Read the account of Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study on pages 104 and 105 of the book and discuss the following questions: In what ways might the teachers have treated the ‘spurters’ differently from the other children? What effect might this have had on the other children? What ethical issues are raised by this study? What does the study show about the effects of streaming? … [Read more...]
The Stratification of Knowledge
Keddie’s research on the school curriculum shows how dominant groups have the power to define what counts as high status knowledge. She calls this the ‘stratification of knowledge’. High status knowledge tends to be theoretical rather than practical knowledge and based on competition and individual achievement rather than cooperative group activities. Working in pairs, identify which … [Read more...]
Class Differences in Achievement (2) Internal Factors : Answers to QuickCheck Questions
Labelling involves attaching a meaning or definition to someone e.g. ‘thick’. The self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that comes true simply by virtue of it having been made e.g. the pupil labeled ‘thick’ internalizes the label and underachieves. Labelling theory is deterministic and wrongly assumes that once labeled, pupils have no choice but to fulfil the prophecy and fail. It … [Read more...]