OCR G673 SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION- WHO's DOING IT?!?

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Role/Theory: something to do with education meeting the needs of the economy (Marxism);
DEA: something to do with culture/home explanations of social class; and
Policy: something to do with working class students being at a disadvantage and the policies implemented to help them.

The reason I think these type of questions will come up is because of the pattern I've noticed from the JAN 2011 - JUN 2014 papers! :smile:

(PS: I've included a revision guide that goes over everything in simple terms! :biggrin:

)

So for the policy question would that be talking about New Labour's 1997 policy only or would we mention Conservative policy since 1988 + Conservative-Liberal coalition?

Reply 61

gsrdensofeden

Anybody have a Marxism essay they could share? As i have always struugled with marxism. Even with AS

Reply 62

deessenoire

Original post by hellenkelley

So for the policy question would that be talking about New Labour's 1997 policy only or would we mention Conservative policy since 1988 + Conservative-Liberal coalition?

It would state the years they would want you to talk about. :smile:

Reply 63

hellenkelley

Original post by deessenoire

It would state the years they would want you to talk about. :smile:

Thank you! :smile:

)

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Reply 64

deessenoire

Original post by gsrdensofeden

Anybody have a Marxism essay they could share? As i have always struugled with marxism. Even with AS

It's not an essay, but I hope this will help. :smile:

Outline and assess the Marxist view that education serves the interests of the ruling class. (50 marks)

Introduction: define ruling class - bourgeoisie and proletariat - macro theory.

(e.g. Marxism is a macro theory which examines conflict in society. It focuses on the unequal relationship between the bourgeoisie (ruling class) and the proletariat (working class). Education, in the Marxist view, is part of the superstructure and as such serves as an ideological apparatus of state control. But how far does the education system serve ruling class interests today?

Main body: include false class consciousness, class conflict, self-fulfilling prophecy, infrastructure, correspondence theory (Bowles and Gintis), controlling the workplace (Althusser), Willis' lad study, role allocation (Davis and Moore) and cultural capital, particularly high culture (Bourdieu).

Conclusion:
To conclude, the Marxist theory that education serves the interests of the ruling classes is somewhat dated today as there are many stakeholders who have an interest in education: it does not exist only to serve those at the top. However, the class gap in GCSE results and the corresponding inequalities in society suggests that the ruling class are those with the power and their interests end up being prioritised even when education policies attempt to address inequalities.

Reply 65

deessenoire

Original post by hellenkelley

Thank you! :smile:

)

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You're welcome! :smile:

Reply 66

gsrdensofeden

Would you write about functionalism and other theories as an against side?

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Reply 67

12AS1

For the first question education meeting the needs of the economy (Marxism) what would be your main three paragraphs and how would you evaluate it ?? Find that question difficult :/ are we meant to include some policies such as new deal, era etc and say how that has relationship between education and the economy? Thank you for your help! Also do you think females DEA would come up?

Original post by deessenoire

Role/Theory: something to do with education meeting the needs of the economy (Marxism);
DEA: something to do with culture/home explanationgs of social class; and
Policy: something to do with working class students being at a disadvantage and the policies implemented to help them.

The reason I think these type of questions will come up is because of the pattern I've noticed from the JAN 2011 - JUN 2014 papers! :smile:

(PS: I've included a revision guide that goes over everything in simple terms! :biggrin:

)

Reply 68

Rosiee_m

Why are people saying ethnicity is most likely to come up? My teacher said that it came up last year and she said they've never repeated it twice in a row so this year is likely to be gender or class, mainly class.

Reply 69

AbsT

I agree with that its the wording that pusts me off. Yes- if someone could explain how you'd answer it; that'll be great! 😊

Reply 70

natashaaa12829

What theories would we include for marx education and economy?

Reply 71

gsrdensofeden

Also for the dea question, if it is to be about social class and cultural explanations, any help on this please???

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Reply 72

najv

anyone reckon new vocationalism will come up?

Reply 73

TechHater

Original post by Rosiee_m

person that said ethnicity would come up made a mistake and thought the 2013 paper was the 2014 one. Both gender and class are likely to come up class slightly more

Reply 74

AbsT

Personally- i would do cultural for (obviously) but split it up into the 4 ways cultural explanations hinder/excell a childs success
So 1st one; language speech and patterns (berstien)
2nd; parental interest (douglas and ferstein)
3rd; cultural capitals (bourdieu and sullivan)
4th; working class subcultures (sugarman)

Then obviously against would be other theories.

I did it like this before and got 92%

Best of luck, hope it helped
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Reply 75

AbsT

My teachers think vocationalism will come up for ed and the economy, ehich im gutted about as i know economy like the back of my hand but i dont understand vocationalism 😔

Reply 76

username1423491

Does anyone know how to stucture a 50 marker about Marxist - role of education and what main points should be included. I'm having trouble with that one :/

Reply 77

TechHater

Original post by gsrdensofeden

Also for the dea question, if it is to be about social class and cultural explanations, any help on this please???

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I got an A for this question it should help you
Outline and assess cultural explanations for gendereducational differential achievement
Social class dea is the idea that pupils achieve differentresults due to the social class they belong too. For example in 2004, 77% ofthose with parents in higher professional backgrounds achieved 5 or more A*-Cgrades in their GCSEs compared to 33% achieved by those with parents in routinework. Outside school factors can explainwhy social class dea occurs. Outside school factors, also known as cultural explanationsrefer to the norms and values of social classes to explain the difference inachievements. However we need toconsider the relevance and significance of inside school explanations as wellas macro structural arguments. In addition we must also appreciate theinterconnectivity of class, gender and ethnicity.
Cultural explanations refer to the norms and values held bysocial classes as the prime cause of dea. Hyman and Sugarman talk about thecultural deprivation thoey which points out that different classes havedifferent value systems and a a result this could contribute or explain saidsocial class dea. Hyman and Sugarman argued that the working class cultureconsists of fatalism, which is the fact that working class people accept theirposition in society and do not seek change. They also mentioned the fact thatthe working class seek instant gratification instead of sacrificing for thefuture reward. In addition Hyman and Sugarman found that the working class are presenttime oriented which means that they focus too much on the present and have nohope or aspirations for the future. However there middle class counterparts tend notbe fatalistic, are put an emphasis on long-term goals and are more individualistic.In this sense the Hyman and Sugarman’s theory of cultural deprivation that theworking class culture is deprived or deficient in certain important respectsand this accounts for the low educational attainment of working class pupils. Onthe other hand the so called working class culture may simply be a response interms of mainstream culture to the circumstances of working class life. Thus membersof the wc may be realistic rather than fatalistic; they might defer theorygratification if they had the resources to defer, and they might be futureoriented if the if the opportunities for a successful future planning wereavailable. From this point of view member s of the working class share the samenorms as any other member of society. Their behaviour is not directed by adistinctive subculture. It is simply their situation which prevents them fromexpressing society’s norms and values.
This can be criticised with the macro structural explanationthat the systems and structures in society contribute to social class dea. Forexample Bourdieu a neo Marxist talks about the cultural capital theory whichstates that the mc possess all of the knowledge and interests which educationlegitimises and doesn’t take into consideration the culture of the wc. The middleclass translate all of this knowledge and interests into wealth and power. Thisshows that the education system favours the culture of the middle class andmarginalises the wc which can make them feel alienated and disillusioned whichcan affect their educational attainment and contribute to dea .Furthermore Bernsteinreiterates Bourdieu’s thesis that culture is significant as Bernstein claimsthat the wc speak in a restricted language code which consists of short, grammaticallysimple and often unfinished sentences whilst the mc speak in a elaboratedlanguage code which consist of complex grammar and intellectually developedideas. Burstein argues that education legitimises the culture of the mc makingit harder for the wc students to grasp complex ideas and concepts. Thelimitation of working class pupils to a restricted code may provide a partialexplanation for their relative low attainment.
Both the cultural deprivation theory and the cultural capitaltheory can be challenged by the economic deprivation theory which argues thatthere is a huge disparity between the rich and poor in terms of financialresources. For example smith and noble argue that there are economic barriersto learning as the wc lack these resources they are to purchase uniforms, schooltrips, don’t have access to a desk or computer and tend to have a relatively poorhealth which makes them more vulnerable to illness meaning they are likely tomiss at their education, which again, may be a cause of class dea. Particularlythis financial and material deprivation means that wc students can’t afford privatetuition whereas the mc students can and so receive extra help with theireducation putting them in a stronger position to achieve the very best grades. Thesesentiments are echoed by Callender and Jackson who argue that wc students areless likely to go to university if they fear debt. This situation has surelyexacerbated as this coalition government have tripled tuition fees (2011)making working class students more frightful of debt.
Inside school explanations also contribute to social classdea. These are school processes which take place in the school and can include:streaming banding labelling and stereotyping. These factors could help explainwhy working class students achieve a lot less than their middle classcounterparts. For example Ball foundthat banding in a comprehensive school was based on primary schoolrecommendations which favoured the mc . There were 3 bands band 2 was said tobe the most difficult to teach. However, the pupils had actually passed which isclear evidence of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Furthermore, Keddie also foundthat the teacher’s perception of the ideal pupil was closely related to mc student.There was also streaming which took place and actually disadvantaged the wc asthe lower stream were denied the knowledge the higher stream had access to.This shows that school processes such as labelling, streaming and banding canall contribute to class dea . Moreover, Cicourel and Kitsuse also found thatcounsellors in the USA had actually discouraged wc students form opting tostudy college courses. Clearly, this illustrates that inside school processescan have a significant effect on individual progress as it crushed wc student’sdream and anticipations. Surely this challenges the illusion of “equality ofopportunity”.
There is also further evidence to suggest that culturalexplanations do significantly contribute to social class dea. For exampleDouglas argued that the degree of parental interest had the majority ofinfluence in a child’s attainment. Douglas argued that wc parents have lessinterest in their children education in comparison to mc parents who have moreinterest in their education. He also attached importance to the child’s earlyyears performance during first years of schooling is reflected throughout secondaryschool. Douglas argues that during primary socialisation mc children receivemore attention and stimulus from their parents. Middle class parents werelikely to encourage their children to do their best in a variety of activitiesand this formed a base for high achievement in the educational system. Thisfurther supported by Feinstein who found that in tests of maths attainmentimprovement children whose parentsexhibited high interest in education was 15% higher than those of childrenwhose parents exhibited no interest. By comparison the average advantage ofhaving two parents who both stayed on at school beyond minimum age and a fatherin professional occupation was only 2%. This shows that, according to Feinstein,the main advantage mc pupils have over the working class is parental motivationand interest which he found to be more important than having well educated parentsto explain social class dea. However Blackstone and Mortimore argue that wcparents were interested in their children’s education but are occupied withtheir jobs as they’re often working long hours.
When exploring dea we need to recognise the interconnectivityof different aspects of identity such as class, gender and ethnicity. Socialclass alone cannot explain the causes of dea and instead we should also considergender as well as t=ethnicity. For example Sue Sharp found that for wc girlsmarriage was their utmost priority which meant they consequently placed a lowvalue on educational achievement. This could help explain why boys wereoutperforming girls in that period of time. However Sue Sharp found later on that the wc girls had prioritised theircareers over marriage. Additionally, Mac and Ghail also found that student’sresponse to racist labelling by teachers had varied and was influenced by theirclass, gender and ethnicity. This multi casual approach which is more useful toexplain dea as it is complex/
In conclusion, both inside and outside school explanationscan be challenged by the biological approach. Charles Murray argued thatintelligence is inherited and explains why mc students are doing so well ineducation. This idea that intelligence is inherited has been challenged by sociologistsas there is no evidence for this. Over all we must recognise that social classalone is not enough to explain dea. Connolly found that teachers haddiscriminated against black boys who then responded by asserting their Macho masculinity.The teacher s were also racist towards black girls as well as the Asian boys,who were misbehaving. WE must acknowledge that a mono-casual approach is toolimited in helping us understand the phenomenon of dea and instead we must takeon a multi-dimensional approach

Reply 78

TechHater

anyone got an A grade essay on vocationalism need help on that essay