Outline and evaluate the interactionist view of education (40 marks)

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Outline and evaluate the interactionist view of education (40 marks)

Interactionism is a micro theory that focuses on the interactions that take place between people on a daily basis. People build up pictures of others and apply labels categorising them possibly being influential towards that person’s behaviour if they are aware they are being labelled.  Interactionists are concerned with teachers applying labels to their students and how the labels effect the pupil’s achievement at school.

According to interactionist sociologists such as Keddie imply that teachers are more likely to label middle class pupils as bright and intelligent and view them as the ideal pupil whereas working class children and children from other ethnic backgrounds are more likely to get negative labels such as unintelligent or failures. However not all teachers label students as they are aware of the changes it can have on a pupils performance during education. According to Hargreaves Teachers tend to label according to 7 criteria, these being appearance, conforming to discipline, likeability, their relationship with other children, enthusiasm and their individual personality. Teachers who do label can also change them which can also have a good or bad effect on the child depending on the label. Also they do not identify where the label has come from because it would show as unprofessional behaviour, therefore making that teacher less favourable. Marxists argue that labelling is all based around class, therefore upper and middle class students will be seen as better or more intelligent than most working class children.

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Interactionists argue that labelling may well affect a pupils’ self image and what sets they are placed in affecting the speed in which they are taught at. Labelling can even lead to anti school sub-cultures being created. When a child is represented with a label, if lasting long enough, the child can experience a self fulfilling prophecy. This is where they develop norms and values to suit the label and behave accordingly. Evidence suggests pupils build up their self image of their ability in school from messages they receive at school whether its formal or informal and act upon ...

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