Explanations for differences in educational success' Outside school factors contd'

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Explanations for differences in educational
success. (Outside school factors contd.)

• CULTURAL DEPRIVATION
• Topic 04

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Issues in the Cultural deprivation debate

• Working class culture is deprived
• The working classes use a different language code
• Middle class children have cultural capital

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Cultural Deprivation issue

• Culture includes phenomena such as values and
  norms, it is everything that is learned
• Culture is transmitted by primary socialisation
  where parents pass on societys culture to their
  children (the next generation)

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• It is argued that culture varies between social
  classes
• It is this cultural difference between classes
  which accounts for either the success or failure
  in education

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Cultural Deprivation (Sugarman)
Cultural attitudes of the working class account
for their lack of educational success.

• The working class has a preference for immediate
  gratification (to enjoy things straight away)

• Thus working class pupils are more likely to
  leave school as soon as possible to get a job for
  money now

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Criticisms of Sugarman idea that working class
culture is deprived

• He was writing at a time when it was more common
  for working class children to bring home money
  for disadvantaged households
• High unemployment makes it pointless to leave
  school as soon as possible

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Differences in parental Interest - Douglas)
Class cultural differences in the degree of
interest show by parents in their childrens
education accounted for the lack of success

• working class parents were less likely to attend
  school functions, for example parents evenings
  and open-days

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Criticism of Douglas parental interest argument

• Many working class parents may be unable to
  attend these school functions, e.g. because of
  shift work or long hours
• Working class parents may feel uncomfortable in
  the middle class atmosphere of schools,
  especially if they did not achieve well
  themselves.

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Middle and working class differences in Language
(Bernstein)

• There are two ways or codes of talking (i) In
  Restricted code and (ii) In elaborated code

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i) The Restricted code

• This is used by the working class it is a
  short-hand way of speaking and it tends to be
  used between people who share the same meanings,
  e.g. close friends
• Thus it is not generally understood by everyone
  in all situations. (It is restricted and
  particular)

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ii) Elaborated code

• This is used by the middle class
• It is not restricted or particular to whether or
  not a person already knows what one are talking
  about
• It is a more detailed way of talking, everyone
  can understand what one means because one
  explains oneself very clearly. (It is general
  and universal)

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• Bernstein says middle class children use the
  elaborated code and thus achieve more in school
  because teachers use the same way of speaking
• Working class children start off with a
  disadvantage because they do not speak in the
  same way as teachers as the restricted code is
  not used in education

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Criticism of Bernstein

• Labovs study on working class, black children in
  Harlem (NY) shows their speech patterns are just
  as good at explaining themselves as those of
  white middle class children

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• Labov claims that black working class children
  achieve badly at school because they speak a
  different dialect from the teacher and teachers
  often criticise this
• The children then see school and the class room
  as hostile so they do not say much. This makes
  them look as if they have a restricted code

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Cultural Capital (Bordieu)

• The idea of cultural capital is used by
  Marxists to explain cultural influences on
  educationalsuccess
• Bourdieu suggests that middle class culture has a
  value in educational terms just as material
  wealth (capital) has a value
• He calls this cultural capital

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• Schools are middle class institutions run by the
  middle classes
• Thus it is middle class forms of knowledge,
  values and ways of communicating ideas that are
  enhanced and rewarded by the education system
• Working class children may lack these qualities,
  so they do not have the same chance to succeed

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Accent is part of our class culture
Ya
Yes
Yeh