Factors Affecting Educational Achievement: Social Class (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Flashcards
Exam code: C200
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What does eligibility for free school meals often indicate?
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Cards in this collection (44)
What does eligibility for free school meals often indicate?
Eligibility for free school meals often indicates low income and, therefore, a lower social class.
How do pupils on free school meals compare with others in going to higher education?
Pupils on free school meals are less likely to go into higher education: in England, 28.6% went into higher education by age 19, compared with 48.4% of other pupils (DfE, 2024/25).
Define material deprivation.
Material deprivation is a lack of financial resources caused by poverty.
How can poor housing affect educational achievement?
Poor housing can affect educational achievement because overcrowding or a lack of a quiet space to study makes it hard to concentrate or do homework, and cold, damp homes lead to more illness and absenteeism.
Define selection by mortgage.
Selection by mortgage is when middle-class parents move near desirable schools so their children fall within the catchment area.
How can a lack of early years provision affect working-class children?
A lack of early years provision can affect working-class children because working-class areas may lack nursery education, which can affect children's later school performance.
How does the cost of higher education affect working-class students?
The cost of higher education and student debt discourage some working-class students from applying to university.
What does the Pupil Premium (2011) provide?
The Pupil Premium provides extra funding to schools for disadvantaged students to help close the attainment gap.
True or False?
The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and others has narrowed steadily since the Pupil Premium began.
False.
The gap narrowed in the 2010s but widened after the pandemic, and in 2026 it was still wider than in 2019 (DfE).
How did Halsey, Heath and Ridge (1980) measure social class?
Halsey, Heath and Ridge measured social class by father's occupation, dividing the men into the service, intermediate and working classes.
Halsey, Heath and Ridge found that a service-class male had __ times the chance of a working-class male of attending university.
Halsey, Heath and Ridge found that a service-class male had 11 times the chance of a working-class male of attending university.
True or False?
The findings of Halsey, Heath and Ridge suggest that the education system is meritocratic.
False.
The findings support the Marxist view that the education system is not meritocratic, as service-class males stayed in education far longer.
What is one limitation of Halsey, Heath and Ridge's study?
Halsey, Heath and Ridge studied only males, so their findings ignore women's educational progress. Their data also comes from men born decades ago, so it may not reflect modern education.
Define deferred gratification.
Deferred gratification means making sacrifices now to invest in the future, a value linked to middle-class parents.
How do working-class and middle-class values on improvement differ?
Working-class values stress collective improvement through solidarity, such as trade union activities, while middle-class values stress individual success.
True or False?
Working-class parents usually do not value education.
False.
Many working-class parents value education but may lack the knowledge or confidence to navigate the system.
Reay (1998) found that ___________ mothers were more articulate and assertive when dealing with teachers.
Reay (1998) found that middle-class mothers were more articulate and assertive when dealing with teachers.
Define cultural deprivation.
Cultural deprivation is the theory that working-class and ethnic minority students lack the values, attitudes, skills and experiences needed to succeed in education.
Which cultural resources give middle-class children an advantage, according to Bernstein and Young?
Bernstein and Young point to holidays abroad, museum visits, books and educational toys, which encourage curiosity and learning.
Define cultural capital.
Cultural capital is the knowledge, attitudes, skills, language and values that enable success in education.
Marxist sociologist Pierre ___________ argued that the middle and upper classes rig the education system to stay at the top.
Marxist sociologist Pierre Bourdieu argued that the middle and upper classes rig the education system to stay at the top.
True or False?
Bernstein linked the restricted code with middle-class speech.
False.
Bernstein linked the restricted code with the working class; the middle class uses the elaborated code, which schools value.
Define social capital.
Social capital refers to the networks and social connections that parents can use to support their children's education.
What did Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz (1994) investigate?
Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz investigated whether marketisation under the 1988 Education Reform Act widened the achievement gap between middle-class and working-class students.
Who did Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz interview?
Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz interviewed teachers, governors and headteachers in 15 secondary schools, as well as parents of primary school children.
Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz found that some schools reintroduced streaming and ___________ to focus resources on high achievers.
Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz found that some schools reintroduced streaming and setting to focus resources on high achievers.
How did material resources help middle-class parents choose schools?
Material resources helped middle-class parents choose schools because owning a car meant they could travel further to reach better schools.
True or False?
Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz concluded that marketisation reduced class inequality in education.
False.
Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz concluded that marketisation increased inequality, as middle-class parents used their economic, cultural and social capital to access the best schools.
Why do critics say cultural explanations can be unfair?
Critics argue that cultural explanations blame working-class parents and ignore how schools and government policies make it harder for some children to succeed.
What do interactionist sociologists study in schools?
Interactionist sociologists study small-scale interactions between teachers and students in the classroom.
Define self-fulfilling prophecy.
A self-fulfilling prophecy is when students see themselves in terms of a label and act accordingly, so the label comes true.
Which pupils did teachers see as the ideal pupil, according to Becker?
Becker found that teachers saw middle-class pupils as the ideal pupil: well-behaved, motivated and tidy.
Gillborn and Youdell (2000) found that teachers often placed working-class pupils in lower sets and entered them for __________ exams.
Gillborn and Youdell (2000) found that teachers often placed working-class pupils in lower sets and entered them for easier exams.
How did teachers treat lower-band students in Ball's (1981) study?
Ball found that teachers saw lower-band students as lazy or less able, gave them less attention and pushed them towards practical subjects.
True or False?
Ball found that middle-class pupils were more likely to be in the lower bands.
False.
Ball found that working-class pupils were more likely to be in the lower bands, which reduced their confidence and motivation.
What is one strength of grouping students by ability?
One strength of grouping students by ability is that students learn content suited to their needs and abilities, so the most able are not held back and lower-ability students understand the lesson more easily.
Some schools avoid the limitations of streaming by using mixed-ability groups or subject ___________.
Some schools avoid the limitations of streaming by using mixed-ability groups or subject setting.
Define counter-school subculture.
A counter-school subculture is a group of students who reject school rules and values and gain status by misbehaving, disrupting lessons or refusing to work.
Which school practice can lead to a counter-school subculture?
Streaming can lead to a counter-school subculture, as students labelled as failures or placed in lower sets may reject school values.
How did Willis disagree with Bowles and Gintis?
Willis argued that working-class students do not always passively accept school values; some actively resist them.
Which research methods did Willis use to study the lads?
Willis used observation and participant observation, group discussions, unstructured interviews and diaries.
Willis found that the lads could see through the myth of ___________, the idea that everyone has an equal chance to succeed.
Willis found that the lads could see through the myth of meritocracy, the idea that everyone has an equal chance to succeed.
What did the lads' counter-school subculture prepare them for?
The lads' counter-school subculture prepared them for working-class, male-dominated jobs, so their rejection of school reproduced class inequality.
True or False?
Willis's findings about the lads apply to all students.
False.
Willis studied only 12 working-class boys, so his findings lack generalisability; feminists also argue that he ignored girls.
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