The Effect of Class on Education
Kara Goodfellow
Parents' social class has a greater impact on how well their children perform at school than IQ. Social class has become the primary pathway as well as a towering obstacle to opportunity in America. Below I will discuss three articles on this topic. In IQ Study Finds Class Effect by Rick Weiss, he discusses why poor children, and especially black poor children, score lower on average than their middle-income and white counterparts on performance tests. Studies have repeatedly found that genes, not environment, explain most of the differences in IQ among individuals. However, a new study of the interaction among genes, environment and IQ finds that the influence of genes on intelligence is dependent on class.
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Jean Anyon observed five elementary schools over the course of a school year and found that fifth graders of different economic backgrounds are already being prepared to occupy particular rungs on the social ladder. She discusses the study and the results in her article, Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work. In the two working class schools, work was following the steps of a procedure, involving very little decision making or choice. The teachers based lessons on photocopies and handouts. Rote behavior was required, the teacher rapid fired questions demanding immediate answers. The teachers ordered the children around and very rarely said please. Bells alerting the change of class are ignored. In the middle-class school, work was getting the right answer. Most lessons were based on the textbook. These children still had to follow directions, but some decision making was required. Work tasks do not necessitate creativity. The children aren't very excited about the work and assignments appear to have
Jean Anyon, author of the article “From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work”, spent one year observing a fifth-grade class in a socially middle class elementary school. In this year, she was able to determine that the teachers taught the students by textbook based lessons and would ask questions that would verify if a student had done his or her reading assignments before coming to class. The students would then receive grades based on the amount of right answers they had given. Through her observations she saw that teachers did not bring up concepts that could be considered controversial in fear that parents would become angry. Anyon noted that the students learned by being given directions that often required some decision making,
Douglas has claimed that working class children have lack of educational equipment e.g. toys and books; he believes that this type of equipment would stimulate a child intellectual development. These children will then have difficulty in trying to succeed when starting school without intellectual development. This claim is also supported by sociologist Bernstein and Young as they think that middle class parents are more likely to choose toys that encourage reasoning and skills f0r their children’s intellectual development, as opposed to working class parents.
The three effects of social class on family life: the choice in husband or wife, divorce, and childbearing. When it comes to the choice of a significant other to marry, it can cause a lot of stress. In a capitalist class, it is thought that the children have to marry someone from a family that is of the same social class or that has a certain last name. This is because who one marries is thought to affect both of their entire families rather than just the ones getting married. Although in a more middle class or poor family, it may not matter as much unless they are trying to move up the social ladder.
It has yet to be researched in this country as to whether or not a family’s SES impacts their intelligence quotient (IQ) and to what degree (higher or lower) that influence has on their IQ. Studies that have been made in the United States also tend to use demographics such as low SES African Americans or Hispanics in gentrified parts of inner cities, instead of broadening the scope of research to suburban areas or larger variety of ethnicities. The current poverty line for a family of 3 is $20,160.00 and lowers, if there are less working family members. From a
Contemporary views are that class is still the most significant social factor for accounting for differences in educational achievement. It seems that middle class children tend to do better than working class children. Most sociologists believe that in every social class there is the same range of ability, this means that class differences in educational attainment are not due to class differences in intelligence, but due to other circumstances such as the home and socialization. However some sociologists would argue that attainment in classes results from sifting, sorting and assessment of pupils in terms of teacher’s perceptions of class, ability and conduct. Throughout this essay, the view that working class underachievers in school is
Socioeconomic status, commonly shortened to the acronym SES, includes three different variables that correlate with one another, however, there is not necessarily a causational coefficient between each of them. A family’s socioeconomic status is generally determined by the level of education of the parent(s), the social status appointed to their job as well as the measure of skills it takes (i.e. a job that takes years of education and/or training is held at a higher regard than one that does not), and their economic status, which is measured by their income. Multiple studies have concluded that, due to a number of factors, children in lower socioeconomic families tend to have lower IQ’s as compared to
America upholds society to a very high regard measureing society as 'The Haves and Have Nots or Wants'. Thus, stating your either under class, middle-class, or upper-class. The middle class is dramatically disappearing, so what's left for labeling is rich or poor. It's just simple as that! Of course, everyone is striving to become the 1% on top of the game and fit it where they can get in. In search of becoming the top of the crop, or what we call the echelon.
This research will be designed to identify the inequalities that still exist in higher education and the barriers that broaden and reinforce social class divide. It will examine the origins of the barriers and also investigate what could be done to minimise these in order to promote social equality. Bourdieu’s theory of cultural reproduction indicates that class inequalities has been legitimatised and the education system is facilitated by possession of cultural capital and of higher class habitus which means failure of those students who do not possess these traits is inevitable (Sullivan, 2002). The researcher will use the raw data to indicate the extent to which this theory is still valid. The research will also add value to the already existing literature as it will heighten awareness that social class difference is a contributor in higher educational choices. It will also add to the limited research carried out in this area and will impact on policy makers and the decision made on higher education. The research will benefit the he academic and professional community. The main aims an objectives of the research are as follows:
Social class plays a big role in educational opportunity in the United States. It is obvious that people in working class receive lower education system and opportunities than people in middle and upper classes. People in working class also have harder times in economic, social and occupational circumstances than middle and upper classes. Social class affects educational opportunity in many ways such as environment, neighborhood, type of education systems and parental support.
Brown (1997) argues that middle class families impose values onto their children regarding education from a young age; they place high importance on educational qualifications as they are aware that the job market is becoming increasingly competitive (cited Ball and Vincent, 2001). This suggests that middle-class pupils value school and try to get as much as they can out of it, thus have higher levels of attainment than working-class pupils.
Family's social class position shapes the process of socialization by the raising of a child. A child's social class affects activities the child performs in. If the child is of a higher class then the child is more likely to branch out and be involved in a variety of things; where as if the child is of a low class the child is more likely to be apart of few activities and branch out less. Children of higher class are typically held to a higher standard than children of lower class due to the expectancy of the child to have similar qualities as their family. Children of lower class are also less likely to travel and experience a variety of culture where as higher class children tend to travel and be involved in a variety of cultural activities.
Parents in the lower and working social class tend to believe that they can never be too involved in their children’s education. (Pew) This provides an interesting contrast because based off of another survey parents in this class are the least likely to read out loud to their children. This is likely a matter of time management. Parents in this class are often working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet. These children spend a majority of their childhood in the care of extended family, seeing as most of these families live in poor neighborhoods and childcare is not readily available or affordable. But these parents still feel that their kids should be doing well in school, education is an important part of being able to get better jobs, and if the parents want their children to be able to socially move up in the society than they will be more likely to want to be involved in their children’s education. Based on a survey conducted it was also found that parents of this social class
Does social class affect people’s education? How can teachers affect education? How can motivation affect education? Teachers play a big part for kids and adult education. Social class, teachers and motivation have its pros and cons it can affect kids' education, but sometimes not really depending on the kid. Social classes can affect children’s education depending on the class there in. There are different classes like the working class, middle class and upper class. These classes may or may not affect the children it can in some way depending on how the kid is and how they were raised; they will fit in one of these categories. Social class can affect children based on the parent’s level of education or their wealth and ect. Depending on how wealthy the kid’s parents are may or may not affect the kid’s education. Working classes also lead into the middle class and somewhat almost the same. Working class families have parents that work all the time and don’t really have enough time for their kids, and that’s only for some kids. Kids that aren’t as wealthy have parents working at times that they won’t be able to help their kids with their work. They end up either learning or they are ending up not learning how to do things on their own. It actually can help the kid learning things on their own, but they would need help and someone to tell them to do your homework. If the kid needs help with whatever is on his or her homework don’t really have anyone to ask about it. Older
The socioeconomic classes have entirely taken control of our education system at all levels. It starts at the young age of students who have trouble learning as every student is different and it takes a vast amount of strategies to help each student learn, but our schools are failing to do so. Our social classes determine the type of education we will receive before we are even grown to realize it. Students of different classes are not given equal opportunities toward their education. Therefore, how do we expect them to reach their full potential and become successful if they are not given the essentials to get there.
The social class of parents have greater impact on how well their child/children will perform at school than most people think. Multiple studies have shown that children with parents in professional management jobs were at least 8 months ahead of parents and families in lower class jobs or who were often unemployed. Researchers from the University of London´s Institute found that the parents social class have a bigger influence on their children's progress between the ages of five and seven than parenting techniques do. (“Social Class Has More Effect on Children than Good Parenting, Study Finds”, 2010) Nick Clegg said: "Parents hold the fortunes of the children they bring into this world in their hands. All parents have a responsibility to nurture the potential in their children…”