How labeling, streaming and the self-fulfilling prophecy lead to working class underachievement.
How labeling, streaming and the self-fulfilling prophecy lead to working class underachievement.
Aim
I aim to find out how labeling, streaming and the self-fulfilling prophecy (s/f) lead to working class (w/c) underachievement (u/a). Using Ball's theories on streaming and Hargreave's study on s/f and labeling which link w/c u/a to in-school factors, I will explore the concepts that these factors can lead to a pupil not fulfilling their potential.
I am interested in this subject which I drew from the educational part of the syllabus as I live in a w/c environment where I have seen w/c children u/a within the educational environment, also I have seen pupils treated differently depending on their class background.
(102 words)
Context and concepts
Ball's study of banding provides my main focus for streaming. At all comprehensive schools the students were placed in bands based upon information supplied by the student's previous school. The bands where meant to be based upon academic criteria but Ball found other factors which effect the band a student was placed in.
Ball attributed the diverse behaviors of pupils on the stereotypes which teachers place on different bands.
Band 1 was expected to be hardworking and dedicated, band 3 was expected not to be troublesome but they had learning difficulties. Band 2 was seen as the hardest to teach and the students where un-cooperative. Ball said that these stereotypes lead to the deterioration in the behavior of most band 2 students; this was reflected in the number of absences and lack of effort towards work.
Because of the stereotypes teachers taught lessons in different ways and encouraged students to take different educational paths. Band 1 students where pushed to achieve, and band 2 students where encouraged to take low-level exams.
Ball produced a strong relationship between class and streaming.
Because Ball saw a relationship between class and streaming and he saw how lower streams where not given the same motivation as band 1 students it shows that educational factors can lead to w/c u/a.
Hargreave's study of labeling and s/f says that w/c students are at a disadvantage when entering ...
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Because of the stereotypes teachers taught lessons in different ways and encouraged students to take different educational paths. Band 1 students where pushed to achieve, and band 2 students where encouraged to take low-level exams.
Ball produced a strong relationship between class and streaming.
Because Ball saw a relationship between class and streaming and he saw how lower streams where not given the same motivation as band 1 students it shows that educational factors can lead to w/c u/a.
Hargreave's study of labeling and s/f says that w/c students are at a disadvantage when entering a new school because of the w/c stereotypes.
When a child enters a school there are 3 stages a teacher goes through, they speculate about what the student is like based upon first impressions, they then elaborate when their speculations are either confirmed or denied, finally they stabilize when the full picture of the student is complete.
Hargreave's said that the w/c stereotype is that they are common, underachievers, disruptive and disrespectful towards teachers. Based upon these stereotypes, a teacher makes their opinions of a student. The label that a teacher gives a student can cause the student to be treated differently. If a teacher thinks a w/c child is an underachiever, they will not give the child as much help and they will keep telling the child that they will fail. Eventually, the child may start to believe this and this could lead to the student failing, this is s/f.
Hargreave's says that labeling leads to s/f and s/f can lead to u/a, this means that a w/c stereotype can lead to a w/c child u/a.
(407 words)
Main research methods
My chosen research method is covert observation (c/o). This is watching a situation without the participants of the study knowing that they are being watched. I will do this by not telling the participants that they are being studied.
A person not knowing that they are being studied is an advantage because they will not change the way they act because of the study.
From c/o you gain qualitative data (q/l), this looks more at people's feelings and emotions of the person within the study, q/l is subjective and more closely involved with the people then quantitative (q/a) methods. Q/l may be less objective then q/a but it gives more in-depth information into the area.
I have chosen this area because it is hard to gain numeric data on the factors that I am researching, collecting q/l data will give me the information I need to conclude if school factors do lead to w/c u/a.
To carry out my research I will pose as a student teacher in a comprehensive school where I will stay for 6 months. I will study how students and teachers treat each other depending on class background. Class background will be determined by student's parents/carers occupation.
I will repeat my research in another 5 schools based in the Country so that I have a more truthful view of w/c u/a within schools. With my results I will be able to make a more accurate generalization about the topic. The schools will be picked at from working class constituencies. My research is easy to implement, I do not need much equipment, all I require is permission from the teacher to carry out the research and permission from the school, not to tell the teachers and students about the research. I also need permission to get details on the class background of students so that I can carry out my research.
I will base my research on the criteria that Ball and Hargreave's used when they where studying w/c u/a within school, this will give me the basis on which to start my research.
While I am in the schools I will study the teachers opinions of students and whether they are really like their label, I will study the development of the students but only working class and see whether the students s/f is because of their labels. I will study how teacher's stream and setting students and how they determine what streams and sets pupils are placed in.
(420 words)
Potential Problems
I have many problems which I have to consider when carrying out my research, one of my main problems is an ethical issue, I am not telling the people I am studying the truth, they don't know that they are being studied so I am lying to them. People would expect me to be honest with them, but I cannot tell them the reason for my presence in the school because it would affect my data I have to lie to them.
Another problem is bias, I have to be mutual towards both teachers and students, and I cannot just take one side because my results will become flawed.
Finding time for my research is difficult because my research does not produce clear evidence.
If somebody finds out that I am carrying out the research they may start acting differently which will affect my results, if somebody does find out about my study, the school I am in will be removed from my study to keep my data more accurate.
I will have to get permission from the different schools to do the research; this may be difficult because they may not agree with the ethical side to the research. After I have finished my research I will have to tell the people what I have done, and ask for permission to publish my findings.
It will be difficult for me to record my data, and the data I record may not be accurate because it is just my interpretation of incidence.
Covert observation is not and does not produce numerical data witch may cause problems. The data I record will be my opinions of what is happening, and if another person carried out the research, they may not see the same things as me, so my research is difficult to repeat.
(302 words)
