Asses the view that working class students under achieve because they are culturally deprived.
Asses the view that working class students under achieve because they are culturally deprived.
There are a large range of perspectives to the role of what causes the under achievement of the working class within education. Sociologists argue whether it is as a result of internal or external factors. This essay will focus largely on the external factors and the view that working class students under achieve because they are culturally deprived.
Cultural deprivation theorists argue that a child’s achievement in school is a result of how they have been raised, and the environment they live in. They argue that the working classes’ under achievement is likely to be as a result of how they have been socialised and values they have been taught.
Hyman (1967) studied the values of the lower classes and whether they create a self-imposed barrier to learning. He explains that the working class have a ‘play safe’ culture and have a low value of self-belief in themselves and in education. Surgarman (1970) then elaborated on this study and concluded that while the middle class have individualistic values and look to the future the working class have developed a fatalistic view, meaning they accept their failure and do not try to improve. Surgarman also argues that working class follow a lifestyle of immediate gratification and have a present time orientation as well as, unlike the middle class, having collectivism values and following the group. However this research into cultural deprivation implies that all working class pupils in school follow the same values and norms as each other, as if they live in a vacuum away from the mainstream way of life. In addition there is regular proof that not all working class pupils fail in education.
JWD Douglas (1964) followed a longitudinal study of 5’000 children born in 1948 and discovered that the middle class children were more likely to be succeeding and choosing to stay on at school past the GCSE level. He concluded that the
There are a large range of perspectives to the role of what causes the under achievement of the working class within education. Sociologists argue whether it is as a result of internal or external factors. This essay will focus largely on the external factors and the view that working class students under achieve because they are culturally deprived.
Cultural deprivation theorists argue that a child’s achievement in school is a result of how they have been raised, and the environment they live in. They argue that the working classes’ under achievement is likely to be as a result of how they have been socialised and values they have been taught.
Hyman (1967) studied the values of the lower classes and whether they create a self-imposed barrier to learning. He explains that the working class have a ‘play safe’ culture and have a low value of self-belief in themselves and in education. Surgarman (1970) then elaborated on this study and concluded that while the middle class have individualistic values and look to the future the working class have developed a fatalistic view, meaning they accept their failure and do not try to improve. Surgarman also argues that working class follow a lifestyle of immediate gratification and have a present time orientation as well as, unlike the middle class, having collectivism values and following the group. However this research into cultural deprivation implies that all working class pupils in school follow the same values and norms as each other, as if they live in a vacuum away from the mainstream way of life. In addition there is regular proof that not all working class pupils fail in education.
JWD Douglas (1964) followed a longitudinal study of 5’000 children born in 1948 and discovered that the middle class children were more likely to be succeeding and choosing to stay on at school past the GCSE level. He concluded that the