Showing papers in "British Journal of Sociology of Education in 1995"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore through the lens of habitus how differences of gender, race, and class are produced by children in primary classrooms, drawing on ethnographic data gathered over 15 months of participant observation in two primary classrooms.
Abstract: Pierre Bourdieu suggests that his concept of habitus should be seen as a method; a way of thinking about the social world which invites an understanding of everyday practices as constitutive of social differences. The appeal of habitus lies in its ability to uncover social inequalities in a way that keeps agency and structure simultaneously in focus. However, there are also problems in operationalising habitus, chiefly because of the indeterminacy of the concept. In order to overcome these difficulties I have outlined four key components of habitus and attempted to delineate the aspects of habitus as method that seem most relevant to primary classrooms. Finally, drawing on ethnographic data gathered over 15 months of participant observation in two primary classrooms, the article seeks to explore through the lens of habitus how differences of gender, ‘race’ and class are produced by children in primary classrooms. Although I make no claims for my own empirical work it does suggest that habitus as ...
220 citations
TL;DR: The authors conducted an ethnographic study in one English primary school, "Hillview" and found that teachers care for each other, creating a workplace culture characterized by collaboration, compassion, and community.
Abstract: This paper is based on an ethnographic study in one English primary school, ‘Hillview’. First, I review feminist and other approaches in the literature to the familiar association between women and caring. After a description of the school and the study, I consider Hillview teachers’ caring activities in the classroom and whether maternal imagery is justified. Sources of stress and struggle, which lend a sober side to romanticized notions of teachers as mothers in the classroom, are noted. Next, I look at the ways in which the Hillview teachers cared for each other, creating a workplace culture characterized by collaboration, compassion, and community. Although a gender analysis is extremely important in understanding teachers’ work, this does not mean that teachers’ caring activities or workplace cultures are simply derived from any essential qualities of women. Hillview teachers struggled with ‘their’ children and with material conditions that contained sources of stress and frustration. Their close‐kni...
188 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the polarization model from qualitative research in both Great Britain and the US, which claims that educational stratification practices polarize students into pro-and anti-school orientations.
Abstract: This paper examines the polarization model from qualitative research in both Great Britain and the US, which claims that educational stratification practices polarize students into pro- and anti-school orientations. Because few researchers have adequately conceptualized school attitudes and behavior, social bonding theory (Hirschi, 1969) is used to provide a framework for examining the polarization hypothesis. Relying on High School and Beyond data from the US, an attempt is made to develop measures of respondents’ social bonding to school, including college expectations, absenteeism, disciplinary problems, and engagement. The polarization hypothesis is supported by these US data when examining educational stratification effects on the school bonding measures. Compared to academic-track students, general- and vocational-track students have Iowa college expectations, more disciplinary problems, and are less academically engaged, controlling for prior school orientations and for selection bias due ...
107 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the antecedents of ethnography in an anthropology which was itself closely identified and entwined with colonialism and imperialism are reviewed and critiqued, and the concepts of'really useful knowledge' and 'process of action' are combined in order to assist in the construction of critical ethnography.
Abstract: This paper reviews and critiques significant developments within contemporary ethnography. The first part of the paper traces the antecedents of ethnography in an anthropology which was itself closely identified and entwined with colonialism and imperialism. The paper then goes on to review contemporary developments within ethnography, particularly those associated with postmodernism. Attempts to establish a critical ethnography are reviewed and critiqued in the following section. The paper then goes on to suggest ways in which the concepts of ‘really useful knowledge’ and the processes of action research might be combined in order to assist in the construction of critical ethnography. The paper concludes by acknowledging the difficulties which exist for educational researchers and practitioners who wish to practice critical ethnography in the current educational climate in both Britain and North America.
107 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the history of research into this concept since the sixties, examining how political, ideological and methodological considerations have influenced research to create our current ignorance of the effects of school mix, concluding that there is at least a prima-facie case for the existence of a significant school mix effect.
Abstract: The contextual effect of the social class mix of a school's intake has been identified in several recent studies as having an important influence on individual academic performance, particularly for working class students. However the effect, if genuine, is poorly understood. This paper reviews the history of research into this concept since the sixties, examining how political, ideological and methodological considerations have influenced research to create our current ignorance of the effects of school mix. On the basis of this review, it is argued that (i), there is at least a prima‐facie case for the existence of a significant school mix effect: and (ii), that given the limitations of past approaches, the most rewarding direction for future research would be to explore likely causal mechanisms through micro‐level analysis. Some ways in which causal mechanisms relating to student subcultures might begin to be theorised are suggested.
96 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a more dynamic theory of individual, social and cultural change is needed to enable an understanding of how educational settings, including curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment practices, can help bring about social outcomes for all students.
Abstract: Resistance theory approaches questions of structure and agency as a divide. Resistance crosses boundaries of class, race and gender, but does not point to actions likely to lead to change in present social relations. There is a need to move beyond limited resistance perspectives to focus on individuals and groups as creative agents able to effect change in social structures. A more dynamic theory of individual, social and cultural change is needed to enable an understanding of how educational settings–including curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment practices–can help bring about just social outcomes for all students. This article draws, in particular, on the work of Willis, Walker, Giddens, and Bernstein to address questions of agency and structure in accounting for educational and social change.
77 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that major studies of mature student experience are limited by the epistemological underpinnings of their approach and that the representations they offer do not permit an adequate sociological understanding.
Abstract: It is suggested that major studies of mature student experience are limited by the epistemological underpinnings of their approach and that the representations they offer do not permit an adequate sociological understanding. It is then argued that conceptual tools derived from Bourdieu's sociology can facilitate such an understanding. Two segments of qualitative data from interviews with mature students and their tutors in a UK university department are used to illustrate the potential for a sociological approach which, by focusing on both the constituting and constituted nature of practices, avoids the pitfalls of objectivism and subjectivism apparent in some previous research.
61 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that postmodernist analyses in general, in their marginalisation and/or neglect of the determining effects of the relations of production, are essentially reactionary and identify some key problems with postmodernism per se.
Abstract: In the first part of the paper, we begin by attempting to establish the parameters of the eclectic concept of postmodernism. We then evaluate what have been described as two different strands of postmodernism; postmodernism of reaction’ and postmodernism of resistance’ and conclude that, while there are clear differences in intention and in emphasis, the ‘two postmodernisms’ have too much in common to be thought of as separate discourses. Next, we try to identify some key problems with postmodernism per se. Our central argument is that, contra the postmodern rejection of the metanarrative, a Marxist analysis still has most purchase in explaining economic, political, social and cultural changes and current developments in capitalist societies. We argue that postmodernist analyses in general, in their marginalisation and/or neglect of the determining effects of the relations of production, are essentially reactionary. While noting a range of problems with postmodernism, we focus on its methodology and on it...
52 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the transmission of selected criteria of communicative competence in schools and the implications of the organisational structure of the school for pupil talk in specified subjects, and the experimental evidence is suggestive of the role of social organisation in schooling.
Abstract: This article is concerned with the transmission of selected criteria of communicative competence in schools. It is argued that different contexts generate different criteria of competence. The study refers to the account of the social formation of mind developed by and after L. S. Vygotsky and also the model of cultural transmission developed by B. Bernstein. The study draws on these approaches in order to examine the relationship between individual competences and social structure of schools. The focus is on the implications of the organisational structure of the school for pupil talk in specified subjects. The experimental evidence is suggestive of the role of social organisation in schooling.
43 citations
TL;DR: The authors conducted an analysis of the practices associated with school uniform, badges and mottoes, drawn from a sample of over 500 schools in the state of Queensland, Australia, and revealed a large degree of uniformity in the meaning content of these school icons, derived from a common core of educational values established during the formative decades of universal school.
Abstract: This paper reports on an investigation into central features of institutional schooling that, collectively, constitute the ‘symbolic architecture’ of education. In particular, this paper provides an analysis of the practices associated with school uniform, badges and mottoes, drawn from a sample of over 500 schools in the state of Queensland, Australia. The analysis reveals a large degree of uniformity in the meaning content of these school icons, derived from a common core of educational values established during the formative decades of universal school but resting on older heraldic principles. The authors contend that the propagation of these values within the iconic discourse of schooling constitute a significant ideological practice that focuses a pupil's consciousness towards social norms and further reifies the institutional character of education. These processes are not ‐straightforward but are often contested in instances where pupils recreate mottoes in ways which mock the values that are conse...
41 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative survey of women academics in a UK university using intensive interviews was conducted to investigate women's perceptions and experiences of sexual harassment from both colleagues and students, and the findings were conceptualised using a recent comprehensive categorisation of types of harassment by Gruber (1992).
Abstract: The pervasiveness of sexual harassment in US academic institutions is widely documented. However, little is known, and little has been written about the extent of sexual harassment in UK universities. The study reported here investigates this issue through a qualitative survey of women academics in a UK university using intensive interviews. It analyses these women's perceptions and experiences of sexual harassment, from both colleagues and students. The findings are conceptualised using a recent comprehensive categorisation of types of harassment by Gruber (1992). It raises important questions about the possible under‐reporting and underestimation of the incidence of sexual harassment and its effect on professional women.
TL;DR: In this paper, a year-long ethnographic study of an inner-city, multi-ethnic primary school was conducted to examine how student peer-group relations play an integral role, within the context of student-teacher relations, in shaping many Black students' schooling experiences.
Abstract: The past decade has witnessed the publication of a growing number of important ethnographic studies investigating the schooling experiences of Black students. Their focus has largely been upon student‐teacher relations during the students’ last few years of compulsory education. What they have highlighted is the complexity of racism and the varied nature of Black students’ experiences of schooling. By drawing upon data from a year‐long ethnographic study of an inner‐city, multi‐ethnic primary school, this paper aims to compliment these studies in two ways. Firstly the paper will broaden the focus to examine how student peer‐group relations play an integral role, within the context of student—teacher relations, in shaping many Black students’ schooling experiences. By focussing on African/ Caribbean infant boys, it will be shown how student—teacher relations on the one hand, and peer‐group relations on the other, form a continuous feed‐back loop; the products of each tending to exacerbate and inflate the o...
TL;DR: The changing forms and processes of social reproduction undertaken by Canada's elite independent schools are examined in this article, where the focus is on reproduction theory (both the reproduction of the structure of classes and the intergenerational reproduction of families).
Abstract: The changing forms and processes of social reproduction undertaken by Canada's elite independent schools are examined. Ideology, values, recruitment, and socialization processes and mechanisms in the member schools of the Canadian Association of Independent Schools are analysed. The focus is on reproduction theory (both the reproduction of the structure of classes and the intergenerational reproduction of families). The various forms of reproduction are examined in relation to class, ethnicity and gender. All have undergone considerable change; while the schools have remained critical agents for the reproduction of elites in Canadian society, the rise of meritocratic ideology and recruitment have had a paradoxical effect.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a response to Harker & May 1987 which rejects as inaccurate and misleading their "exposition" of the theory, the analysis of the place of rules in the theory and what is taken to be its structuralist base, and shows how forms of the practical sense may be realised in, and described by, the theory.
Abstract: This paper is a response to Harker & May 1987 which rejects as inaccurate and misleading their ‘exposition’ of the theory, the analysis of the place of rules in the theory, the analysis of what is taken to be its structuralist base, and shows how forms of the practical sense may be realised in, and described by, the theory.
TL;DR: In this paper, a discussion of the contemporary relevance of historical materialism's core ideas for explaining educational change, the limited foci of neo-Marxist theories of education are critically reviewed.
Abstract: Since the appearance of Bowles & Gintis’ (1976) ‘correspondence thesis’, neo‐Marxist theorizing about educational change has gone in several directions. Different approaches have emphasized capitalist reproduction requirements, contradictions between these requirements and the democratic state, hegemony theory and processes of class formation. While studies with affinity to a Marxist problematic of subordination and oppression have become more theoretically open and empirically grounded, some of the core explanatory ideas of the historical materialist perspective tend to have been ignored or dismissed. In consequence, the main conceptual, empirical and theoretical limitations of the correspondence thesis are being repeated, notably in arguments about a ‘post‐Fordist’ form of education. After a discussion of the contemporary relevance of historical materialism's core ideas for explaining educational change, the limited foci of neo‐Marxist theories of education are critically reviewed. Some suggestions are ...
TL;DR: In this article, the applicability of Foucault's ideas within the Australian context is explored and the authors draw upon recent research evidence "at the extremities" to test their applicability in the context of post-compulsory education.
Abstract: Australian post-compulsory education policies have been subjected to theoretical critiques which question assumptions behind the articulation of policy. One line of critique derives from Foucault's analysis of power, and makes particular use of the theme of ‘docile bodies’. A limitation of these critiques is the adoption of a ‘top-down’ model of policy which fails to test the model against empirical evidence. This article draws upon recent research evidence ‘at the extremities’ to test the applicability of Foucault's ideas within the Australian context. The research challenges the monolithic image that results from a Hop down’ analysis and counteracts untested assumptions about the inevitability of current policies. While it suggests ways in which Foucault's ideas might enables us to lay bare the disjunctures between policy and its plurality in practice, it also highlights the limitations of Foucault's imagery of power.
TL;DR: In this article, a black, female researcher studying issues of social justice and equality in a faculty of education is presented in two parts, the first part explores the methodological and epistemological implications of working as a black and female researcher.
Abstract: This paper is presented in two parts. The first part explores the methodological and epistemological implications of working as a black, female researcher studying issues of social justice and equality in a faculty of education. It is argued that many of those researching social issues and motivated by the desire to facilitate change are faced with an apparent contradiction between a commitment to producing objective, value free research and their commitment to equality and justice. This apparent contradiction haunts them in their negotiations with gate keepers, research funders, employers, the academic community and with policy makers and other practitioners. It is argued that the contradiction is indeed only apparent and that it is based on mistaken notions of ‘objectivity’ and ‘universal values’. I argue that as ‘committed’ researchers we need to move beyond such false contradictions while at the same time accepting a dual role, of empowerment and critical engagement. In part two of the paper, it is su...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine from a sociological perspective the nature of effective schooling and draw on case studies of four high schools to analyse their relationship with the social, cultural and policy dimensions of their context.
Abstract: A recent review essay of three books on effective schooling stated that the literature on school effectiveness largely adopts a functionalist view of society and schooling and the field of inquiry is dominated by a positivist paradigm. The review argued for a sociological analysis of effective schooling. This paper examines from a sociological perspective the nature of effective schooling. The paper draws on case studies of four high schools to analyse their relationship with the social, cultural and policy dimensions of their context. A major focus of the paper is on the dilemmas, tensions and issues arising from the interrelationship between each school and its context, and the implications of these for an understanding of effective practices in schools.
TL;DR: In this article, qualitative interviews with three groups of professionals concerned with absence due to home responsibilities (teachers, education welfare officers and educational therapists) are reported, and the discourses of these professionals were analysed in terms of their perspectives on prevalence, models and solutions to absence-related home responsibilities.
Abstract: It has been estimated that 10% of all school absence is due to children undertaking duties associated with their homes. Despite this, the phenomenon remains under‐researched. In this study, qualitative interviews with three groups of professionals concerned with absence due to home responsibilities (teachers, education welfare officers and educational therapists) are reported. The discourses of these professionals were analysed in terms of their perspectives on prevalence, models and solutions to absence due to home responsibilities. Teachers saw a solution in educating parents concerning the value of schooling. Education welfare officers saw a need to address the wider problems faced by some families. The therapists identified underlying psychodynamic issues which need to be resolved. It is hypothesised that this disagreement has led to a failure to create a ‘master discourse’ on this phenomenon and how it might be resolved, and consequently it has not been constructed as a ‘social problem’.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that success in achieving equity within Australian higher education will remain limited unless the structural arrangements that work to construct social inequalities in mainstream higher education are addressed, and they suggest that such programs are prone to co-opt the language of equity and social justice, dependent as they are on satisfying statistically-orientated program performance indicators in order to receive recurrent government funding.
Abstract: In 1985, the Higher Education Equity Program was introduced by the Australian Government to improve the participation of those persons from social groups traditionally under-represented within higher education. In 1990, the program was incorporated within A Fair Chance For All which provided more specific details of the government's desire for a system-wide approach to equity issues. One result has been the proliferation of access and equity programs conducted by universities around the country and aimed at redressing the disadvantage of potential students. The alleged success of these programs is based on greater participation in and graduation from Australian universities by individuals from targeted disadvantaged groups. The research reported here, however, would suggest that such programs are prone to co-opt the language of equity and social justice, dependent as they are on satisfying statistically-orientated program performance indicators in order to receive recurrent government funding. Further, the paper argues that success in achieving equity within Australian higher education will remain limited unless the structural arrangements that work to construct social inequalities in mainstream higher education are addressed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the factors that contribute to the prestige of high schools, in the view of parents, and found that educational attainment was the prime predictor of school prestige, followed by the quality of teachers, students, parents, school policies, climate, management and physical facilities.
Abstract: Rather than being an inherent attribute of the school, prestige is conceived as attribute conferred upon the school by the public. The present research sought to explore the factors that contribute to the prestige of high schools, in the view of parents. Data were obtained from 465 parents of 9th and 11th graders attending 18 state‐secular junior and senior high schools. Educational attainment was found to be the prime correlate of school prestige, followed by—in descending order—the quality of teachers, students, parents, school policies, climate, management, and physical facilities. Although factors intrinsic to education proper were found to be the prime source of attribution of prestige to schools, certain parents subgroups were identified for whom prestige was related primarily to extrinsic features. A ‘halo effect’ was indicated demonstrating the reliance of prestige attribution on stereotyped perception. The findings of this pilot study are discussed and suggestions for further research are outlined.
TL;DR: This article applied the correspondence thesis devised by Bowles and Gintis (1976) to the 1988 Education Reform Act (EDSA) and found that the correspondence principle can be applied to post-Fordist education, although contradictions and tensions in this movement are identified.
Abstract: This article applies the correspondence thesis devised by Bowles and Gintis (1976) to the 1988 Education Reform Act. Theoretical shortcomings of the thesis are identified, and a reformulated version is suggested which incorporates resistances into the analysis of the education system. More limited claims for the thesis are posited. The Education Reform Act is then explored with reference to the revised correspondence principle. Building on the work of previous theorists, it is argued that we may be seeing shifts to post-Fordist education, although contradictions and tensions in this movement are identified. It is suggested that the quasi-market in education is to some extent a change in the legitimating processes of reproduction, rather than a change in what is being reproduced.
TL;DR: Halpin and Troyna as mentioned in this paper discuss ethical and methodological issues in education policy research and propose a framework for ethical education policy, which is based on the work of Halpin et al.
Abstract: Researching Education Policy: ethical and methodological issues David Halpin & Barry Troyna (Eds), 1994 London, Falmer Press
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the latter interpretation of "parent power" and offer an empirical assessment at three levels of analysis: policing potential of the school in terms of the development of an internal welfare network, a professional understanding of parent/ teacher relations from the perspective of the individual teacher, and the influence of individual school in both framing the understandings that teachers have of and their relations with, parents.
Abstract: The relationship between the home and the school is a subject of much debate within the public domain. Present concerns over a parent charter which grants parents more say in the running of the school overlaps with a more long-standing critique of the school as a welfarist agency which undermines parental authority. This paper focuses on the latter interpretation of ‘parent power’ and offers an empirical assessment at three levels of analysis. First, I outline the policing potential of the school in terms of the development of an internal welfare network. Second, I outline a professional understanding of parent/ teacher relations from the perspective of the individual teacher. Finally, I examine the influence of the individual school in both framing the understandings that teachers have of, and their relations with, parents.
TL;DR: This paper pointed out that while the sort of debate in which these authors engage is welcome, there needs to be a more open-minded approach towards the theoretical and methodological resources available to sociologists of education, including those frequently dismissed as positivist.
Abstract: This paper is a response to articles by Shilling and Abraham, which were concerned with the relationship between Giddens’ structuration meta‐theory, differentiation‐polarisation theory, and positivism. Despite their conflicting conclusions, both authors criticise my reconstruction of differentiation‐polarisation theory, and I try to clarify the nature of that reconstruction and the theory it represents. It seems to me that these articles display misunderstandings of, and unwarranted prejudice against, positivism; though they are of course by no means alone in this. I suggest that while the sort of debate in which these authors engage is welcome, there needs to be a more open‐minded approach towards the theoretical and methodological resources available to sociologists of education, including those frequently dismissed as positivist.
TL;DR: This article found that participants are affected by fears and a sense of insecurity in both private and public life which must be addressed in order to bring freedom to the ‘illiterates'.
Abstract: Using in-depth interviews, observations and discussions, and focusing on two sites (one rural and the other urban) in Zambia, the study highlights the outcomes of literacy training as perceived by the participants in basic and functional literacy programmes. The major findings are that literacy training has demonstrable results which affect changes in feelings, attitudes, cognition and economic well being of participants. It also shows that participants are affected by fears and a sense of insecurity in both private and public life which must be addressed in order to bring freedom to ‘illiterates’.
TL;DR: I Answer with My Life: life histories of women teachers working for social change by Kathleen Casey, 1993 New York, Routledge xvi + 196 pp as mentioned in this paper, is a collection of interviews with women teachers.
Abstract: I Answer with My Life: life histories of women teachers working for social change Kathleen Casey, 1993 New York, Routledge xvi + 196 pp.