...life in contemporary UK where there is evidence of class inequality. Illustrate your answer with reference to evidence from each area identified. (20 marks) Education - The ESRC point out that qualifications are the best predictor of whether a child will gain a high earning middle class job. However, they also point out that there are unequal success rates between social classes at school and unequal entry and success rates in post-compulsory education. -In 2008, 35% of working class pupils obtained 5 or more good grade GCSE's compared with 63% of children from middle class families. - The proportion of poorer children getting degrees has risen by just 3%, the increase among those from wealthier backgrounds is 26%. The gap between achievement between social classes could be due to home or schools, or could be related to cultural or material deprivation. - Bynner and Joshi (2002) used longitudinal birth cohort data and discovered that the link between class and educational under attainment is clear and that years of government policy have had little impact on this inequality. - The attainment of 5 or more GCSE grades A* to C by parental NS-SEC in England and Wales 2002 shows that those in higher professions and therefore more income and a higher social class have a higher percentage of attainment and achieve more GCSE's. Higher professions - 78% compared to those in lower supervisory and therefore lower social class at just 35%. - Due to material deprivation. - refers...
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...by an analysis of inequality using information on statistics of inequality in British education in relation to gender and attainment. This essay will Identify and evaluate key policy developments in education provision designed to bridge the gap of gender inequality in British education. The role of education in society has been among the major issues in contemporary sociological and political debate. According to Iannelli and Paterson (2005) education is a major factor that helps determine the jobs and social class positions of individuals in society. As an institution of sociology, education plays a dominant role in transmitting prevalent ideologies of society by providing pupils with the curriculum and hidden curriculum as well as the skills that will prepare them physically, mentally and socially for their life chances (Clark 2005). Educational institutions play a very important role in reducing social inequalities. Over the last century British schools experienced very important changes and moved from a selective system to a comprehensive one in the 1960s and 70s. Much research has shown that the move from a selective to a comprehensive system in the UK had a positive effect in reducing gender and social inequality (Leicester et al 2000; Ianneli and Paterson 2005). Gender has been viewed as one of the most important influence on educational attainment in the UK and other parts of the world. Across European and British schools there has been a much greater awareness of gender...
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...In all social groups class plays a major role in the attainment of children in education. At all age groups in the education system it is apparent that working class children achieve lower attainment than children from a middle class background. It is suggested that the system is biased and designed for white, middle class children disregarding the needs of the working class and ethnic minority children. However most researchers believe that there is a similar ‘range of ability’ in every social class which could mean that class differences in educational achievement are not due to class differences in intelligence but more to do with other factors in society such as low expectations and low aspirations, lack of deferred gratification and economical issues all of which are more apparent in the working class. Children from working class backgrounds tend to experience economical hardship more so than any other class; this is often linked to material deprivation which these children are exposed to throughout their life. Material deprivation in social class five has been closely linked to the underachievement of working class pupils in schools since the 1960s when sociologists claimed that a child’s attainment could be linked to a lack of something which was then found to be a kind of deprivation. A lack of money and the things that money could buy combined with a lack of skills and the absence of a good attitude contributed to a child’s achievement in school. These children are...
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...ABSTRACT This report attempted to describe and explain the relationship between parents’ socioeconomic status and pupils’ educational attainment using a case study approach. The objectives of the study were: to estimate the relationship between parents’ educational level, income level and occupations; with pupils’ educational performance in their mock examinations leading to PLE in St Jude Malaba primary school in the year 2010. Data for the study was collected through the use of questionnaires for pupils, interview with teachers and head teachers, documentary analysis of the school records and observation. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of study were used. The researcher used Tables, charts and Pearson’s correlation to describe and analyze quantitative data while qualitative data was analyzed on the basis of themes. The results showed that there was a positive correlation between the parents’ level of education, income and occupation with pupil’s educational performance. Fathers’ education was significant at 0.804 while mothers’ educational level was significant at 0.641. Parent’s level of income was significant at 0.875 and Parents’ occupation was significant at 0.757. These findings are consistent with the concept of social reproduction by Pierre Bourdieu (1986), Annet Lareau (2003) and Randall Collins. The researcher concluded that parent’ low socioeconomic status impacted negatively on pupils’ performance, through denying the children access to resources...
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...Education inequalities and achievements In this essay different in educational achievements of social groups including class, gender and ethnicity as well as difference in achievement caused by out of school factors and in school factors will be discussed. Education has had a huge impact to peoples lives and there is a significant difference in the educational achievement based class, ethnicity and gender. A child`s social background has a huge impact on the success in education and their life in future. On average children from middle class families perform well in school, get better GCSE results, stay longer in full time education than children from the working class families. Majority of children from middle class families will go to university compared to the children from working class families. Statistics show that 77% of students from parents with higher professional jobs will achieve 5 or more GCSE, 66% from parents with lower professional, 40% from parents with intermediate jobs and 33% from parents with routine jobs or unemployed, reason being that most middle class parents will afford to take children to private schools or pay for private tuition (webb, r etal2008). We operationalize the concept of class in school by using the access of free school meals (FSM), which is offered to children whose parents get unemployment benefit and come from deprived areas. There is a huge difference in education attainment between pupil receiving FSM and not receiving FSM, Statistics show...
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...• Since the early 1990’s, girls have begun to outperform boys at most levels of the educationsystem. According to Pirie in Item A, the modular courses and continuous assessment found ineducation today has been seen to favour the systematic approach of girls, compared to the oldO level exam which typically favoured boys. These changes within the education system are seenas the main result of gender differences in education, nevertheless, external factors such asthe impact of feminism and changes in the job market may also have influenced the increase ingirl’s attainment.Firstly, it may be argued that the way pupils are assessed has favoured girls and disadvantagedboys. Gorard found that the gender gap in achievement was stable from 1975 up until 1988 whenit increased rapidly. This was when GCSE and with it coursework was introduced. Mitsos andBrowne support the view that GCSE’s favoured girls as they were more successful in courseworkdue to the fact that girls are seen to be more careful with their work, more likely to spendlonger on their work and meet deadlines. However, Ellwood argues that although coursework hashad some influence, exams themselves have a greater influence in the final grade. Thereforethis does not create a significant gap between gender differences.Secondly, the way in which teachers interact with pupils differs. Sociologist Jane and PeterFrench argue that classroom interaction between teachers and boys was not that different tothat of girls in terms of academic...
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...The article, ‘Functional and Conflict Theories of Educational Stratification’ authored by Randall Collin, tries to find out reason for the cliché higher technical education is a solution for all professional problem of a person. It seeks to find out the reality behind an almost ritualized belief that higher technical education leads to prosperity and wealth by opening-up gates for elitist white-collar job. Hence there has been an increasing demand for the same all across the developed economies. A great deal of government wealth along with public wealth is being spent for technological education. It’s beheld as a vehicle for development of the individual and the state. Randall Collins is an American sociologist who is a professor at University of Pennsylvania, U.S. He believes that increased reliance on education for higher occupational attainment has turned education into a potential tool for social mobility as well as for social stratification in America. Hence he tries to find out the link between education and social stratification through a Functional and Conflict perspective as mentioned below. Technical-function theory Conflict theory Technical-function theory According to this theory social origins being a constant it is seen that the higher the number of years of education the more is the occupational attainment. The other implication is that technological advancements have led to the increase in skill requirements necessary for employment, and education system...
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...Assess the view that the most important factor affecting differential education attainment is material factors (20 marks) Children from materially deprived homes are at a disadvantage as they may not be able to afford the resources needed for educational purposes such as Textbooks, pens/pencils, computers/technology etc, also they may not be able to afford uniform meaning that they will have to use, used, worn and shabby uniform from the lost and found which could lead to bullying. Since poverty and deprivation apply only to children from working class backgrounds in many cases, these are potential causes of differential educational achievement, lack of money for transport, school trips, technology, these make a difference between a good, healthy education and a bad, unhealthy one as these things are vital, without such things they’re education is affected and they would be most likely unrecognizably behind which could affect students grades which would most likely lead to the cycle of deprivation. In all social groups class plays a large role in attainment of children in education, for example a particular book or a particular type of researched homework may be asked from a teacher with a class of both middle and working class students, it is more probable for the middle class students to have completed it but on the other hand the working class student may not be able to afford the book or even have access to a computer to do any research needed and that therefore may lead...
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...materials from Item A and elsewhere, assess sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement. Statistics show that in Britain, young people of African-Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somalian heritage are significantly underachieving in education. Children from Gypsy, Roma and traveller backgrounds are the lowest achieving of all. Processes inside school can be a key factor as to why there are ethnic differences in education achievement. The labelling theory says that teachers have different expectations of different ethnic minority groups. Gilbert (1990) found that teachers sometimes negatively label black students. Afro-Caribbean students were seen as a challenge to school authority and were therefore more likely to be excluded from school. Item A also reinforces this as it states that one possible reason for ethnic differences in educational achievement lies in the school system and that Black Caribbean boys are excluded more than any group. Gillborn calls this the ‘myth of the black challenge’. Teachers had high expectations of Asian students, which could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy of success. In contrast, the negative labelling could result in a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure. This can lead to ethnic differences in education achievement. Outside school factors can also provide sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement. Language difference can affect achievement as language was a barrier for kids...
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...Sociology of Education Unit 04 What patterns of achievement are there for students of different ethnicities? Learning targets: • Different ethnic groups appear to have differing levels of achievement in school. Overall, the ethnicities of attainment are White, Chinese and Indian heritage students. • There has been concern about the achievement levels of certain Black minorities: in particular, African Caribbeans and Bangladeshi students under-attain in schools. • Sociologists have difficulty in measuring the impact of ethnicity on achievement because other factors may be involved. Poverty, class and cultural factors may all form part of reasons why some Black ethnic groups underperform. Key questions (AO1) What is ethnicity? (AO1) What patterns of attainment on the basis of ethnicity are there? (AO2) Is the education system institutionally racist? (AO2) What other social factors may influence ethnic attainment? Summary of key points Ethnicity is a word used in sociology to describe the culture that you belong to. Everyone has an ethnicity. For most people in Barry, this ethnicity or sense of belonging to a culture is Welsh. Some people have more than one ethnicity; they might be Welsh/Chinese or English/African. The majority ethnicity in Britain is white British. People who do not fit into that group are said to belong to an ethnic minority. There are many ethnicities...
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...“School class differences in educational achievement are the results of factors within home” only? Differences in educational achievement can be assessed through three forms of stratification; social class, ethnicity and gender. Moreover, the main factor s which spill light on the matter are both the home and school factors. For instance, the picture of academic achievement by social class is consistent. The survey of Halsey, Heath and Ridge (1980) showed that boys from the service class (top strata) had 40 times more chance of attending a public than a boy from the working class. Even after the abolition of the tripartite system, with 1944 Act, the chance of a working class boy to rise through academic ranks, is four time less than a service class boy of still being in school at the age of 16 , eight times less at 17, ten times less at 18 and eleven times less at university while the above is a general review of the relation between class and educational achievement, it is essential to isolate the two distinct contribute factors: home factor and school factor a concrete discussion. Primarily, let’s take into consideration the home factors; subdivided in material factors and cultural factors. J.W.B Douglas (1964) carried out a survey of over 5,000 children born in 1946.He found out that on overall, children from the working class are less performing in ability test. According to him, the home background, parent attitudes, parents’ hours of work and mostly parental interest...
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...Social Class in Modern British Education For this assignment I have been asked to write about a current issue in Further\Higher Education. I have chosen to discuss some of the issues of social class as they relate to education policy in modern Britain. Following the right to vote, the right to education is a freedom which people throughout history and around the world have struggled to achieve. “There is a sense in which social class has been at the core of British sociology of education throughout the existence of the field, even when it has not been high on education policy agendas.” (Whitty, 2001, p.287) While issues and effects of social class exist in all countries, the English experience is particularly problematic. (Goldthorpe, 1996) In the United Kingdom at the turn of the 19th century a university education was a privilege enjoyed by the sons of the wealthy and influential. Although members of the social elite “passed through the universities, they rarely completed their degrees. The subsidiary mission of the pre-industrial universities was to complete the socialisation of future elites, social and political”. (Scott, 1995, p.12) The last two decades have witnessed a considerable amount of rhetoric with regard to improving this situation; with access and inclusion being the keystones of nearly every government policy issued. New Labour went so far as to announce in its election manifesto an explicit aim of increasing participation in higher education to 50 per cent...
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...reduce an organization’s competitiveness. It is useful to monitor and understand teachers’ attitudes and behavior towards work satisfaction. Relevant information by employing survey will be beneficial to school manager and stakeholders. Employees’ report their feelings toward their jobs satisfaction and work environment, its statistical generated through survey feedback are better conclusion to the existing human resource data. Thus, this study style is better performed base on facts about the teacher’s attitude and behavior towards work satisfaction. Socio- Demographic and Economic Characteristic * Gender * Age * Civil Status * Work Experience * Location of Residence * Monthly Salary * Educational Attainment * Employment Status ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORK * JOB AS THERAPHY * JOB AS SERVICE * JOB AS MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD WWWWWWwww Figure 1. Statement of the Problem Sub problem one:...
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...Immigrants and Educational Achievement in The United States Lesly Cabrera City College of New York Various studies have been conducted to measure college readiness on many levels amongst many populations, and have ultimately found factors influencing such statistics (Jasinski, 2000). However, the issue of specifically the population of Hispanic immigrant youth and the lack of education achievement can be further analyzed to measure the effects of individual factors. In my research, I intend to find and list the main factors that influence my target population in regards to educational attainment. This research hopes to answer: which type of factors have the greatest impact on Hispanic immigrants that can guide or...
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...Disparities in Educational Attainment Introduction History is inherently dominated by men. Women, however, have played major roles in the world as well. Society had always accepted a lifestyle of the man bringing home the money and the woman cooking, cleaning and raising the children. This is not entirely true because women started their movement for equality when Africa was colonized by Europe. Women were more negatively affected than positively influenced during colonialism in Africa. Discussion Women's status and power receded mainly due to the fact colonialism affected each part of their lives, consisting of, but not limited to, education, economic status and ancestry. Colonial proprietors thought men should have power over the crop growing and manufacturing of crops because the European powers thought men would be better suited in this area to be successful than women (unescostat.unesco.org ). Males, in comparison, were taught regularly the newest ideas that were used to aid their production and agricultural proficiency. The men were given the ability to use plows and types of transportation such as bikes and automobiles (White 2003), while the women were forced to work by hand and carry everything to and fro. Women prepared themselves for acts to show what was wanted including rural opposition, cultural self-rule, work movements, and spiritual and political demonstrations (Rosenstone 2006). In fairly non-violent actions in Ghana and Nigeria, women wrote letters...
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