This is a political view as it so critical of working class culture. It points out that the working class does less well and then moves on to blame the victims for their own failure.
Cultural deprivation theory focuses is on the need for instant rather than deferred gratification, and the absence of suitable role models in many working class households. This results in low self-esteem and expectations and often, particularly in the case of males to the emergence of sub-cultures, characterized by resistance to school or grudging conformity.
Often, also, children backgrounds are viewed as inferior by teachers, in contrast to middle class children who have been inculcated with the view that education is worthwhile. Douglas (1964) focuses on the key role of parental aspirations, claiming that working class parents are less interested in formal education of their children, and hence in their success. A study carried out by Hyman (1967) identified these distinct differences in attitudes towards education, arguing that the lower value placed on education and on higher occupational status by the working class undoubtedly affects children's educational achievement.
Immediate gratification
Working class children are encouraged by their parents to "take what they can get, when they can get it". Leaving school at the earliest opportunity is a form of "immediate gratification", since the working class child can start to earn money at an earlier age than their middle-class peers.
Key sociologists
Hyman - The working class have a self imposed barrier against education. They accept that they can't get far, and hence they don't.
Bernstein - Did a study on speech codes - he found two types of speech. What he called 'elaborated code' and then 'restricted code'. He said that only the middle class had access to the elaborate speech, which is essential to academic studies, whereas the working class were trapped in the use of restricted codes even in written work.
Sugarman - Talks about how the working class goes for immediate gratification more than the middle class. But the middle class go to university so in the long term they're better off the working class are more tempted by full time work at ages 16 or 18.
Douglas - Parents have a large impact, especially during primary socializations, the middle class are taught the values of education far more than working class parents who do not value education.
As you can see, rather then lacking in books, computers etc - cultural deprivation relates to speech or parental influence.
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Although the concept of cultural deprivation is similar in some ways to ideas like class sub-culture theory / cultural capital, the crucial difference tends to be the idea that there is something in the cultural background of working class children - male, female, black and white - that needs changing. Lower class culture, in effect, holds children back from educational success and, therefore, we need to identify the essential characteristics of this culture that create "failure" Cultural deprivation theorists, therefore, take it for granted that the "school system" cannot be significantly changed (mainly because of the various ways schools are tied-into the social and economic structure of the society in which they develop). If schools (their practices and cultural assumptions) cannot be significantly changed, therefore, what must change is the cultural attitudes and practices of lower class families and their children.
In basic terms, therefore, cultural deprivation theorists argue that the "cultural resources" possessed by lower class children are insufficient to ensure educational success, whereas the cultural resources of their middle and upper class counterparts go some way towards ensuring their relative success.
However, precisely what lower class cultural practices need to be changed is, however, a matter of debate and disagreement...
However, there is an
element of attractive common sense appeal to the idea. There are two questions to be considered
Here:
· Is there a culture or cycle of disadvantage?
· Is the culture of working class people different or deficient?
Material Deprivation Is The Most Important Barrier To Educational Attainment
Material deprivation is a lack of money, which leads to disadvantages,
such as unhealthy diet and a lack of materials such as computer and
textbooks. J.W.B Douglas examined education of 5,362 British children
and grouped the children in terms of their ability, which was measured
by IQ tests. He then divided them into four social class groupings and
found significant variations between students of a similar ability but
who were from different social backgrounds.
Douglas believed that underachievement in education was related to a
number of factors. These were the students health, the size of the
students family and the quality of the school they attended. With
health, working class children tend to have a poor diet, which leads
to ill health. This in turn, leads to poor attendance and therefore
children cannot catch up on work missed and so underachieve in exams.
