups, indicating cultural values also play a role

In-School Factors

• Teacher expectations can lead to racialized labelling
• Gillborn and Youdell (2000) found that Black Caribbean students were more likely to be placed in lower sets due to negative perceptions of behaviour

Gender and Education

• Gender differences in education have shifted
• Historically, girls underachieved compared to boys, but in many Western countries, girls outperform boys at most levels

Differential Gendered Socialisation

• Boys and girls are socialized differently, influencing their attitudes toward education
• Oakley (1974) highlighted canalisation, where children are steered toward gendered toys and activities that shape later interests and abilities

Teacher Expectations

• Stanworth (1983) found that teachers gave boys more attention, reinforcing traditional gender roles
• Some argue boys are now the disadvantaged group, with concerns over the feminization of education

Feminist Explanations

• Liberal feminists argue educational improvements for girls are due to greater equality
• Radical feminists suggest schools still reinforce patriarchal values

Labelling Theory

• Francis (2000) found that girls were more likely to be labelled as hardworking, while boys more likely to be seen as disruptive

In-School Factors

• The rise of pro-school subcultures among girls and anti-school subcultures among boys (Mac an Ghaill, 1994) contributes to the gender gap

Global Differences in Educational Achievement

• Education systems vary worldwide, leading to significant differences in achievement levels

Availability of Schools

• In developing countries, rural areas often lack proper school infrastructure

Poverty and Wealth

• Wealthier nations provide better access to resources, while poorer countries struggle with funding
• UNESCO (2015) reported that children from the poorest families were four times more likely to be out of school than those from wealthy families

Access to Education for Girls

• Kelly (1987) argued that patriarchal societies often limit girls' access to schooling, reinforcing gender inequalities

Norms and Cultural Values

• In some cultures, education is not prioritized, or girls are expected to marry early instead of seeking academic success

Class Sizes and Digital Access

• Larger class sizes and limited internet access in poorer countries can hinder student progress

Strengths and Limitations

Social Class and Education

• Strengths include comprehensive explanation and empirical support
• Limitations include overlooking individual agency, ignoring ethnic and gender variations, and being too deterministic

Ethnicity and Education

• Strengths include revealing institutional racism, acknowledging the ethnocentric curriculum, and accounting for cultural capital differences
• Limitations include overemphasizing teacher bias, ignoring class, and not accounting for high achievement by some ethnic minority students

Gender and Education

• Strengths include explaining the gender gap, recognizing teacher expectations, and explaining the "feminisation of education"
• Limitations include overlooking male success in STEM, failing to acknowledge class and ethnicity, and being too deterministic

Global Factors and Education

• Strengths include highlighting economic disparities, explaining gender inequality, and recognizing cultural and norm-based barriers
• Limitations include Eurocentric bias, failure to explain success in low-income nations, and overlooking political and historical factors

Conclusion

• A holistic approach that considers social class, ethnicity, gender, and global influences provides the most accurate understanding of educational inequalities