Preview

Sociology Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1255 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sociology Essay
Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that working-class children under-achieve because they are culturally deprived.

Cultural deprivation is the theory that many working-class and black children are inadequately socialised and are therefore lacking in the culture which is deemed as being right, this is things such as if their families don’t instil the value of deferred gratification. Which is a government policy about the lack of underachievement. Many sociologists argue that if there is a lack in your family structure and your, cultural, social and soft skills their child is more likely to underachieve. There are many arguments both agreeing and disagreeing with this, which is still a continuing idea in the present day. Many children are saw as being underachievers if they have not received the right socialisation to make them culturally aware.
Often, the intellectual development of a child is seen as being vital in the earlier years of a person’s life, purely because it is the period of their life that they will take the most in and start to understand new thing i.e. a child’s ability to solve problems. J.W.B Douglas 1964 found that working class children scored lower on tests to those of middle class, he said that this was due to the fact working class parents are less likely to support their child’s intellectual development through reading with them etc. Bernstein and Young 1967 both argue that middle class families will be able to buy toys which stimulate their child’s mind, whereas the working class may struggle to buy them equipment and clothes, and are less likely to buy them stimulating toys.
Language is also associated in a child’s progress into being able to learn. Basil Bernstein 1975 identified two different types of language which is used throughout the classes. The elaborated code which is used by members of the middle class and uses more complex sentences, this is used commonly by teachers and exam questions. Early

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Sub cultures are a group of people within society who share the same norms, values, beliefs and attitude that go against the main stream in society. This is usually different from or opposed to the main stream culture, for instance an anti-school subculture is more likely to be formed by pupils in lower streams. This is backed up by “They have examined the way in which labelling is linked to other processes within schools that result in class differences in achievement” (Item A) “These processes include self-fulfilling prophecy, streaming and the formation of pupil subcultures” (Item A) Therefore working class children will underachieve and middle class children will continue to progress. This can disadvantage working class children because of the use of home and school contracts. The education triage for working class are labelled as “hopeless cases” which then produces a selffulfilling prophecy and failure, which then leads to working class children going under stereotypical ideas. However, some labelled students go against their label to prove teachers wrong, which pushes them to do just as well as middle class children.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another issue with culture deprivation is the use of speech in the household environment in which they live in. Commonly working class families use restricted code. This is basic language used in non complex sentences and not much detail is given when speaking. Quite blunt and to the point, not much explanation used. On the other hand, middle class families tend to use elaborate code which is more sophisticated terms, developed and complete sentences. This is the language used in the education system which yet again puts working class children at a disadvantage as they might not understand the work they are being set. This could then lead them to under achieve in school exams.…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The idea that working-class children will most likely under-achieve due to a lack of culture, also known as cultural deprivation, refers to children lacking the norms, values, beliefs, skills and knowledge that a society would regard as important and necessary. The attributes that these children should know and learn are, in most cases, taught by their parents and are passed to the next generation through socialisation. All children are socialised differently, and the social class of the parent has a huge impact on the child and may affect their achievement in education. According to the cultural deprivation theory, some working-class parents fail to communicate and instil the appropriate norms, values, beliefs, skills and knowledge needed for educational success. However, there are other factors that can determine how well a child does within education. For example, material deprivation, cultural capital and economic capital can also have an impact on how well some children will attain, therefore cultural deprivation is not the only factor and may not be the most important reason to why working-class children under-achieve.…

    • 1829 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sociology 101 Assignment

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Today I had an assignment for my sociology 101 class. The assignment was to observe the environment around us. The main goal is to see the actions or interactions of people around us. During my observation, I saw a pattern. I was scrupulous on picking the location of to people watch, but ultimately decided the memorial union was the best place, due to the fact that there are typically abundant amounts of students there.…

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many cultural deprivation theorists argue that the working class homes lack books, educational toys and activities that would stimulate a child’s development in the education system. J.W.B Douglas found that working class children scored lower on tests of ability than the middle class children. He argues that this is because working class are most unlikely to support their children’s intellectual development through reading with them or other educational activities in the home. Middle class…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some sociologists suggest that external factors have a hug effects, such as from cultural deprivation with the socialisation experience of children, values, expectations and norms transmitted at home. Driver and Ballard 1979 argued that high achievement in some Asian groups might be linked to the presence of close knit extended families. However with some ethnic groups many tend to have low income, which may explain why black pupils tend to underachieve as many children from low income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences. Family structure and parental support can also have an affect, with failure to socialise children adequately is the result of dysfunctional family structures as many black families are headed by lone mothers and have poor care due to lack of money. This is a vicious cycle as someone who failed at school will affect their child’s educational achievement as the child may not get the extra help on work like other pupils may get, which can lead to their own failure causing a vicious cycle.…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are three main aspects to cultural deprivation. The first is intellectual development; theorists argue that many working class homes lack things such as books, educational toys and activities which would help to stimulate intellectual development. Douglas (1964) found that pupils of the working class scored lower on a test of ability than those of…

    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Everything in society, not only has an impact but it shapes the individual as well. There are many inequalities that individuals face based on their: race, socioeconomic statuses, beliefs, and because of their lack sufficient knowledge. The way one raises a child has a huge impact; however, social class has a tremendous effect on the child because that is what allows the child to experience opportunities. If the child comes from a middle class, working class or poor family there is already inequality being present unconsciously because they are exposed to different culture, system, and different capital. For instance, In Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life, Annette Lareau analyzes how social statuses impacts parenting.…

    • 2261 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sociology Term Paper

    • 2057 Words
    • 9 Pages

    There are many different magazines targeted toward different groups of people. Women’s magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, direct many of their articles towards dating life, body image, and sex advice. Men’s Health, a magazine for men, is also a magazine that’s articles are directly oriented towards dating, sex and body image. The growing impact of pop culture is directly effecting what we read in magazines.…

    • 2057 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sociology Paper

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to the U.S. Department of Justice, racial profiling can be defined as “any law enforcement initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of an individual that leads law enforcement to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity” When examining racial profiling from a sociological prospective there are several theories and concepts that can be used to do so. In this paper the concepts of institutional racism, labeling theory, and conflict theory will be used to examine bill 1070 an instance where racial profiling is prevalent.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first factor that influences human development is a person’s socioeconomic status. This indicates a person’s position in society as determined by income, wealth, occupation, education, and place of residence. As a child, socioeconomic status has a big effect on the way a child is raised and the opportunities available to him/her. Children that come from high socioeconomic status families typically are more successful because they have more resources readily available to their children. They are able to afford high-quality childcare, education, and healthcare. Their children are also typically more involved in recreational sports and extra-curricular activities broadening their children’s horizons and talents. Children that are raised in low socioeconomic families lack the financial, educational, and social support that would make them feel equal to children from higher social standing families. These feelings of unease and not fitting in can lead to low confidence and low motivation. Children have to live with these feelings and the circumstances they were born into until they become adults and can make their own livings. Anyone is capable of overcoming his or her circumstances! When children grow up, they get to decide how far they want to take their education and what type of career field they want to go into as…

    • 1662 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Essay and Lesson Plan

    • 2102 Words
    • 9 Pages

    McDevitt, T.M. & Ormrod, J.E. (2010). Child Development and Education, 4th Edition. New Jersey, USA: Pearson…

    • 2102 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Material Deprivation

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Material deprivation (by which we mean the extent to which people have or are denied certain material things in life - which includes things like your level of income, standard of housing, access to consumer goods and so forth) is frequently cited as one of - if not the - main cause of differential educational achievement.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Social Justice

    • 2270 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The writer will begin to discuss their educational achievement in comparison to other ethnic groups. A number of references have been made in terms of ethnicity and education for example; ‘The Swann report’ found that ethnic minorities in comparison to other groups perform less in education (King 1977). Drew (1995) also supports this by highlighting that black Afro -Caribbean boys are performing at the bottom in reference to educational attainment (King 1977). However, evidence suggest that black girls in education are performing better than black boys; although when been compared to other white children who are from the same social class their performance is inferior to them (Gilborn 1997). One could also argue that they also face inequalities of opportunities in education. One could argue that the reason for black children not achieving and succeeding could be linked to various different things such as; discrimination, institutional racism, teacher expectation, educational opportunities, equal opportunities and media perception.…

    • 2270 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays