Assess the view that factors within schools are the greatest influence on social class difference in educational achievement

A-Level: Sociology

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It is widely believed that in school factors are the greatest influence on social class difference in educational achievement. This comes from teachers and pupils labelling other students which can lead on to an either negative or positive case of self-fulfilling prophecy. Subcultures that are formed have a huge influence on pupils and the delinquent ones are more often than not populated by working class children, which straight away gives them a disadvantage with how they are treated by teachers.
Within delinquent subcultures there is a range from loud to smokers to druggies. When children become involved in these deviant subcultures they behave according to the way that others do which can lead to labels being formed both by teachers and their fellow students. Labelling by teachers is a major identifying characteristic and is usually placed upon them depending on their background or ethnicity. Negative labels can slow progress and a study by Bail (1981) showed this as well as the follow on of the self-fulfilling prophecy. When pupils entered school they were all eager to learn but because of setting and being told that some were academically more capable than others they become unmotivated and underachieved. Teachers are also capable of labelling students because of an ethnic background they may belong to, Gillborn (1981) found that African-Caribbean pupils were more likely to be given detentions than other pupils and African-Caribbean’s are often grouped as working class .The teachers interpreted or misinterpreted their dress and manner of speech as representing a challenge to their authority. Labels are very powerful and reinforce behaviour because peers labelling each other can have huge effects for example if a comment is made that they always appear to be behind or in the lower sets can cause a drop in self esteem.
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